Sagrado Corazón de Jesús

Qoheleth introduces and concludes his discourse with the words: lbh lkh (Eccl 1:2; 12:8), which some English versions (e.g. NASB, NJKV, NRSV, ESV) translate as “vanity of vanities.” The noun lbh is used in the book of Ecclesiastes thirty eight times2 and is one of the key terms in this work. Antoon Schoors states: “It is even the key word par excellence, more than any of the more frequently occurring words, because it is found at strategic points of the exposition and embodies the thinking and the mood that pervade this sapiential book.”3 The Hebrew word lbh means “breath”, “vapour”, “mist”, “smoke”.4

However, it is the metaphorical interpretation of this word that divides scholarly opinions about the meaning of this term in the book of Ecclesiastes. LXX translates lbh as mataio,thj which denotes “nothingness, vanity, and transitoriness.”5

Jerome translates this word as vanitas which in Latin means “unsubstantial”, “empty”, or “illusory”.6

The Hebrew word lbh presents a difficult interpretive problem. On the one hand, the literal meaning of “breath” or “puff of air” does not fit the context of the book. On the other hand, translating lbh as “vanity” does not adequately capture the meaning conveyed by Qoheleth’s use of the word. In order to solve this issue,

scholars offer several interpretations of this word. Fox suggests “absurd” to underscore the irrationality and the senselessness of human existence.7 Crenshaw proposes “futile” and “ephemeral” to emphasize the complete lack of profit of any human toil.8Sneed offers “futility” or “illusion” to signify that reality does not

2 _{Eccl 1:2 (x5), 14; 2:1, 11, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 26; 3:19; 4:4, 7, 8, 16; 5:6 [Eng. 7], 9 [Eng. 10];}

6:2, 4, 9, 11, 12; 7:6, 15; 8:10, 14 (x2); 9:9 (x2); 11:8, 10: 12:8 (x3).

3

Antoon Schoors, The Preacher Sought to Find Pleasing Words: A Study of the Language of

Qoheleth, Part II Vocabulary, (LA, 143; Leuven: Peeters, 2004), 119.

4 _{Klauss Seybold, “lbh,” TDOT 3: 313-20; Daniel C, Fredericks, “lbh,” NIDOTTE 1: 1005-}

1006; Nancy Declaissé-Walford, “Vanity,” NIDB 5: 729.

5 _{Horst Balz, “mataio,thj,” EDNT 2: 396-97.} 6

St. Jerome, Commentary on Ecclesiastes, 35.

7 _{Fox, A Time to Tear Down, 30-32.} 8 _{Crenshaw, Ecclesiastes, 57-58.}

function as one expects or desires.9 Longman argues that “meaningless” is the best translation of lbh because it reflects the absence of value that Qoheleth finds in different areas of life.10Shields proposes “senseless” as a more adequate

interpretation of this term than “meaningless.”11_{Gordis chooses “short-lived” as the} foundation for the metaphorical meaning of lbh to reflect the quickly passing nature of human life.12 Lohfink opts for the literal meaning of “a puff of breath” to express Qoheleth’s understanding of the brevity of life and fruitlessness of effort. 13

Ogden suggests “enigma”, “mystery” to reflect the human inability to know and comprehend life.14Bartholomew also offers “enigmatic” as the best metaphorical meaning of lbh.15

Seow understands this key term to define the lack of human control to hold on to anything in this world and suggests the translation “beyond mortal grasp” to reflect such connotation of the word.16Miller acknowledges the richness of the metaphorical use of lbh and suggests a spectrum of meanings such as “foul”, “insubstantial”, and “transient.”17

Fredericks offers the translation of “transient” and “fleeting” to emphasize the brief and short lifespan of a human being.18

There is consensus among the scholars about the notion of transience and brevity inherent in the metaphorical rendering of lbh in Qoheleth’s thought. However, it is not necessary to assume that this notion of transience implies futility, absurdity or meaninglessness. Taking into account the significance of the theme of death in the book of Ecclesiastes, it is possible to suggest that transience has to do with impermanence of the human existence rather than its meaning. The metaphorical understanding of the term lbh as “temporary”, “fleeting” or “brief”19 accentuates the

9 _{Mark R. Sneed, The Politics of Pessimism in Ecclesiastes: A Social-Science Perspective}

(SBL Ancient Israel and Its Literature 12; Atlanta: SBL, 2012), 162.

10

Longman, The Book of Ecclesiastes, 32, 64-65.

11 _{Shields, The End of Wisdom, 121.} 12 _{Gordis, Koheleth, 205.}

13 _{Lohfink, Qoheleth, 36; idem., “Ist Kohelet lbh-Aussage erkenntnistheoretisch gemeint?”}

in Qoheleth in the Context of Wisdom (ed. A. Schoors; Leuven: Peeters, 1998), 41-59.

14 _{Graham S. Ogden, “‘Vanity’ It Certainly Is Not,” BT 38:3 (1987): 301-307.} 15

Bartholomew, Ecclesiastes, 93.

16 _{C. L. Seow, “Beyond Mortal Grasp: The Usage of Hebel in Ecclesiastes,” ABR 48 (2000):}

1-16; idem, Ecclesiastes, 101-102.

17 _{Miller, Symbol and Rhetoric in Ecclesiastes, 152-54.} 18

Fredericks, Coping with Transience, 22-26.

19 _{Fredericks, Coping with Transience, 22-26. See also Farmer, Who Knows What Is Good?}

theme of mortality in Qoheleth’s teaching.20

Qoheleth seems to be concerned with the fact that everything in life and even life itself is brief.21 By employing the term lbh he paints a vivid picture of the fleetingness of human existence. The close association of lbh with xwr tw(r “pursuit of wind” (Eccl 1:14, 17; 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4, 6, 16; 6:9) in Qoheleth’s speech creates an evocative image of life’s transient nature.22

As it is impossible to hold a puff of air in one’s hand, so it is impossible to direct the wind. A breath and a wind are gone before one can even realize what has happened. The link between lbh and xwr connects the existence of humanity and animals to the breath of life, while at the same time encompasses both the primary and the metaphorical meanings of these words.23 Life is lbh because it passes just like a breath.24 Everything that has breath in it is destined to die (Eccl 3:19).25

Besides lbh and xwr as images of fleetingness, Qoheleth employs two more terms: lc and rpsm. Throughout his discourse Qoheleth compares humanity’s lifespan to lc “shadow”,26 for it cannot be kept or even grasped, and underscores rpsm “short number”27

of days of a person’s life: “For who knows what is good for a

human being among the living during the short number (rpsm) of days of his

fleeting (lbh) life? And he spends them like a shadow (lc)” (Eccl 6:12).28 By using the word lc, Qoheleth brings to mind a picture of a shadow that always moves away and eventually disappears without a trace as the day gives way to the night. He points out that the human life always moves forward and ultimately runs out. Qoheleth uses the term rpsm to create a vivid picture of life passing very swiftly in Eccl 2:3, “…what was good for human beings to do … the short number (_{rpsm) of days of}

20 _{Farmer, Who Knows What Is Good? 145.}

21 _{Daniel C. Fredericks and Daniel J. Estes, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs (AOTC 16,}

eds. David W. Baker and Gordon J. Wenham; Downers Grove: IVP, 2010), 23.

22 _{Laird R. Harris, “h(r,” TWOT, 853. See also Schoors, The Preacher Sought to Find}

Pleasing Words, 439-42.

23 _{Seybold, “lbh,” TDOT 3:318.}

24 _{Fredericks, Coping with Transience, 24.} 25 _{Seybold, “lbh,” TDOT 3:317.}

26 _{George M. Schwab, “lc,” TDOT 12:372-82; James D. Price, “llc,” NIDOTTE 3:807-810.} 27

Edgar Conrad, “rpsm,” TDOT 12:308-18; P. P. Jenson, “rpsm,” NIDOTTE 2:1008-1009; L. Koehler, W. Baumgartner, “rpsm,” HALOT 2:607. See also Gen 34:30; Num 9:20; Deut 4:27; 33:6; Ezek 12:16; Hos 2:1 [Eng. 1:10]; Ps 105:12; Fredericks and Estes, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs, 24-25.

their life” and Eccl 5:17 [Eng. 18]: “…it is appropriate to eat and drink and see the good … a short number (_{rpsm) of days of his life.” This word helps Qoheleth to} define the human lifetime which proceeds unavoidably to its end.

Qoheleth’s use of the four terms lbh “fleeting”, xwr tw(r “pursuit of wind”, _{lc “shadow”, and rpsm “short number” paints very dramatic pictures of} human life as something that cannot be grasped and held in place. In his teaching Qoheleth purposefully employs these words to present the transient nature of human life as a concern to his audience to help them realize the value and meaningfulness of their existence under the sun. Qoheleth purposefully employs the vocabulary that describes the transient nature of life in the Old Testament. The following section will analyze the most pertinent examples of the Old Testament passages that employ lbh, lc, and rpsm as images of fleetingness of human existence to demonstrate

Qoheleth’s close ties to the Old Testament picture of death.