Discovery BoxEcclesiastes 9:11 
ContextWisdom Cannot Protect against Seemingly Chance Events
9:11 Again, 1 I observed this on the earth: 2
the race is not always 3 won by the swiftest,
the battle is not always won by the strongest;
prosperity 4 does not always belong to those who are the wisest,
wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning,
nor does success 5 always come to those with the most knowledge –
for time and chance may overcome 6 them all.
1 tn Heb “I returned and.” In the Hebrew idiom, “to return and do” means “to do again.”
2 tn Heb “under the sun.”
3 tn The term “always” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation (five times in this verse) for clarity.
4 tn Heb “bread.”
5 tn Heb “favor.”
6 tn Heb “happen to.”
