Ecclesiastes 7:11

Footnotes

1. 38 Or “Wisdom with an inheritance, is good”; or “Wisdom is as good as an inheritance.” This use of the preposition עִם (’im) may denote: (1) accompaniment: “together with,” or (2) comparison: “as good as; like; in comparison to” ( עִם; 767–69 עִם). 767 1 suggests the accompaniment nuance “together with,” while 2.c suggests the comparative sense “in comparison to.” The translations are also divided: “wisdom with an inheritance is good” (, margin, , , ); “wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing” (); “wisdom is as good as an inheritance” (, , , , ); “wisdom is better than an inheritance” (). Because v. 12 compares wisdom with money (i.e., an inheritance), v. 11 is probably making a comparison as well: “Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good” (7:11a) = “Wisdom provides protection, just as money provides protection” (7:12a). The “good thing” that wisdom—like an inheritance or money—provides is protection.
2. 39 Heb “see the sun.”