The Book of Ecclesiastes 8:1–17

 ¹Who is like a wise man?

And who knows the interpretation of a thing?

A man’s wisdom makes his face shine,

And the sternness of his face is changed.

²I say, “Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God.

³Do not be hasty to go from his presence.

Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.”

⁴Where the word of a king is, there is power; And who may say to him, “What are you doing?” ⁵He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful; And a wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment,

⁶Because for every matter there is a time and judgment,

Though the misery of man increases greatly.

⁷For he does not know what will happen;

So who can tell him when it will occur?

⁸No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit,

And no one has power in the day of death. There is no release from that war,

And wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it.

⁹All this I have seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: There is a time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt.

¹⁰Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. This also is vanity.

¹¹Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

¹²Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.

¹³But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

¹⁴There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

¹⁵So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.

¹⁶When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night, ¹⁷then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it.

Commentary

Vs. 1 ¹Who is like a wise man?

And who knows the interpretation of a thing?

A man’s wisdom makes his face shine,

And the sternness of his face is changed.

King Solomon here seemingly admires the wise man, the person who can give a right interpretation; think Joseph and later Daniel. Indeed, acquiring Biblical Wisdom, by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, one’s face does indeed shine and a once stern countenance is changed.

Vs. 2-3 ²I say, “Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God.

³Do not be hasty to go from his presence.

Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.”

Here keeping the king’s commandment is linked with one’s faithfulness to God (consider Rom. 13:1; Titus 3:1-2; 1 Peter 2:13); that said if the king or ruler’s commandment would compel you to violate one of God’s commands then one should always obey God (Acts 5:29). Therefore, do not be hasty to go from his presence; like those whose hearts are always set on doing their own will; nor take a stand for an evil thing; like those who seek to overthrow him; for he does whatever he pleases, and you do not want to be on the receiving end of his wrath.

Vs. 4-6 ⁴Where the word of a king is, there is power; And who may say to him, “What are you doing?” ⁵He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful; And a wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment,

⁶Because for every matter there is a time and judgment,

Though the misery of man increases greatly.

The thought continues, saying, where the word of a king (or ruler) is, there is power, for his men do not hesitate to obey him, and questioning him, as if he is subject to you, needing your approval, will only bring harm to yourself (vs. 4-5). Therefore, a wise mans hearts discerns both time and judgment, for there is a time to speak and a time to remain silent, a time to take a stand for a matter, and a time not too. “Because for every matter there is a time and judgment”, even though the misery of man increases greatly, discerning the time is how one brings change.

Vs. 7 “For he does not know what will happen;

So who can tell him when it will occur?”

The thought concludes by cautioning us all not to presume upon things, especially upon working out as we wish or think. For we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, or even when it will occur.

Vs. 8 No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit,

And no one has power in the day of death. There is no release from that war,

And wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it.

This thought then is clearly seen in our own lives as we have no power over our spirit to retain our spirit, for when death comes, we depart. For no one has power to keep themselves alive on the day of their death, there is no release from that war, for neither you, nor the king, nor the servant can escape it, and wickedness will not deliverer those given to it. Therefore, live uprightly now by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, so that you maybe able to confidently face it when it comes to you.

Vs. 9 “All this I have seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: There is a time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt.”

King Solomon then came to understand all these great things while alive, and not while pondering and reflecting on his death bed, when its often to late. And so, as he saw, there is time when one man rules over another to their own hurt. Better than to be a just ruler here and now, than to die nd have many grave regrets.

Vs. 10 “Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. This also is vanity.

So, it was the wicked were buried; that is those who had begun in holiness, but for whatever reasons later departed for their sins, (or maybe for the power and prestige of this life), but when they were buried their “legacy” also perished with them, for no one remembered them after they were gone. This also then is vanity.

Vs. 11 “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”

This is a great truth, as we have all seen, for judgment delayed often encourages more of the same, again as we have all seen. Men and women then often feel emboldened to do more of them same when there are no immediate consequences, this then is the state of this world down here under the sun, and not under the Son of God. Nonetheless when the Lord Jesus Christ Reigns, this will cease to be, for even before the wicked can hatch their wicked scheme, He will strike them down. “For He will Rule the World with a Rod of iron.”

Vs. 12-13 ¹²Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. ¹³But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

King Solomon though grieved by slowness of justice down here, still saw that the sinner is eventually repaid, just as surely as the person who fears God is. Therefore, it will not be well with the wicked on the Day of Judgment; whose days are like a shadow down here under the sun, because he does not fear before God.

Vs. 14 “There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.”

King Solomon also observed that under the sun, (and not under the Son), there are just and righteous men who are judged and treated like they are wicked, and there are wicked men who are treated like they are just and upright, leading him again to believe that all that is done under sun is vanity.

Vs. 15 “So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.”

Rather than fretting about this injustice, about all that he could not change in mankind’s hearts, King Solomon then commended men to eat, drink and be merry, while they live their lives down here under the sun. And so, we see his and every earthly ruler’s limitation to effect lasting change in people, which again is why the world needs Christ, who by His Gospel and Word changes everyone who believes!

Vs. 16-17 ¹⁶When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night, ¹⁷then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it.

Still King Solomon sought out to understand all of this, to understand all the works that are done under the sun, and yet though he searched day and night, he finely came to the conclusion that God in His Infinite Wisdom and Sovereignty has reserved all such understanding for Himself (consider Deut. 29:29).

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.