Ecclesiastes 5:3 
Context| NET © | Just as dreams come when there are many cares, 1 so 2 the rash vow 3 of a fool occurs 4 when there are many words. |
| NIV © | As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words. |
| NASB © | For the dream comes through much effort and the voice of a fool through many words. |
| NLT © | Just as being too busy gives you nightmares, being a fool makes you a blabbermouth. |
| MSG © | Over-work makes for restless sleep. Over-talk shows you up as a fool. |
| BBE © | As a dream comes from much business, so the voice of a foolish man comes with words in great number. |
| NRSV © | For dreams come with many cares, and a fool’s voice with many words. |
| NKJV © | For a dream comes through much activity, And a fool’s voice is known by his many words. |
| KJV | |
| NASB © | |
| HEBREW | |
| LXXM | |
| NET © [draft] ITL | |
| NET © | Just as dreams come when there are many cares, 1 so 2 the rash vow 3 of a fool occurs 4 when there are many words. |
| NET © Notes |
1 tn The term עִנְיַן (’inyan) means “business; affair; task; occupation” (HALOT 857 s.v. עִנְיָן; BDB 775 s.v. עִנְיָן). HALOT nuances עִנְיַן בְּרֹב (bÿrov ‘inyan) as “excessive activity” (HALOT 857 s.v. עִנְיָן). Here, it is used as a metonymy of cause (i.e., tasks) for effect (i.e., cares). The term is nuanced variously: (1) literal sense: “business” (KJV, ASV, YLT, NEB, RSV) and “effort” (NASB), and (2) metonymical: “cares” (NAB, NIV, NRSV), “concerns” (MLB, Douay), “worries” (Moffatt) and “brooding” (NJPS). The LXX mistakenly related עִנְיַן to the root II עָנַה (’anah) “to afflict,” and rendered it as πειρασμοῦ (peirasmou, “trial”). 2 tn The juxtaposition of the two lines joined by vav (“just as…so…”) suggests a comparison (BDB 253 s.v. ו 1.j); see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 71, §437. 3 tn Heb “voice.” The Hebrew term קוֹל (qol, “voice”) is used as a metonymy of cause (i.e., voice) for the contents (i.e., the thing said), e.g., Gen 3:17; 4:23; Exod 3:18; 4:1, 9; Deut 1:45; 21:18, 20; 1 Sam 2:25; 8:7, 9; 2 Sam 12:18); see HALOT 1084 s.v. קוֹל 4.b; BDB 877 s.v. קוֹל 3.a; also E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 545–46. Contextually, this refers to a rash vow made by a fool who made a mistake in making it because he is unable to fulfill it. 4 tn The word “occurs” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. |
