The Septuagint, or Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, along with Jerusalem Bible and New Jerusalem Bible, regard the first part of this verse as belonging with the previous verse. They also take the first word to be hevel (“vanity”) and so give a different reading than Revised Standard Version. However, taking the Hebrew text literally we have “all things [hakol] are alike for all one fate.” “All things are alike for all” is probably a well-known saying, stating a principle that will be illustrated in the following examples. It is followed by the comment “one fate.” We can express the idea by “Everything is alike [or, the same] for everybody. We all share the same fate.” Good News Translation translates rather freely: “It makes no difference. The same fate comes to….”

One fate: see comments on 2.14. Fate is a euphemism for the final end, death. One does not function here as a numeral but expresses the fact that it is a shared or common fate; we may translate as “the same fate” or “a common fate.” In some languages figurative expressions exist to express the idea of fate. For example, in one West African language we can say “everyone holds one stick.” It is quite acceptable to use such idiomatic expressions, if the level of language matches the serious tone here.

Comes to all is supplied by Revised Standard Version and means that death “comes to” or “meets” every living thing. Here all is not restricted to people but embraces every living creature.

A series of contrasting terms describing individuals follows. We have seen this device in the poem of 3.2-8. The use of opposing terms is a feature of wisdom literature enabling the simple classification of all aspects of life. In this verse they describe liturgical or religious practices.

With the exception of one line (“to the good”), this passage is very rhythmic, with the same beat of alternating senses that we have seen elsewhere. The translator should try to retain some of the rhythm if possible.

We note a slight shift in the form of expression toward the end of the list. The first elements in the list (“righteous” through “those not sacrificing”) follow the preposition “to,” while the last elements (“good” and “sinner”; “one swearing” and “one not swearing”) are combined with “as … so” particles in a comparative expression. The translator can decide whether to follow this shift in the form (see Good News Translation), or whether putting all elements in a parallel structure will be more acceptable.

To the righteous and the wicked: for comment on the term righteous, see verse 1 and 3.17. It is appropriate to begin the list with the righteous or law-abiding persons, since it was the circumstances surrounding their death that caught Qoheleth’s attention (verse 1). The wicked describes the person who disobeys God’s Law (see comments on 3.17). Both kinds of people die, even though from the human viewpoint we might expect some distinction to be made.

To the good and the evil: as the Revised Standard Version footnote indicates, the Hebrew lacks the words “and the evil.” However, later in the verse there is a reference to both the good and the evil. Should we omit the good, or add the evil as Revised Standard Version has? Qoheleth’s meaning will not be lost if we omit “good” at this point, because it is repeated later in the verse. We suggest that the entire phrase should not be translated at this point.

To the clean and the unclean represents those who are prepared for worship and those who are not, those who are worthy for worship and those who are defiled and unable to join in. Uncleanness was normally a temporary state caused by touching something considered unclean (for example, a dead body), or by certain sicknesses and the like. See the information given in Leviticus 12–15. A person could become clean again by undergoing a cleansing ritual. The two contrasting terms clean and unclean are a way of describing all Israelites, defining them in terms of those who are able to join in worship and those who cannot. The translator should use the same vocabulary used in translating the terms in Leviticus. Some languages will use words like “pure” and “impure,” while others will need longer phrases such as “acceptable [or, not acceptable] in God’s eyes” or “acceptable [or, not acceptable] for worship.” We can translate as:

• those who are ready for worship and those who are not.

• those who have cleansed themselves for worship and those who have not.

To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice: this contrasting pair is also based in Israel’s religious life. The person who sacrifices probably is meant to identify someone who takes religious practice seriously; conversely, the person who does not sacrifice is someone who is not serious about worship. Regardless of how religious a person is, Qoheleth says that person will ultimately die. Religious devotion, or lack of it, will not save anyone from death. Although the verb “to sacrifice” is only one of many used to describe the various Old Testament rituals, here it probably represents all kinds of sacrificial activity. However, to translate it as “religious” (Good News Translation) can be misleading, because our translation needs to reflect the Old Testament ritual background. “Religious” is far too general a term to do that. We can simply say “to the person who [regularly or habitually] offers sacrifice and to the person who does not.” In some languages an object for the verb “sacrifice” will have to be mentioned. In this case the translator should try to use the most general term possible, such as “the person who offers a sacrifice [to God]” or “the person who sacrifices something.”

As is the good man, so is the sinner compares people of two opposing moral standards. Though very different morally, they stand together because they share a single fate. Moral factors do not determine whether a person lives or dies. The good man may carry several meanings, so it may be better to say “the person who does good,” while the sinner is “the person who does wrong.” The entire phrase can be clearly set forth as:

• the person who does good and the person who does evil share the same fate [or, both end the same].

• the fate of the person who does good and of the person who does wrong is the same.

And he who swears is as he who shuns an oath: again the liturgical context of the examples is clear, this time returning to an example used previously in chapter 5. The Revised Standard Version text can be misunderstood as comparing two kinds of people, when in fact Qoheleth is talking about their fates. “Swearing an oath” means making a solemn promise to someone or to God that you will do a certain thing. See comments on 5.4-5. The context suggests that Qoheleth has in mind promises made to God rather than to a friend or someone else. However, we cannot rule out both meanings being present. Our translation needs to reflect that religious setting, whereas Good News Translation “one who takes an oath” may have a purely secular or legal sense in many cultures. He who shuns an oath describes someone who is afraid or unwilling to make a commitment. In translation we can convey the broader meaning with:

• the person who makes a promise to God is treated the same as the person who refuses to promise anything.

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 .