The significance of the word “hebel” is so important that I want to spend a second installment further fleshing out why the range of this word matters so much in Ecclesiastes. If you haven’t read the previous installment I encourage you to scroll back down to find it. In translating “hebel” as “vapor”, “breath”, or … Continue reading Vanity or Vapor, Pt. 2 (Very Short Studies in Ecclesiastes #4)

It is impossible to discuss the book of Ecclesiastes without discussing the word “hebel” (הֶבֶל), a word that shapes the backbone of nearly every theme in the book. The word literally means “vapor” or “breath”, but in our English translations the word is often translated “vanity” or “futility” to give it some poetic flourish. Both … Continue reading Vanity or Vapor, Pt. 1 (Very Short Studies in Ecclesiastes #3)

Technically speaking, we do not know who wrote Ecclesiastes. The name we are given is “Qoheleth” (the title of the book in Hebrew), which is not a proper name but a title or role. Although the book has been attributed to Solomon since antiquity, he does not explicitly identify himself as he does in the … Continue reading Who Is Qoheleth? (Very Short Studies in Ecclesiastes #2)

Few books of the Bible are more difficult to deal with than Ecclesiastes. Sandwiched in between the beloved Proverbs and Song of Solomon (equally beloved for different reasons), Ecclesiastes has the poetic eloquence of both of those books with little of their life-giving positivity. While it’s not quite correct to say that Ecclesiastes is completely … Continue reading The Word “Ecclesiastes” (Very Short Studies in Ecclesiastes #1)