Ecclesiastes - GA Barton - 1908.pdf

108 ECCLESIASTES
16. Again I saw]. This vs. begins a new section, which is but
loosely connected with the survey
of times and seasons. In it
Qoheleth expresses his views on the wickedness of men and their
lack of superiority to animals. The vs. pictures the corrupt ad-
ministration of Qoheleth's time. The opening of the vs. is similar
12 - to ch. 2 u
and 4 1
,
but contains the word again,
which is unusual
in such connections. Zo. maintains that this refers back to vs. 12,
but it seems rather loosely to connect some independent observa-
tions of the writer with the preceding. The place of judgmentthere
was wickedness}. "Place" has been regarded by Hit., Gins.,
Zo., Del., Sieg. and K6. (33ok) not as the object of "saw," but
as ace. of place or pred. ace., the former being the favorite view.
Gins, urges that it cannot be the obj. of "saw" on account of the
accent, but, as Wr. points
out in Gn. i 1
, we have the ace. occurring
in spite of this accent. I agree with Wr. and No. that the simplest
construction is to regard it as an ace. here. Place of judgment] is
the place of the administration of justice.
Place of righteousness]
is probably "the place of piety," "righteousness," as Gr. has sug-
On this view
gested, being, as in 15 - 16 - 20
y
9% equivalent to piety.
Qoheleth maintains that wickedness prevails in the administration
of government and in the practice of religion. See also critical
note.
17. The righteous and the wicked God will judge]. This verse
interrupts the thought. It is, no doubt, the work of the Chasid
glossator (see critical note). Del. notes that "judge" has a double
meaning, referring to the vindication of the righteous as in Ps,
7 8 26* , and to the punishment of the wicked. The idea that the
with the con-
righteous are vindicated is entirely out of harmony
text. This is a strong reason for it regarding as the work of a
glossator. On the emendation which underlies our rendering,
see critical note. A time for every matter] is a distinct allusion
in the verse to vv. 2-8.
18. // is on account of the sons of men]. As Graetz observed, this
verse connects directly with vs. 16, vs. 17 being, as already noted, an
interpolation. Qoheleth's view is that the corruption
in civil and
religious affairs is God's way of demonstrating that men are, for
all their intelligence and assumed superiority, really on a level with