complete verse (Ecclesiastes 7:24)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ecclesiastes 7:24:

  • Kupsabiny: “There is not even one person who is able to disclose/reveal what is in the world, and that matter is hard/difficult to understand/know!” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Whatever wisdom may be
    it is very exalted and profound.
    Who is able to find it?” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “I could not fathom the happening; this is very hard to understand. No one ever could understand it.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Wisdom seems to be far from me;
    there is no one who can truly understand everything.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Ecclesiastes 7:24

Qoheleth continues his discussion of how hard it is to find answers to the questions he asked.

In the Hebrew the sentence begins with the adjective for far off, repeated from the previous verse and cementing the relationship between them. The adjective modifies the following phrase, That which is. This phrase was used earlier by Qoheleth in 1.9; 3.15; and 6.10; see comments there. In this context the word translated which does not ask a question as it usually does, but points to the all-inclusive “anything,” “whatever”; so the phrase can be rendered as “whatever has come into existence” or “everything that exists.” Such an all-inclusive phrase appears to be difficult to reconcile with the more narrow focus of the context. However, a little reflection will reveal that Qoheleth’s point is an important and valid one. Other examples of the phrase That which is indicate that it can refer to anything God does or makes, as well as to every human situation. In this setting Qoheleth reminds readers that everything about the world and human life falls into this category; everything is beyond the human mind to grasp, comprehend fully, and explain. Good News Translation expresses this as “hard to understand”; Jerusalem Bible and New English Bible “lies beyond our grasp” is a little closer to the Hebrew image.

Following on from verse 23, this statement explains why Qoheleth cannot find answers to his earlier questions. Thus New American Bible “far-reaching” seems to have missed the point of the idiom. Qoheleth could not find answers because in the nature of things the meaning of everything in this world is mysterious and hard to explain.

Complementing the adjective far off is the adjective ʿamoq deep. The repetition of the adjective ʿamoq ʿamoq has a superlative sense, “the deepest deep.” It also has a stylistic, or literary, function, providing assonance or similar sounding words, as rachoq (“far”) and ʿamoq sound alike. Thus deep, very deep reinforces the fact that the things of the world cannot be penetrated by the limited human mind. See this same idea in Pro 18.4; 20.5; Psa 64.6. “The deepest deep” may have to be expressed in another way. In English, for example, we can modify “deep” by adverbs: “so deep,” “so very deep,” or retain the Revised Standard Version model. Again, idiomatic expressions or ideophones may be of use here: “beyond my grasp,” “beyond me,” etc. Contemporary English Version combines the two adjectives: “It’s far too deep.”

Who can find it out?: here the rhetorical question is the equivalent of a negative statement, “nobody can find it out.” Find … out is to discover by means of observing and reflecting. It is a key verb not only in the subsection to follow, but also in much of the remainder of the book. The intention of this question and that in 6.12 are not very different.

The pronominal suffix it on the Hebrew verb “find out” may refer back to “it” in the previous verse; but it seems more likely that it refers back to the subject of the verb “is,” “exists” in the previous clause. Thus it relates to the Hebrew for “which,” a term we translated as “anything,” “everything.” We can give a translation in question form, such as “Who can understand [find out] all these things?” or as a statement, “Nobody can possibly comprehend everything.” Good News Translation has expressed it as “what life means,” which narrows down this interpretation slightly.

Good News Translation has also reversed the order of the statement and the question, which seems quite effective in English. The translator is free to do the same thing, but only if the meaning is completely preserved.

Some possible translation models are:

• Everything that exists is beyond our understanding, and very profound. Who can possibly understand everything?

• Whatever exists is beyond our power to understand, and very profound. Nobody can possibly comprehend everything.

• Everything is beyond us [or, our reach], far, far away. Can anyone comprehend it?

• Everything is so difficult to understand, and there isn’t anyone who can comprehend all there is.

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 7:24

7:24a What exists is out of reach and very deep.

I am so far from ⌊understanding⌋ everything. There is so very very much ⌊to know⌋ .
-or-
I cannot understand why things are as they are. (English Easy-to-Read Version)

7:24b Who can fathom it?

Who can find it? ⌊Nobody can!⌋
-or-
It is ⌊practically⌋ impossible to understand it all.
-or-
It is too hard for anyone to understand. (English Easy-to-Read Version)

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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Commentaire sur la traduction de l'Ecclésiaste 7.24

Ce qui est venu à l’existence est lointain et profond, profond ! : ces propos sont prononcés presque comme un soupir. Ici Qohéleth reconnaît qu’aucun être humain (lui-même inclus) n’arrivera jamais à toute comprendre dans le monde. Il commence par le mot רָחוֹק râḥôq, « éloigné », qui apparaît dans le dernier vers de Ecc 7.23. Ceci est un procédé stylistique que l’on trouve souvent dans les textes poétiques, mais assez rarement chez Qohéleth. L’hébreu dit litt. « loin ce qui a été et profond profond ». La répétition de ces mots expriment beaucoup d’émotion, et en traduisant, les traducteurs devraient chercher à rendre cette emphase.

Le sens des mots « loin ce qui a été » est difficile à cerner. S’agit-il de la sagesse, « la compréhension des choses » (La Bible du Semeur) ou plus généralement de « ce qui existe » (Parole de Vie) dans le monde ? Au sens primaire loin renvoie à une distance, mais ici au sens figuré il semble parler de quelque chose d’« incompréhensible ». La Bible en français courant propose « La réalité est si vaste… », mais la La Bible du Semeur est peut-être plus proche du sens en disant « hors de ma portée ». La Parole de Vie tourne la phrase en question : « Qui peut comprendre ce qui existe ? » ce qui exprime l’une des interprétations possibles.

et profond, profond ! rend l’hébreu littéralement. Sa traduction dépendra de l’expression choisie pour « ce qui a été ». Mais le focus semble plus sur l’inaccessibilité de la compréhension que sur les profondeurs physiques d’une chose. Ainsi la La Bible du Semeur suggère : « Elle [la compréhension des choses] est beaucoup trop profonde pour qu’on puisse l’atteindre ».

Qui le découvrira ? est littéralement « qui le trouvera » ? Si une question ne convient pas, on pourra dire « Personne ne peut la découvrir en entier ».

Source: Zogbo, Lynell. L’Ecclésiaste – Manuel de traduction – Commentaire linguistique et exégétique de la Bible. Alliance biblique universelle, 2021.