Ecclesiastes

This new section of the book of Ecclesiastes is clearly divided into two parts: a poem about time (1-8) and a prose section (9-15).
The poem is built around contrasting ideas without a clear structure. Thus, the first verse makes a general statement; the second verse discusses “being born” and “dying”; verses 3-5 focus on social life; verses 6-7 describe everyday actions; and the eighth verse talks about “love” and “hate.” What connects these verses is “time”—a word that appears 28 times—and the idea that human beings cannot do anything in the face of it.
Regarding the prose section, the main theme is God—whose name appears six times—and it serves as a deep theological reflection. Some verses connect to themes discussed earlier; verse 10 responds to 2:9, verse 11 seems to reflect 2:24, and verses 14 and following recall 1:4-11. Others are somewhat problematic; for example, verse 11 does not align well with what is said in verse 10, and not all Bibles translate it the same way.
In summary, the theological themes discussed here are: the origin of everything is in God (10ff; cf. Ex 7:3; 10:1, 20, 27; 2 Sm 24:1); all things are beautiful (11; cf. Gn 1:7, 16, 25, 31); and God has dominion over the past, present, and future (15). In each case, they are examined from two perspectives: 1. The inability of humans to understand God’s ways (11-14). 2. Enjoying work as a gift from God that we can strive for.
But aren’t all these ideas contradictory? Yes, from a logical perspective. But to understand Ecclesiastes, we must start with its initial premise—remember what was stated at the beginning—: contrary to the traditional view that everything has its time (Prov 15:23) and that negativity and death are the results of sin, Qohelet asserts that they are simply consequences of human weakness, having nothing to do with virtue and justice.
The traditional wisdom of the Old Testament claimed that the true wise person is the one who knows what to do in every situation, including the right moment. However, life shows that not all situations can be solved logically; for the author, it is clear that human beings should not try to find the deeper meaning of these situations but should instead seek God’s gift in everyday moments.

This section and the following four deal with some of the hardships of human life: the oppression of the righteous through force and defeat (3:16-4:3), the passion for work (4:4-12), the fleeting nature of glory (4:13-16), the abuse of vows (4:17-5:6), and the tyranny of authorities (5:7ff). The starting point that leads to the following conclusions is “since there is injustice…”: 1. God will judge both the righteous and the wicked, because on earth iniquity favors the powerful—similar statements appear in Babylonian lamentations. 2. Men and animals share the same fate. He does not imply evil; he observes it—hence the similarity between humans and animals—and notes the impossibility of escaping death (“breath” and “death,” cf. Gn 2:7, 19). 3. The only good thing for humans is to enjoy what they do, aligning with the previous section’s conclusion. 4. It is better not to have existed, because then one would not witness the evil deeds done under the sun.
How can Qohelet have such a wide range of responses to observing injustice? Does the same situation provoke the same reaction in different people, or in different conditions that the same person experiences? But then, what doctrine can be drawn from what is expressed here? Rather than seeking a doctrine, we should let Ecclesiastes enlighten and correct our own personal conclusions about unjust situations.