Internet Verse Search Commentaries Word Analysis ITL - draft

Ecclesiastes 9:12

Context
NET ©

Surely, no one 1  knows his appointed time! 2  Like fish that are caught in a deadly 3  net, and like birds that are caught in a snare – just like them, all people 4  are ensnared 5  at an unfortunate 6  time that falls upon them suddenly.

NIV ©

Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.

NASB ©

Moreover, man does not know his time: like fish caught in a treacherous net and birds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on them.

NLT ©

People can never predict when hard times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a snare, people are often caught by sudden tragedy.

MSG ©

No one can predict misfortune. Like fish caught in a cruel net or birds in a trap, So men and women are caught By accidents evil and sudden.

BBE ©

Even man has no knowledge of his time; like fishes taken in an evil net, or like birds taken by deceit, are the sons of men taken in an evil time when it comes suddenly on them.

NRSV ©

For no one can anticipate the time of disaster. Like fish taken in a cruel net, and like birds caught in a snare, so mortals are snared at a time of calamity, when it suddenly falls upon them.

NKJV ©

For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them.


KJV
For man
<0120>
also knoweth
<03045> (8799)
not his time
<06256>_:
as the fishes
<01709>
that are taken
<0270> (8737)
in an evil
<07451>
net
<04685>_,
and as the birds
<06833>
that are caught
<0270> (8803)
in the snare
<06341>_;
so
<01992>
[are] the sons
<01121>
of men
<0120>
snared
<03369> (8795)
in an evil
<07451>
time
<06256>_,
when it falleth
<05307> (8799)
suddenly
<06597>
upon them.
NASB ©
Moreover
<03588>
<1571>, man
<0120>
does not know
<03045>
his time
<06256>
: like fish
<01709>
caught
<0270>
in a treacherous
<07451>
net
<04685>
and birds
<06833>
trapped
<0270>
in a snare
<06341>
, so the sons
<01121>
of men
<0120>
are ensnared
<03369>
at an evil
<07451>
time
<06256>
when it suddenly
<06597>
falls
<05307>
on them.
HEBREW
Matp
<06597>
Mhyle
<05921>
lwptsk
<05307>
her
<07451>
tel
<06256>
Mdah
<0120>
ynb
<01121>
Mysqwy
<03369>
Mhk
<01992>
xpb
<06341>
twzxah
<0270>
Myrpukw
<06833>
her
<07451>
hdwumb
<04686>
Myzxans
<0270>
Mygdk
<01709>
wte
<06256>
ta
<0853>
Mdah
<0120>
edy
<03045>
al
<03808>
Mg
<01571>
yk (9:12)
<03588>
LXXM
oti
<3754
CONJ
kai
<2532
CONJ
ge
<1065
PRT
ouk
<3364
ADV
egnw
<1097
V-AAI-3S
o
<3588
T-NSM
anyrwpov
<444
N-NSM
ton
<3588
T-ASM
kairon
<2540
N-ASM
autou
<846
D-GSM
wv
<3739
CONJ
oi
<3588
T-NPM
icyuev
<2486
N-NPM
oi
<3588
T-NPM
yhreuomenoi
<2340
V-PMPNP
en
<1722
PREP
amfiblhstrw
<293
N-DSN
kakw
<2556
A-DSM
kai
<2532
CONJ
wv
<3739
CONJ
ornea
<3732
N-NPN
ta
<3588
T-NPN
yhreuomena
<2340
V-PMPNP
en
<1722
PREP
pagidi
<3803
N-DSF
wv
<3739
CONJ
auta
<846
D-APN
pagideuontai
<3802
V-PPI-3P
oi
<3588
T-NPM
uioi
<5207
N-NPM
tou
<3588
T-GSM
anyrwpou
<444
N-GSM
eiv
<1519
PREP
kairon
<2540
N-ASM
ponhron
<4190
A-ASM
otan
<3752
ADV
epipesh
<1968
V-FMI-2S
ep
<1909
PREP
autouv
<846
D-APM
afnw
<869
ADV
NET © [draft] ITL
Surely
<03588>
, no
<03808>
one
<0120>
knows
<03045>
his appointed time
<06256>
! Like fish
<01709>
that are caught
<0270>
in a deadly
<07451>
net
<04686>
, and like birds
<06833>
that are caught
<0270>
in a snare
<06341>
– just like them
<01992>
, all people
<0120>
are ensnared
<03369>
at an unfortunate
<07451>
time
<06256>
that falls
<05307>
upon
<05921>
them suddenly
<06597>
.
NET ©

Surely, no one 1  knows his appointed time! 2  Like fish that are caught in a deadly 3  net, and like birds that are caught in a snare – just like them, all people 4  are ensnared 5  at an unfortunate 6  time that falls upon them suddenly.

NET © Notes

tn Heb “man.” The term is used here in a generic sense and translated “no one.”

tn Heb “time.” BDB 773 s.v. עֵת 2.d suggests that עֵת (’et, “time”) refers to an “uncertain time.” On the other hand, HALOT 901 s.v. עֵת 6 nuances it as “destined time,” that is, “no one knows his destined time [i.e., hour of destiny].” It is used in parallelism with זְמָן (zÿman, “appointed time; appointed hour”) in 3:1 (HALOT 273 s.v. זְמָן; BDB 273 s.v. זְמָן). Eccl 3:9-15 teaches God’s sovereignty over the appointed time-table of human events. Similarly, Qoheleth here notes that no one knows what God has appointed in any situation or time. This highlights the limitations of human wisdom and human ability, as 9:11 stresses.

tn Heb “bad, evil.” The moral connotation hardly fits here. The adjective would seem to indicate that the net is the instrument whereby the fish come to ruin.

tn Heb “the sons of man.”

tn The Masoretes pointed the consonantal form יוקשׁים (“are ensnared”) as יוּקָשִׁים (yuqashim, Pual participle mpl from ַָיקֹשׁ, yaqosh, “to be ensnared”). This is an unusual form for a Pual participle: (1) The characteristic doubling of the middle consonant was omitted due to the lengthening of the preceding short vowel from יֻקָּשִׁים to יוּקָשִׁים (GKC 74 §20.n and 143 §52.s), and (2) The characteristic prefix מְ (mem) is absent, as in a few other Pual participles, e.g., Exod 3:2; Judg 13:8; 2 Kgs 2:10; Isa 30:24; 54:11 (GKC 143 §52.s). On the other hand, the consonant form יוקשים might actually be an example of the old Qal passive participle which dropped out of Hebrew at an early stage, and was frequently mistaken by the Masoretes as a Pual form (e.g., Jer 13:10; 23:32) (GKC 143 §52.s). Similarly, the Masoretes pointed אכל as אֻכָּל (’ukkal, Pual perfect 3rd person masculine singular “he was eaten”); however, it probably should be pointed אֻכַל (’ukhal, old Qal passive perfect 3rd person masculine singular “he was eaten”) because אָכַל (’akhal) only occurs in the Qal (see IBHS 373-74 §22.6a).

tn Heb “evil.” The term רָעָה (raah, “evil; unfortunate”) is repeated in v. 12 in the two parts of the comparison: “fish are caught in an evil (רָעָה) net” and “men are ensnared at an unfortunate (רָעָה) time.”



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