Like societies in all ages, the society in which Qoheleth lived was plagued by social injustice (3.16-21). Dominated by powerful people, the less privileged members of the community found themselves at the mercy of these people.

Again I saw introduces another of Qoheleth’s observations. The verb saw, as we have noted before, means that Qoheleth gave special attention to a problem, then drew from it certain conclusions. As noted earlier a verb like “consider” or “observe” can be used in place of the verb “see.” The Hebrew here is literally “Then-I-turned, me, and-I-saw,” a more emphatic form of the same expression found in 3.10, 16, 22. A discourse marker that shows a new section is beginning may be appropriate. Revised Standard Version signals this new beginning by the word Again.

All the oppressions that are practiced under the sun: the oppressive activities of some powerful members of society catch Qoheleth’s attention because they cause much suffering to others. Oppressions describes the abuse of power and privilege by which one person takes advantage of others who have no access to justice. According to the Old Testament prophets, it was usually the widows and orphans who were oppressed and cheated by the powerful and wealthy (see Amos 5.12; 8.4-6). Good News Translation “injustice” is perhaps too broad a term, as Qoheleth mentions only one kind of injustice, namely, oppressive treatment of the underprivileged. Revised Standard Version practiced refers to actions carried out regularly, and not to “practicing” some activity so as to develop skill at it.

The noun phrase all the oppressions may need to be made clearer, probably by using a verbal expression: “I saw how people oppressed one another.” In some languages an impersonal pronoun can be used; for example, “I saw how they [indefinite] oppress people in this world.” The word all is of course an exaggeration to emphasize how thorough the examination Qoheleth undertook. Qoheleth did not see absolutely every instance of oppression. In some languages this use of exaggeration, or hyperbole, is quite acceptable. In others it may be necessary to express this idea in another manner: “I observed the many ways people oppress each other,” or simply “I saw how people oppress one another throughout [this] society.”

Under the sun: see comments on 1.3. It means “in the world.”

For translation:

• Then I observed all the ways people oppress one another on this earth.

• Then I considered the many ways in which the powerful take advantage of others in this world.

And behold, the tears of the oppressed: And behold is an attention-getting device. Here it signals a cry of dismay: “Just look at how those being oppressed weep!” Languages may have an emotive word that expresses this dismay. In some languages a statement with a progressive aspect will be effective: “The oppressed are weeping and there is no one to help them!” A full verbal clause may also be appropriate in some cultures. For example, “What I saw was….” Jerusalem Bible‘s “take for instance” misses the emotional impact of the verse. We may also introduce the sentence by saying “And oh the…!”

The tears of the oppressed is a noun phrase in Hebrew. It describes the anguish and pain of oppressed people weeping because of the treatment given them. There is a sense of misery and helplessness to be conveyed. A verbal phrase “they wept” can also replace the noun phrase for a more expressive form. The oppressed are those who were powerless, suffering injustice at the hands of the powerful and wealthy. It can be translated as a noun, or put into a noun phrase form such as “those who suffered” or “those who were cheated.” The entire clause can be presented in a vivid manner along the following lines: “I saw how those who suffered in this way wept,” “I saw those poor people in tears,” “Look, the oppressed are weeping,” or perhaps “And, oh how those who had been cheated cried!”

And they had no one to comfort them: this clause appears twice in this verse. The repetition indicates that Qoheleth’s basic concern is with those he sees suffering. Unlike the prophets Qoheleth does not here preach against oppression. He merely observes this unpleasant fact about human life, and the even sadder fact that people often do not help one another when there is such great need.

Comfort means to actively assist a person in need; it is a practical expression of commitment to someone. Note how in Isa 40.1 the prophet comforts the people of Israel with God’s promise that he will lead them back to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon. Them, the object of the verb comfort, refers to the people who were being oppressed. This fact can be made clear by a translation such as “there was nobody willing to comfort those who had been cheated” or “nobody gave the oppressed any comfort [or, help].”

On the side of their oppressors there was power: this statement explains why there was oppression, as well as why people did not give comfort to those who were oppressed. On the side of is literally “from the hand of,” suggesting that the oppressors used their power against anyone who tried to help the victims of oppression. Those in power abused their privilege; others were afraid of the powerful people or did not care about the ones suffering. Power refers to “authority,” or to the power and control over others that wealth, social position, and status can give. In translation we can say “The oppressors were those in authority,” “the oppressors held so much power,” or “those cheating others had the power to do whatever they wanted.”

And there was no one to comfort them repeats the phrase found earlier in the verse. It can be translated in the same manner for impact. Here it is important to make the final pronoun them clear, otherwise it may be misunderstood as a reference to the oppressor; thus “nobody comforted the oppressed,” or in view of the previous clause, “no one dared to give the oppressed comfort.”

These last lines of verse 1 are the most poignant and poetic of the whole chapter. This feeling is supported by the rhythm of the text and the repetition of elements (“oppress” in the first and third lines, and “no one to comfort them” in the second and fourth lines).
See the tears of those being oppressed!
But there is no one to comfort them.
Power is in the hands of those oppressing them.
But there is no one to comfort them.

Translators should consider the possibility of rendering this part of the verse in poetic form. It may be indented as above. In many cases the repetition of the second and fourth line will help achieve the desired effect. Languages may differ, though, as to how much repetition is allowed or appreciated. Some languages do not appreciate repetition, in which case the repeated lines can be combined:

• Oh, how the oppressed weep!
Those oppressing them are those in authority.
So no one offers them comfort.

In other languages repetition may be appreciated but not in the original form. Grouping the second and fourth lines together at the end may be effective:

• Oh, how the oppressed are crying!
Powerful ones oppress them.
But there is no one to comfort them,
No one to comfort them.

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 .