The previous section fits perfectly within the major themes of Israel’s traditional wisdom and its neighboring cultures. The same can be said of this new section, although it focuses on a different topic: the royal advisor. These are codes of conduct in the court that reflect a large part of Egyptian wisdom, which greatly influenced Israel—see, for example, 2 Samuel 7; Psalm 89. Many of these instructions involve the training that an elder provides to the young king.
Once again, we see the typical path taken by Qohelet: personal experience versus traditional wisdom and conclusion. In this case, the royal advisor’s attitude toward the king reflects his personal experience. The explanation of conventional wisdom is found in verse 1: wise is the one who understands the interpretation of things (Is 7:1-9; Jr 18:1-12), and he is recognized by his manner of acting and his facial expression (Job 29:24). The conclusion appears in verses 6-8, where he clearly criticizes the classical wisdom’s belief that no harm could come to the wise.
As we read Ecclesiastes, we become convinced that only wisdom results well in all its conclusions. But what is wisdom? It is not defined universally; we must consider each case individually, based on personal experience. For the Preacher, there is no infallible formula that makes someone wise.