Chuándàoshū 2:17

17 Wǒ suǒyǐ hèn è shēngmìng , yīnwei zaì rì guāng zhī Xiàsuǒ xíng de shì wǒ dōu yǐwéi fán nǎo . dōu shì xū kōng , dōu shì bǔ fēng .

Chuándàoshū 2:17 Meaning and Commentary

Ecclesiastes 2:17

Therefore I hated life
Not strictly and simply understood, since life is the gift of God; and a great blessing it is, more than raiment, and so dear to a man, that he will give all he has for it: but comparatively, in comparison of the lovingkindness of God, which is better than life; or in comparison of eternal life, which a good man desires to depart from this world, for the sake of enjoying it. The sense seems to be this, that since the case of wise men and fools was equal, he had the less love for life, the less regard to it, the less desire to continue in it; no solid happiness being to be enjoyed in anything under the sun: though some think that he was even weary of life, impatient of it, as Job, Jonah, and others have been. The Targum is,

``I hate all evil life:''
Alshech interprets it of the good things of this world, which were the cause of hurt unto him; and Aben Ezra understands, by life, living persons; because the work that is wrought under the sun [is] grievous unto me;
which was either wrought by himself; particularly his hard studies, and eager pursuits after knowledge and wisdom, which were a weariness to his flesh; or which were done by others, especially evil ones: so the Targum,
``for evil to me is an evil work, which is done by the children of men under the sun in this world;''
for all [is] vanity and vexation of spirit; (See Gill on Ecclesiastes 1:14).

Chuándàoshū 2:17 In-Context

15 Wǒ jiù xīnli shuō , yúmeì rén suǒ yùjiàn de , wǒ yĕ bì yùjiàn . wǒ wèihé gèng yǒu zhìhuì ne . wǒ xīnli shuō , zhè yĕ shì xū kōng .
16 Zhìhuì rén , hé yúmeì rén yíyàng , yǒngyuǎn wú rén jìniàn . yīnwei rìhòu dōu beì wàngjì . kĕ tàn zhìhuì rén sǐwáng , yǔ yúmeì rén wú yì .
17 Wǒ suǒyǐ hèn è shēngmìng , yīnwei zaì rì guāng zhī Xiàsuǒ xíng de shì wǒ dōu yǐwéi fán nǎo . dōu shì xū kōng , dōu shì bǔ fēng .
18 Wǒ hèn è yīqiè de laólù , jiù shì wǒ zaì rì guāng zhī xià de laólù . yīnwei wǒ dé lái de bì liú gĕi wǒ yǐhòu de rén .
19 Nà rén shì zhìhuì , shì yúmeì , shuí néng zhīdào . tā jìng yào guǎnlǐ wǒ laólù suǒ dé de , jiù shì wǒ zaì rì guāng zhī xià yòng zhìhuì suǒ dé de . zhè yĕ shì xū kōng .
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