Bible, Book of Ecclesiastes: quotes

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The holy book of Christians, the Bible, consists of two parts: the Old and New Testaments. The book is unique, it was written by various people, there were about 40 of them, all of different professions, from shepherds and fishermen to ministers and kings. For Christians, it is also important that the authors wrote under the influence of God, which is why the Bible is also called the Word of God. One of these inspired writers was King Solomon, who wrote the wise book of Ecclesiastes.

Son of David

King Solomon was not the only child of the second king of Israel, not even the firstborn. He was the third son, but David appointed him the throne, placing him as a co-ruler during his lifetime. As a result of complex historical upheavals, he inherits the throne of his father. In world history, the son of David remained as a man whose name has become synonymous with wisdom. Of the three books he wrote, Ecclesiastes stands out, whose quotes are firmly among the most popular sayings.

Preacher

The entire Old Testament, like the books of Solomon, is written in Hebrew, but the title of this booksounds like Greek. In the original, she is called "Kohelet", which translates as "speaking in the congregation, preacher." Even the most notorious atheists know 2-3 quotes from the Old Testament of the Bible. Ecclesiastes, both for those who know and for those who are superficially familiar with Holy Scripture, stands apart from other writings. This is evident in the general atmosphere of the book. Solomon's main idea is "all is vanity of vanities". Is happiness possible on this earth, can a person achieve complete peace? Solomon answers these questions in the negative. Although a man of his strength and status should not be so disappointed in life, however, Solomon feels that way.

The Book of Ecclesiastes

The quotes "There is nothing new under the Sun" and "vanity of vanities" are the most common from the Preacher's book. They determine in many ways not only the spiritual meaning of the book, but also the life path of a person. The ultimate degree of expression shows the meaninglessness of everything that happens in life. Why does Solomon, the almighty king, to whom rich Israel was subject, think so? He also gives the answer to this question himself, comparing life with the meaningless cycle of events of each person. The book of Ecclesiastes quotes gives answers to so many questions about the meaning of life,

Everything goes to one place: everything came from dust and everything will return to dust.

What is the meaning of life?

In this quote of Ecclesiastes, the meaning is hidden that the tragedy of a person is that he understands the meaninglessness of everythingwhat is happening, and such an understanding is painful, because the meaning of any action is to try to change something, but with thoughts about the vanity of everything that exists, one cannot go far. But if you think about the following words of Ecclesiastes, will a person get satisfaction if he ignores such thoughts about the frailty of everything? If he will have fun trying to decorate his life with bright colors? After all, fun in itself is pleasant, what can be more joyful than satisfying your needs. But even here Solomon came to the same conclusion: everything is vanity. Pleasures will also not be able to hide behind their tinsel the sense of the meaninglessness of the life cycle. This can be seen from the quote from Ecclesiastes

I tried to drink from a leaky vessel, Lord, but the water ran out of it. I stopped drinking and the water was running and laughing at me while I was crying.

The King of Israel comes to the conclusion that everything in this life does not depend on a person. It is the power of God that gives everything, even the very pursuit of happiness. Ecclesiastes quote

everything God does endures forever.

concludes the inevitability of God's judgment.

Solomon the Ruler

One of the main things that in any case left Solomon forever in history, even if he had done nothing, was the construction of the main religious building of Israel - the Temple of God, which took 7 years to build, and the celebration of its completion lasted two weeks. From the very beginning, the Temple was the main Israelite sanctuary, to visit which people came from all over the world. mountain, onwhich he was placed, became known as the Temple Mount, and the temple itself - the House of God. During the Babylonian captivity, when Judah was defeated as a result of the war with Babylonia, the temple was destroyed. During the reign of the wisest king, Israel received its main we alth by controlling the trade route from Syria to Egypt. But one day there was an episode due to which the treasury of Israel was replenished at the expense of the king himself.

Solomon and women

The rumor about extraordinary wisdom spread far beyond the state, and now the queen of the Sabaean kingdom (modern Yemen) wanted to verify the accuracy of the stories personally. The Queen of Sheba arrived at Solomon's court to ask him difficult questions. The queen was more than satisfied with the king's answers and his gifts. According to the Book of Kings, after the visit of the Queen of Sabea, a period of prosperity began in Israel. And thereafter Israel received 666 talents every year. Given that the Jewish talent is 44.8 kg, the amount is very impressive. Subsequently, many began to talk about the illegal love affair of the two rulers, whether it is true or not, is not known for certain. In Ecclesiastes, quotes about a woman are filled with negative connotations, which suggests a rather painful breakup in some kind of relationship. Obviously, this is not about something everyday, for the same Solomon in Proverbs said:

Rejoice in the wife of your youth

inviting this person to seek rest and peace in the family. Here the words are filled with pain and bitterness. Solomon's relationship to women is a very complex topic andvoluminous. Being an eastern king, he had 300 concubines, entered into about 700 dynastic marriages. But it was not the experience of relations with them that made him say that a woman is worse than death. Trying to understand the cause of all misfortunes, the Preacher concludes that forbidden love can hurt a person very much. Unexpectedly, Ecclesiastes comes to the conclusion that women are morally worse than men. Because he did not meet a single woman who was morally perfect. Quite understandable words from the point of view of people of that time, when a woman was not treated as an equal partner.

It's not hard to imagine the fact that Solomon, saying this, was upset by the result of a relationship with some woman that has a strong influence on his heart.

Paths to Happiness

It turns out that all the quotes of Ecclesiastes are so sad, crushing hopes? Is it possible to get through their negativity and see the joy of life? According to the Preacher himself, absolute happiness is unattainable, but it is possible to find good, relative happiness, which will be the best in life.

When a person understands that everything in the world comes from God, that everything is subordinate to Him, he will achieve this balance in life.

For God will bring every work into judgment, and every secret thing, whether it is good or bad.

This quote from Ecclesiastes sums up his pessimistic reflections, suggesting that the period of despondency is over, but the words of wisdom expressed by him have remained for centuries.