Background and Introduction to the Book of Ecclesiastes

The Hebrew name for the Book of Ecclesiastes is “Qohelet” (קֹהֶלֶת), meaning “assembler of a gathering, speaker.” The Chinese Union Version translates it as “Preacher.” The Greek Septuagint title (Ἐκκλησιαστής / Ekklēsiastēs) is derived from the Hebrew, and the English title (Ecclesiastes) is a Latin transliteration of the Greek title.

The Preacher identifies himself as “the son of David, king in Jerusalem.” Jewish tradition holds that this refers to Solomon, and the experiences described by the Preacher in the book align very well with Solomon’s life. However, the Preacher may not necessarily be the author; the book might have been compiled by others based on the Preacher’s teachings. Although we cannot definitively ascertain the author or the exact date of writing, the book’s content transcends time and applies to every generation. Therefore, the title “Ecclesiastes” (or “Preacher”) is very fitting; the book serves as a “Preacher” for any generation, imparting the truth about life and the way of living. It helps God’s people live a meaningful life “under the sun” and teaches the devout how to truly enjoy life—to understand its essence yet still love it. This is genuine piety and courage.

The Preacher conducts extensive and broad observations on various aspects of life, making it difficult to summarize his thought process and structure. As a result, some readers lazily view Ecclesiastes as a mere collection of “meditations, investigations, and declarations.” Some superficially generalize everything with phrases like “vanity and chasing after wind,” focusing only on “this also is vanity and a chasing after wind” while overlooking the preceding “there is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil.” Others simply extract isolated nuggets of wisdom, focusing only on “there is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil” while ignoring the immediate follow-up: “this also is vanity and a chasing after wind.” In reality, the Preacher emphasizes that he “sought to find words of delight,” indicating that the book’s structure is carefully designed.

The human predicament depicted in Ecclesiastes is like a person locked in a room trying to escape, but the windows are too small, and the chimney is too high, leaving them helpless. However, if they only try the doorknob, they would find the door has always been unlocked. The Preacher wants us to realize that if one limits their perspective to the world “under the sun,” then everything is pessimistic: life is a repetitive cycle, futile, and purposeless; the righteous and the wicked die alike; and the wise learn more by going to a house of mourning than to a house of feasting. But if we look above the sun, we will discover that the most important thing in life’s journey is not to achieve certain goals on earth, nor to reach a specific end “under the sun,” but to enjoy and make good use of the journey itself, reaching the destination above the sun. Therefore, Ecclesiastes aims to teach the devout how to enjoy life—to understand its essence yet still love it. This is true piety and courage. God grants us “the vain days under the sun” not for us to lament and sigh, but for us to give an account to Him for “our vain days.” Thus, one should not pursue “vanity” or be pessimistic and world-weary; instead, one should toil and enjoy life’s journey “under the sun,” with gratitude and contentment, living simply and happily, “preparing to meet your God” (Amos 4:12).

The Preacher’s extensive and wide-ranging observations on every aspect of life make it difficult to summarize his line of thought and structure. In reality, the Preacher emphasizes that he “sought to find words of delight,” indicating that the book’s structure is carefully designed. Understanding “vanity” is for the purpose of transcending “vanity”; clearly seeing “chasing after wind” is so that one no longer “chases after wind.” A foggy morning does not mean a cloudy day; only by knowing the end can one understand the beginning. Ecclesiastes is not negative or pessimistic but active and unrestrained, full of bright hope. Although the Preacher considers all his accomplishments as “vanity,” he is not a pessimist, nor a hedonist or nihilist. He certainly does not advocate agnosticism, skepticism, or fatalism. He did not regard the Temple David commanded to be built and the worship of God as “chasing after wind,” nor did he call the life (and grace) given by God “vanity.” He certainly did not advise young people to withdraw from the world and become reclusive. On the contrary, he draws a positive and hopeful conclusion from the vanity “under the sun”: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Those who live for this world live in vanity, but those who live for eternity are joyful. Therefore, Jews read Ecclesiastes during the joyful Festival of Booths (Sukkot). On one hand, “because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun”; on the other hand, “all is vanity,” and one should not overindulge in celebration during the festival. A life without God is meaningless; only by obeying God’s law will the joy of Sukkot extend throughout the year.

Ecclesiastes has profoundly influenced Western literature. Many famous authors, including Shakespeare (Sonnet 59 opens with a reference to Ecclesiastes 1:9-10), Tolstoy (in A Confession), and Hemingway (whose The Sun Also Rises takes its title from Ecclesiastes 1:5), have quoted from it. Some of its famous phrases have become part of English culture, such as: “eat, drink and be merry,” “nothing new under the sun,” “a time to be born and a time to die,” and “vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” On December 1, 1862, during the darkest period of the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, in one of the most eloquent State of the Union addresses in American history, quoted Ecclesiastes 1:4: “One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. … Our strife pertains to ourselves—to the passing generations of men; and it can, without convulsion, be hushed forever with the passing of one generation.”

In the Old Testament, the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon are known as the “Wisdom Books.” Job speaks of how to suffer, Psalms of how to pray, Proverbs of how to act, Ecclesiastes of how to enjoy, and Song of Solomon of how to love. Ecclesiastes is a book about how to enjoy. Christians must learn two lessons in life: one is to enjoy God in all things, and the other is to enjoy all things in God. A person who does not yet know the Lord will find Ecclesiastes full of contradictions. Only by standing “above the sun” can one learn to enjoy all things in God, transforming the “vain days under the sun” into a graceful journey through life.