Ecclesiastes 8:5

Ecc 8:5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.

Ver. 5. Whoso keepeth the commandment,] scil., The king’s commandment. He that is compliant, and goes as far as he can with a good conscience in his obedience to the commands of his superiors, "shall feel no evil," i.e., he shall lack no good encouragement. {Rom 13:3-4} Or if men slight him, God will see to him, {Eph 6:7-8} as he did to the poor Israelites in Egypt, and to David under Saul. Mordecai lost nothing at length by his love and loyalty to God and the king. Sir Ralph Percy, slain upon Hedgely Moor, in Northumberland, by the Lord Montacute, general for Edward IV, would noways depart the field, though defeated, but in dying, said, I have saved the bird in my breast, meaning his oath to King Henry VI, for whom he fought. {a}

And a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment,] scil., When and how to obey kings’ commands, the time, the means, and manner thereof, despatching them without offence to God or man. And this "a wise man’s heart discerneth," saith the Preacher; it being the opinion of the Hebrews that in the heart especially the soul did keep her court, and exercise her noble operations of the understanding, invention, judgment, &c. Aristotle saith, Sine calore cordis anima in corpore nihil efficit, Without the heat of the heart, the soul does nothing in the body. The Scripture also makes the heart the monarch of this Isle of Man.

{a} Speed, 869.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ecc_8:5

A wise mans heart disoerneth both time and judgment.

A watchnight meditation

Of all seasons of the year the present one inclines us most to thought. If, when the old year is dying, or when the new is being born, men will not think, it is very doubtful if they will ever think at all.

I. A man who is not utterly unwise will see that this is a time for review. It is said of the Emperor Titus that he used to review each day as it drew to its close, and if he could not recall anything which he had done for the good of others he set it down in his note-book that he had lost a day. It was not a bad rule for a heathen king, but hardly good enough for a Christian man. And yet some of us who live in the mid-day of the Gospel do not aim so high, with the poor result that we hit something very much lower than the mark set before us. We come short of the glory of doing the Divine will. It is bad enough to lose one day, but how about losing three hundred and sixty-five? Yes, unless it has been lived in God, consciously in Him and for Him, we may set it down as lost. Let us all find opportunity for a quiet, earnest talk with the hours of the year that has gone. Look well at the old before you greet the new. It will make the new all the better, and when in its turn it becomes old the task of reviewing it will not be so unpleasant.

II. A man of wisdom will see that this is an appropriate time for reconciliations. Has there been a little rift in friendships lute? Now is a good time for mending the instrument and bringing back the harmony, music for the King of kings. Take the tide of good feeling at the flood, and be reconciled to those whom for a while thou mayest have been alienated. When death, the great reconciler, has come, it is never our tenderness we repent of, but our severity. Let us see to it that we enter the new year at peace with God. He is reconciled in Christ to us. Why should we stand out?

III. The wise man who observeth time and judgment will hear a voice at this particular time appealing to his generosity. Yea, there is more than one voice speaking to us on this behalf. There is the very voice of poverty itself speaking in plaintive tones to those who have the sympathetic ear. There is the voice of our own joys and comforts reminding us of the distress of those who are devoid of these things.

IV. This is a time for consecration. To consecrate ourselves to God is to recognize the supreme fact of our existence and to act upon it. This is the time of all times for consecration, while the goodness of God is passing before us. As the mercies of the year marshal past us in grand and swift review let us listen to their pleading and present ourselves to God. (T. Jackson.)

The wise mans improvement of time

I. The Christians spiritual discernment of time.

1. The wise man marks with a discerning eye the successive developments which time has made of Gods gracious purposes towards our guilty race.

2. The man who is spiritually wise, and divinely taught, solemnly ponders the devastations of time. And how fearful have been his ravages! He has overturned the mightiest empires, sapped the loftiest towers, and laid low the proudest cities. But above all, time has with irresistible flood swept away in succession the countless millions of our race. Tamerlane the Tartar reared a vast pyramid, formed of the skulls of those victims whom he had slain in battle; but death wages a more fatal contest over a wider field; and for us there is no discharge from that war. Diseases in all their sad variety are his ministers; and were a pyramid to be erected by him of human bones, it would pierce the clouds of heaven.

3. The Christian marks and ponders the shortness of time. What are six, or ten, or a hundred thousand years? They are but units in eternitys countless reckoning; they are but drops in eternitys unfathomable and shoreless ocean. But when we reckon time by the period of mans life, the days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength in some they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for we are soon cut off, and we flee away. Life is truly like the bridge which the moralist describes; a mighty multitude presses to cross it, but it is filled with openings through which the passengers are continually dropping into a dark and rapid river beneath, and but a few are left; and as these approach the other side they, too, fall through and perish. The Christian, knowing the time, learns to die daily; he cherishes more and more of the pilgrim spirit, and in all his plans and prospects he acts continually under the practical influence of the apostles appeal (Jam_4:13-15). Ye merchants and busy tradesmen, I ask, is it thus in your case? Is such wise discernment of the shortness of time yours?

4. The wise mans heart also discerneth the swiftness of time. And thus it is that human life is compared to a tale that is told, to the weavers shuttle flying rapidly across the web.

5. Finally, the Christian discerns that time is a precious talent for which he must give an account.

II. The lessons and duties suggested by the year that is past, and that which has now begun.

1. In a public and national sense this has been a truly memorable year.

2. The past year is memorable in the review of it, in your history as families.

3. How solemn and affecting to you as a congregation is the review of the past year!

III. In reference to the year on which we have now entered, what important duties devolve upon us!

1. Let us never forget that as we live in a world of change, it becomes us to expect changes and trials, and to calculate upon the probability of being called away by death, ere the year has closed.

2. Let the disciples of the Lord Jesus remember their solemn responsibility to live for the glory of God.

3. Finally, let us unite our prayers with those of the people of God of every name who are met at this season to supplicate, with one accord, the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the Church and the world. (John Weir.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ecc 8:5. Whoso keepeth the commandment — Solomon here passes to a new subject; shall feel no evil thing — Shall be delivered from those mischiefs which befall the disobedient. A wise man’s heart discerneth, &c. — Both when, and in what manner, he must keep the commands of God.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

That is, when time is to obey, and how far he should obey.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

feel--experience.

time--the neglect of the right "times" causes much of the sinful folly of the spiritually unwise (Ecc 3:1-11).

judgment--the right manner [HOLDEN]. But as God's future "judgment" is connected with the "time for every purpose" in Ecc 3:17, so it is here. The punishment of persisting sinners (Ecc 8:3) suggests it. The wise man realizes the fact, that as there is a fit "time" for every purpose, so for the "judgment." This thought cheers him in adversity (Ecc 7:14; Ecc 8:1).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 5. Both time and judgment.] It is a matter of great importance to be able to discern WHEN and HOW both to speak and act; but when time and manner are both determined, the matter comes next. WHAT shall I speak? WHAT shall I do? When, how, and what, answer to time, manner, and matter. To discern all these, and act suitably, is a lesson for a philosopher, and a study for a Christian.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

5. Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing] The words are once again ambiguous. If the “commandment” is that of the king, they enjoin unhesitating servile obedience as in the interpretation (3) of Ecc_8:3. If, according to the all but invariable use of the word in the O. T., we take it as the “commandment” of God, the meaning is in harmony with the interpretation (4) of the previous precept, and parallel with the French motto, “Fais ton devoir, avienne que pourra” (“Do thy duty, come what may”). Here again, it seems natural to assume an intentional ambiguity. A like doubt hangs over the words “shall feel (literally know) no evil thing” which may mean either “shall be anxious about no moral evil,” or more probably “shall suffer no physical evil as the penalty of moral.” Can we not imagine the writer here also with a grave irony, uttering his Delphic oracles, and leaving men to choose their interpretation, according as their character was servile or noble, moved by “the fear of the Lord,” or only by the fear of men?

a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment] The “heart” as, for the most part, elsewhere in the Old Testament, includes the intellectual as well as the moral element in man’s nature. In the word “time” we have, as in ch. Ecc_3:1, the καιρός or “season” on which Greek sages laid so great a stress. What is meant is that the wise man, understanding the true meaning of the previous maxim, will not be impatient under oppression, but will bide his time, and wait in patience for the working of the Divine Law of retribution. This meaning is, however, as before, partially veiled, and the sentence might seem to imply that he should let his action depend on opportunities and be a time-server in the bad sense.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing,.... Either the commandment of an earthly king, which should be kept, when agreeably to the laws of the nation, and not inconsistent with the commands of God; and such as do observe it "know no evil" (a), as it may be rendered, or no sorrow; they live peaceably and quietly, and enjoy the favour and protection of the government under which they are, and have praise of men; see Rom 13:3; or the commandments of the heavenly King, the singular being put for the plural; so the Targum,

"whoso keepeth the commandments of the Lord shall know no evil in the world to come.''

Nor in this world neither; no evil befalls them; what may be thought to be so is for their good; though they know and are conscious of the evil of sin, and commit it, yet not willingly, and with love to it, and so as to make it the work of their lives; but lament it, repent of it, and forsake it, and do not feel the evil of punishment for it; yea, such enjoy much good; have much communion with God; large discoveries of his love; dwell in him, and shall at last dwell with him in the heavenly city; see Joh 14:21;

and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment; he knows not only what is his duty to do, both with respect to God and men, to a temporal prince or the King eternal; but he knows also the most fit and convenient time of doing it; and lays hold on every opportunity that offers, and which may be called "redeeming time", Gal 6:10; and he knows the right manner in which it should be performed, with all the agreeable circumstances of it, which he carefully observes; or he knows the judgment that will be passed, or the punishment that will be inflicted on delinquents, either by God or men; and therefore is careful to keep the commandment, and avoid it: and especially he remembers there is a judgment to come, when everything will be brought to an account; and, though he does not know the precise day and hour, yet he knows there will be such a time; so some render it, "the time of judgment" (b): the Targum is,

"and the time of prayer, and of judgment, and of truth, is known by the heart of the wise.''

(a) "non cognoscet", Vatablus, Mercerus, Gejerus, Rambachius, Cocceius. (b) , Sept. so some in Drusius.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Feel - literally, know. The meaning is, “He who obeys the commandment (i. e., the word of the king, Ecc 8:4), will not be an accomplice in any act of rebellion; and if he be a wise man he discerns (literally knows) that the king’s commandment or action is liable to correction, if it be wrong, in God’s time and by God’s judgment.” Compare Ecc 3:11, Ecc 3:17.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Answer. Hebrew, "judgment." He knows when to reprove even kings with effect; like Nathan, Elias, or St. Ambrose, 2 Kings xii. 1., and 3 Kings xviii. 17.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The commandment; either,

1. Of the king, of which he hath hitherto spoken. Or,

2. Of God; for the word, or commandments, or law are oft used emphatically for the word, law, or command of God, as hath been formerly and frequently observed, and the commandment is put for the commandments, as is very usual. And so Solomon passeth from his former to a new subject.

Shall feel no evil thing; shall be delivered from those mischiefs which befall the disobedient.

Both time and judgment; both when, and how far, and in what manner he may or must keep the commands of the king or God. For the word here rendered judgment doth signify right, as Deu 21:17, as also a cause or controversy, as Num 27:5, and the manner or rule of actions, as Jdg 13:12. The sense is, A wise man knows both what he ought to do, and what are the fittest seasons for doing it, which he seeketh and embraceth.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

5. Keepeth the commandment — An obedient subject will seldom be harmed, for even a tyrant needs such subjects.

Time and judgment —Better, time of judgment. The wise man will reckon that a day of change, and even of retribution, must come.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing. This is an encouragement to obedience to royal authority. (comp. Pro_24:21, Pro_24:22; Rom_13:3) The context plainly shows that it is not God"s commandment that is spoken of (though, of course, the maxim would be very true in this case), but the king"s. Nor is it necessarily a servile and unreasoning obedience that is enjoined. Koheleth is dealing with generals. Such cases as that of Daniel and the three children, where obedience would have been sinful, are not here taken into consideration. "Shall feel," literally, "shall know," i.e. experience no physical evil. Quiet submission to the powers that be guarantees a peaceful and happy life. Ginsburg and others translate, "knoweth not an evil word," i.e. is saved from abuse and reproach, which seems somewhat meager, though the Septuagint gives, Ouj gnwsetai rJhma ponhron. The Vulgate is better,

Non experietur quidquam malt. And a wise man"s heart discerneth (knoweth) both time and judgment. The verb is the same in both clauses, and ought to have been so translated. The "heart" includes the moral as well as the intellectual faculties; and the maxim says that the wise man bears oppression and remains unexcited even in evil days, because he is convinced that there is a time of judgment coming when all will be righted. (Ecc_12:14) The certainty of retributive justice is so strong in his mind that he does not resort to rebellion in order to rectify matters, but possesses his soul in patience, leaving the correction of abuses in God"s hands. Septuagint, "The wise man"s heart knoweth the time of judgment," making a hendiadys of the two terms. The Vulgate has tempus et responsionem, "time and answer."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The commandment - Solomon passes to a new subject. Shall feel - Shall be delivered from those mischiefs which befall the disobedient. Discerneth - Both when, and in what manner he must keep the commands of God.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

"Who is like the wise? and who understandeth the interpretation of things? The wisdom of a man maketh his face bright, and the rudeness of his face is changed." Unlike this saying: "Who is like the wise?" are the formulas חכם מי, Hos 14:9, Jer 11:11, Psa 107:43, which are compared by Hitzig and others. "Who is like the wise?" means: Who is equal to him? and this question, after the scheme מי־כמכה, Exo 15:11, presents him as one who has not his like among men. Instead of כּה the word כּחכם might be used, after לחכם, Ecc 2:16, etc. The syncope is, as at Eze 40:25, omitted, which frequently occurs, particularly in the more modern books, Eze 47:22; Ch2 10:7; Ch2 25:10; Ch2 29:27; Neh 9:19; Neh 12:38. The regular giving of Dagesh to כ after מי, with Jethib, not Mahpach, is as at Ecc 8:7 after כּי; Jethib is a disjunctive. The second question is not כּיודע, but יודע וּמי, and thus does not mean: who is like the man of understanding, but: who understands, viz., as the wise man does; thus it characterizes the incomparably excellent as such. Many interpreters (Oetinger, Ewald, Hitz., Heiligst., Burg., Elst., Zckl.) persuade themselves that דּבר פּשׁר is meant of the understanding of the proverb, 8b. The absence of the art., says Hitzig, does not mislead us: of a proverb, viz., the following; but in this manner determinate ideas may be made from all indeterminate ones. Rightly, Gesenius: explicationem ullius rei; better, as at Ecc 7:8 : cujusvis rei. Ginsburg compares נבון דּבר, Sa1 16:18, which, however, does not mean him who has the knowledge of things, but who is well acquainted with words. It is true that here also the chief idea פּשׁר first leads to the meaning verbum (according to which the lxx, Jer., the Targ., and Syr. translate; the Venet.: ἑρμηνείαν λόγου); but since the unfolding or explaining (pēshěr) refers to the actual contents of the thing spoken, verbi and rei coincide. The wise man knows how to explain difficult things, to unfold mysterious things; in short, he understands how to go to the foundation of things.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

A wise man's heart recognizes

Here a man is represented by his "heart" to emphasize his thoughts. AT: "A wise man recognizes" (See: Synecdoche)

the proper course and time of action

"the correct time to do things and the right way to do them"

Who can tell him what is coming?

This rhetorical question emphasizes that no one knows what will happen in the future. This question can be written as a statement. AT: "No one can tell him what is coming." (See: Rhetorical Question)

translationWords

heart

trouble

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

and the heart of a wise man knows time and justice The wise man knows that there is a set time for the punishment of the wicked, and there are judgments before the Holy One, blessed be He, with which He will ultimately recompense them. מִשְׁפָּט is justize in Old French, and that refers to the punishment.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.