you from the inevitability of death, wisdom can help prolong the period of time you spend “under the sun” (v. 12b). Whether you see the first part of v. 12 as an ironic or a serious statement probably depends on how you understood Prov. 18:10–11. But if any consistency of viewpoint is assumed and if the preceding passages in Eccl. 1–6 are taken seriously, then 7:12a must mean that neither wisdom nor money are ultimately dependable. Wisdom and wealth are definitely preferable to folly and poverty,