Ecclesiastes 5:20

For he shall not much remember the days of his life,.... Be they more or fewer, as Jarchi: he will not think life long and tedious; nor dwell upon, and distress himself with, the troubles he has met

For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart. He shall not much remember.

He shall not much remember; so as to disquiet or vex himself therewith. The days; either, 1. The troubles; days being here put for evil or sad days, by a usual synecdoche, as Obadiah 12 Mic 7:4. Or, 2. The time in general; which is irksome and tedious to men oppressed with discontent or misery, who usually reckon every hour or minute that passeth, and have their minds and thoughts constantly fixed upon the vanity and uncertainty of this life, upon the afflictions which they have already endured and may further expect; whereas to men of contented and cheerful minds the time is short and sweet, and passeth over them before they are aware of it, and they enjoy their present comforts without perplexing themselves about former or future events. Answereth him; answereth, either, 1. His labours with success, as money is said to answer all things, , because it is equivalent to all, and able to purchase all things. Or, 2. His desires. In the joy of his heart; in giving him that solid joy and comfort of his labours which his heart expected and desired.

Ecclesiastes 5:20 For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth [him] in the joy of his heart.Ver. 20. For he shall not much remember, &c.] He vexeth not at the brevity or misery of his life, but looketh upon himself as a stranger here, and therefore if he can have a better condition, he "useth it rather," as if a traveller can get a better room in an inn, he will; if not, he can be content, for, saith he, it is but for a night.

(20) “In the enjoyment of God’s gifts he does not think much of the sorrows or brevity of life.” This is the usual explanation; and though not satisfied with it, we cannot suggest a better.

Verse 20. For he shall not much remember] The person who acts in this way, extracts all the good requisite from life. He passes through things temporal so as not to lose those that are eternal: - "Calm and serene, the road of life to him, Or long or short, rugged or smooth, with thorns O'erspread, or gay with flowers, is but a road. Such fare as offers grateful he accepts, And smiling to his native home proceeds." C.

20. he shall not much remember the days of his life] This follows the order of the Hebrew and gives a satisfying meaning: The man who has learnt the secret of enjoyment is not anxious about the days of his life, does not brood even over its transitoriness, but takes each day tranquilly, as it comes, as God’s gift to him. By some commentators, however, the sentence is construed so as to give just the opposite sense, “He remembereth (or should remember) that the days of his life are not many,” i.e. never loses sight of the shortness of human life. It is difficult to see how the translators of the A. V. could have been led to their marginal reading “Though he give not much, yet he remembereth the days of his life.” because God answereth him in the joy of his heart] The verb has been very variously rendered, (1) “God occupies him with the joy …,” or (2) “God makes him sing with the joy …,” or (3) “God causeth him to work for the enjoyment …,” or (4) “God makes all answer (i.e. correspond with) his wishes,” or (5) “God himself corresponds to his joy,” i.e. is felt to approve it as harmonizing, in its calm evenness, with His own blessedness. The last is, perhaps, that which has most to commend it. So taken, the words find a parallel in the teaching of Epicurus, “The Blessed and the Immortal neither knows trouble of its own nor causeth it to others. Wherefore it is not influenced either by wrath or favour,” (Diog. Laert. x. 1. 139). The tranquillity of the wise man mirrors, the Teacher implies, the tranquillity of God. So Lucretius; “Omnis enim per se divum natura necessest,Immortali ævo summâ cum pace fruatur,Semota ab nostris rebus sejunctaque longe;Nam privata dolore omni, privata periclis,Ipsa suis pollens opibus, nil indiga nostri,Nec bene promeritis capitur neque tangitur ira.”“The nature of the Gods must need enjoyLife everlasting in supreme repose,Far from our poor concerns and separate:For from all pain exempt, exempt from risks,Rich in its own wealth, needing nought of ours,’Tis neither soothed by gifts nor stirred by wrath.”De Rer. Nat. ii. 646–651.

The days will pass smoothly and pleasantly, while he lives in the consciousness of God’s favor. Answereth him - i. e., grants his prayers.

20. In this verse much agrees with the days of his life. A better placing would be, For he must remember the days of his life are not many in which God gives him power to work for the joy of his heart.