Discovery BoxEcclesiastes 4:2 
Context4:2 So I considered 1 those who are dead and gone 2
more fortunate than those who are still alive. 3
Ecclesiastes 6:5
Context6:5 though it never saw the light of day 4 nor knew anything, 5
yet it has more rest 6 than that man –
Ecclesiastes 9:17
Context9:17 The words of the wise are heard in quiet,
more than the shouting of a ruler is heard 7 among fools.
1 tn The verb שָׁבַח (shavakh) has a two-fold range of meaning: (1) “to praise; to laud”; and (2) “to congratulate” (HALOT 1387 s.v. I שׁבח; BDB 986 s.v. II שָׁבַח). The LXX translated it as ἐπῄνεσα (ephnesa, “I praised”). The English versions reflect the range of possible meanings: “praised” (KJV, ASV, Douay); “congratulated” (MLB, NASB); “declared/judged/accounted/thought…fortunate/happy” (NJPS, NEB, NIV, RSV, NRSV, NAB).
2 tn Heb “the dead who had already died.”
3 tn Heb “the living who are alive.”
4 tn Heb “it never saw the sun.”
5 tn The word “anything” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
6 sn The Hebrew term translated rest here refers to freedom from toil, anxiety, and misery – part of the miserable misfortune that the miserly man of wealth must endure.
7 tn The phrase “is heard” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness. Note its appearance in the previous line.
