Ecclesiastes 2:9
ContextNETBible | So 1 I was far wealthier 2 than all my predecessors in Jerusalem, yet I maintained my objectivity: 3 |
XREF | 1Ki 3:12; 1Ki 10:7,23; 1Ch 29:25; 2Ch 1:1; 2Ch 9:22,23; Ec 1:16 |
NET © Notes |
1 tn The vav prefixed to וְגָדַלְתִּי (vÿgadalti, vav + Qal perfect first common singular from גָּדַל, gadal, “to be great; to increase”) functions in a final summarizing sense, that is, it introduces the concluding summary of 2:4-9. 2 tn Heb “I became great and I surpassed” (וְהוֹסַפְתִּי וְגָדַלְתִּי, vÿgadalti vÿhosafti). This is a verbal hendiadys in which the second verb functions adverbially, modifying the first: “I became far greater.” Most translations miss the hendiadys and render the line in a woodenly literal sense (KJV, ASV, RSV, NEB, NRSV, NAB, NASB, MLB, Moffatt), while only a few recognize the presence of hendiadys here: “I became greater by far” (NIV) and “I gained more” (NJPS). 3 tn Heb “yet my wisdom stood for me,” meaning he retained his wise perspective despite his great wealth. |