Ecclesiastes 9

Ecclesiastes 9:1-18

Ecclesiastes 9:11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. Ecclesiastes 9:11 — Word Study on “chance” – Gesenius says the Hebrew word “chance” “peh’-gah” (τֶּ ?βַ ?ς) (H6294) means, “an incident, event, chance.” Strong says it means, “impact,” and is derived from the primitive root “paw-gah’” (τָּ ?βַ ?ς) (6293), which means, “to impinge, by accident or violence, or by opportunity.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used only 2 times in the Old Testament, being translated, “occurrent 1, chance 1.” Ecclesiastes 9:11 — Comments - The victory does not always come to those with the greatest physical ability, which is referred to as “swift and strong.” Nor does victory come to those of the greatest mental abilities, which is referred to as “wisdom, understanding and skill” in this verse. But because man lives within the realm of time and space, his life is affected by time and chance. Since the Hebrew word “chance” comes from a verb that means, “to encounter,” it refers to the realm of space. As we look back to Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 we see how the Preacher equates time and seasons to divine providence. So, when the author says that time and chance happen to us all, he is mindful that time and chance are being influenced by God. The Preacher is speaking from an earthly perspective in order to help the reader understand the vanities of this temporal life. Ecclesiastes 9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good. Ecclesiastes 9:18 — “Wisdom is better than weapons of war” - Illustrations: Note the story of the wise woman in 2 Samuel 20:16-22 : 2 Samuel 20:22, “Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and cast it out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.” Also: Ecclesiastes 9:15, “Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.” Ecclesiastes 9:18 — “but one sinner destroyeth much good” – Comments - Marietta Davis writes, “Sin added to sin enlarges it capacity and increases its advancement, until families, tribes, and nations are themselves to do battle on its behalf.”[27] [27] Marietta Davis, Caught Up Into Heaven (New Kensington, Pennsylvania: Whitaker House, 1982), 88.