Ecclesiastes 5:16

5:16 This is another misfortune:

Just as he came, so will he go.

What did he gain from toiling for the wind?

Ecclesiastes 7:21

7:21 Also, do not pay attention to everything that people say;

otherwise, you might even hear your servant cursing you.

Ecclesiastes 9:6

9:6 What they loved, as well as what they hated and envied, perished long ago,

and they no longer have a part in anything that happens on earth.


tn See the note on the phrase “depressing misfortune” in v. 13.

tn Heb “they”; the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

tn Heb “so that you do not hear…”; or “lest you hear….”

tn The imperfect tense verb תִשְׁמַע (tishma’; from שָׁמַע [shama’, “to hear”]) functions in a modal sense, denoting possibility: “you might hear” (see IBHS 508 §31.4e).

tn Heb “their love.”

tn Heb “their hatred.”

tn Heb “their envy.”

tn Heb “under the sun.”