Ecclesiastes 9 Footnotes

9:2 This verse does not deny that righteousness is important. It asserts that right living cannot free us from mortality (see note on Heb 9:27). Seen from the Christian perspective, this verse drives us to the grace of God, since nothing we can do will save us from the power of death.

9:8-9 These verses resemble passages in the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh and the “Harpers’ Song” from Egypt. Both were composed long before the time of Solomon, and it seems clear that he knew them. It is not troubling to find that a biblical text reflects knowledge of other well-known literature of antiquity; this international character is a feature of Israelite wisdom. Because of Solomon’s extensive international contacts we would expect him to be familiar with such literature, and the similarities to these other passages reinforce the Solomonic authorship of Ecclesiastes.