There is nothing better introduces a form that Qoheleth uses in 3.12, 22 and 8.15. In 5.18 and 9.7-10 the content is the same but the form varies. In view of the importance of the form in conveying the advice Qoheleth gives at this point of climax, translators may consider the possibility of using a fixed phrase or form on each occasion it occurs. The clause is cast in the negative, and this can be rendered in the translation, “There is no better way to live than….” However, in many languages the point comes across more forcefully if a positive statement is used. The adjective better is actually a noun meaning “good things.” From the point of view of sentence structure, the Hebrew uses a comparative form, but the sense is an exclusive one. That is to say, Qoheleth believes that this is the best or only thing to do. Such a translation is found in Good News Translation, “the best thing a man can do.”

For a man can be omitted from translation because it will be understood by readers: “There is no better way to live than…” or “The best thing to do is….” If an agent must be retained, then it should be more general than the Revised Standard Version a man. We can use “people” or “a person.” In some languages an impersonal pronoun may be more appropriate, such as “one,” “you,” “they,” or even “anyone.”

He should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in his toil: in the several calls to enjoyment listed earlier, there is a common group of ideas. They are “eat,” “drink,” and “enjoy.” On this first use of the form, we note that it uses the verbs eat and drink, but the enjoyment theme is expressed in the verb “see” and its object “good things.” The question we can ask is whether Qoheleth has used these ideas in a literal sense or a metaphorical one. In the Old Testament “eating” and “drinking” may at times have a larger meaning, referring not just to these actions but to the physical or material side of life in general. What is clear is that “eating” and “drinking” are not used negatively here but rather in a positive way. Eating and drinking are necessary activities for staying alive. Qoheleth is thus advocating an attitude that affirms life, and he encourages readers to accept all that God provides. Translating these terms literally is possible, except that in some languages we may have to provide objects, “eat food” and “drink drinks.”

Find enjoyment in his toil: as in verse 21 here also we find that enjoyment and toil are associated with one another. Qoheleth believes that hard work or labor is a positive good in itself and because of what it provides. Toil does not refer only to paid labor but to any work a person does. In translation this may be expressed as “enjoy [his] work,” “find pleasure in [his] achievements,” “get satisfaction out of [his] work.”

Translation of Qoheleth’s startling advice can follow Good News Translation or one of the following suggestions:

• To eat, drink, and enjoy your work is the best approach to life.

• There is only one way to live life: eat, drink, and enjoy what you labor to achieve.

This also, I saw, is from the hand of God: the above advice is valid only when based on the statement of faith in this sentence. Qoheleth justifies his call to enjoy life on the grounds that this is what God has in mind for us. Food, drink, and work are God’s provisions, and our responsibility as wise people is to take them and use them thankfully.

The demonstrative this refers to what comes before, namely, the fact of “eating, drinking, and enjoying.” The translator can make this clear if need be: “These things” or “These pleasures.” As elsewhere (for example, 2.13), I saw means “I discovered” or “I realized.”

The hand of God is another metaphor using a part to represent the whole. The metaphor indicates that “this is from God.” Alternatively the image of God’s hand can be rendered by a verb: God “gives” or “provides.”

Translators may consider the following possibilities for this verse:

• The best thing to do is to eat, drink, and enjoy life. This is what God intends for us.

• The best approach to life is to eat, drink, and be satisfied with your work. I discovered this: these things come from God.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .