Fun with Free Will

[Pierac]

Yes, and a interesting verse too!

Net Bible Ecc 3:11 God has made everything fit beautifully12 in its appropriate time, but13 he has also placed ignorance14 in the human heart15 so that16 people17 cannot discover what God has ordained,18 from the beginning to the end19 of their lives.20

Partial Net Bible Commentary on Ecc 3:11. I had to remove some of it as it's really long.


14 tn Heb "darkness"; perhaps "eternity" or "the future." The meaning of the noun עֹלָם ('olam) is debated. It may mean: (1) "ignorance"; (2) time reference: (a) "eternity" or (b) "the future"; or (3) "knowledge" (less likely). The arguments for these options may be summarized: (1) Most suggest that עֹלָם is the defectively written form of עוֹלָם "duration; eternity" (e.g., Ecc_1:4; Ecc_2:16; Ecc_3:14; Ecc_9:6; Ecc_12:5); see BDB 762 s.v. III עוֹלָם 2.k. Within this school of interpretation, there are several varieties: (a) BDB 762 s.v. III עוֹלָם 2.k suggests that here it denotes "age [i.e., duration] of the world," which is attested in postbiblical Hebrew. The term III עֹלָם "eternity" = "world" (Jastrow 1084 s.v. עָלַם III) is used in this sense in postbiblical Hebrew, mostly in reference to the Messianic age, or the world to come (e.g., Targum; Gen_9:16; Targum Onqelos; Exo_21:6; Targum Psa_61:7).

For example, "the world (עֹלָם) shall last six thousand years, and after one thousand years it shall be laid waste" (b. Rosh HaShanah 31a) and "the world (עֹלָם) to come" (b. Sotah 10b). The Septuagint (LXX) and the Vulgate took the term in this sense. This approach was also adopted by several English translations: "the world" (KJV, Douay, ASV margin). (b) HALOT 799 s.v. עוֹלָם 5 and THAT 2:242 suggest that the term refers to an indefinite, unending future: "eternity future" or "enduring state referring to past and future" (see also BDB 762 s.v. III עוֹלָם 2.i). In this sense, the noun עֹלָם functions as a metonymy of association: "a sense of eternity," but not in a philosophical sense (see J. Barr, Biblical Words for Time [SBT], 117, n. 4). This approach is supported by three factors: (i) the recurrence of עוֹלָם ("eternity") in Ecc_3:14, (ii) the temporal qualification of the statement in the parallel clause ("from beginning to end"), and (iii) by the ordinary meaning of the noun as "eternity" (HALOT 798-799 s.v. עוֹלָם). The point would be that God has endowed man with an awareness of the extra-temporal significance of himself and his accomplishments (D. R. Glenn, "Ecclesiastes," BKCOT, 984). This is the most frequent approach among English versions: "the timeless" (NAB), "eternity" (RSV, MLB, ASV, NASB, NIV, NJPS), "a sense of time past and time future" (NEB), and "a sense of past and future" (NRSV). (3) Other scholars suggest that עוֹלָם simply refers to the indefinite future: "the future," that is, things to come (e.g., HALOT 799 s.v. עוֹלָם 2; BDB 762 s.v. III עוֹלָם 2.a; THAT 2:241). The plural עֹלָמִים ('olamim, "things to come") was used in this sense in Ecc_1:10 (e.g., 1Ki_8:13 = 2Ch_6:2; Psa_61:5; Psa_77:8; Psa_145:13; Dan_9:24; cf. HALOT 799 s.v. עוֹלָם 2).
The point would simply be that God has not only ordained all the events that will take place in man's life (Ecc_3:1-8), but also preoccupies man with the desire to discover what will happen in the future in terms of the orchestration or timing of these events in his life (Ecc_3:9-11). This fits well with the description of God's orchestration of human events in their most appropriate time (Ecc_3:1-10) and the ignorance of man concerning his future (Ecc_3:11 (i.e., Ecclesiastes 3:11b)). Elsewhere, Qoheleth emphasizes that man cannot learn what the future holds in store for him (e.g., Ecc_8:7; Ecc_8:17). This approach is only rarely adopted: "the future" (NJPS margin). (2) The second view is that עֹלָם is not defectively written עוֹלָם ("eternity") but the segholate noun II עֶלֶם ('elem) that means "dark" (literal) or "ignorance; obscurity; secrecy" (figurative). The related noun תַּעֲלֻמָה (ta'alumah) means "hidden thing; secret," and the related verb עָלַם ('alam) means "to hide; to conceal" (BDB 761 s.v. I עָלַם; HALOT 834-35 s.v. עלם). This is related to the Ugaritic noun "dark" and the Akkadian verb "to be black; to be dark" (see HALOT 834-35 s.v. עלם). In postbiblical Hebrew the root II עֶלֶם means (i) "secret" and (ii) "forgetfulness" (Jastrow 1084 s.v. עֶלֶם I). Thus the verse would mean that God has "obscured" man's knowledge so that he cannot discover certain features of God's program. This approach is adopted by Moffatt which uses the word "mystery." Similarly, the term may mean "forgetfulness," that is, God has plagued man with "forgetfulness" so that he cannot understand what God has done from the beginning to the end (e.g., Ecc_1:11). (3) The third view (Delitzsch) is to relate עֹלָם to a cognate Arabic root meaning "knowledge." The point would be that God has endowed man with "knowledge," but not enough for man to discover God's eternal plan. This approach is only rarely adopted: "knowledge" (YLT).

15 tn Heb "in their heart." The Hebrew term translated heart functions as a metonymy of association for man's intellect, emotions, and will (BDB 524-25 s.v. לֵב 3-6, 9). Here, it probably refers to man's intellectual capacities, as Ecc_3:11 suggests.

18 tn Heb "the work that God has done." The phrase אֶת־הַמַּעֲשֶׂה אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה ('ethamma'aseh 'asher'asah, "the work which he [i.e., God] has done") is an internal cognate accusative (direct object and verb are from the same root), used for emphasis (see IBHS 167 §10.2.1g). The repetition of the verb עָשַׂה ("to do") in Ecc_3:11 and Gen_3:14 suggests that this phrase refers to God's foreordination of all the events and timing of human affairs: God has "made" (= "foreordained"; עָשַׂה) everything appropriate in his sovereign timing (Ecc_3:11 (i.e., Ecclesiastes 3:11a)), and all that God has "done" (= "foreordained"; עָשַׂה) will come to pass (Ecc_3:14). Thus, the verb עָשַׂה functions as a metonymy of effect (i.e., God's actions) for cause (i.e., God's sovereign foreordination). The temporal clause "from beginning to end" (3:11) supports this nuance.

19 tn Traditionally, "what God has done from the beginning to the end." The temporal clause מֵרֹאשׁ וְעַד־סוֹף (mero'sh ve'adsof, "from the beginning to the end") is traditionally taken in reference to "eternity" (the traditional understanding of הָעֹלָם [ha'olam] earlier in the verse; see the note on "ignorance"), e.g., KJV, NEB, NAB, ASV, NASB, NIV, RSV, NRSV. However, if הָעֹלָם simply denotes "the future" (e.g., HALOT 799 s.v. עוֹלָם 2; BDB 762 s.v. III עוֹלָם 2.a; THAT 2:241), this temporal clause would refer to the events God has ordained to transpire in an individual's life, from beginning to end. This approach is adopted by one English version: "but without man ever guessing, from first to last, all the things that God brings to pass" (NJPS). This would fit well in the context begun in Ecc_3:1 with the fourteen merisms encompassing man's life, starting with "a time to be born" (i.e., from the beginning in Ecc_3:11) and concluding with "a time to die" (i.e., to the end in Ecc_3:11). This approach is also supported by the admonition of Ecc_3:12-13, namely, since no one knows what will happen to him in the future days of his life, Qoheleth recommends that man enjoy each day as a gift from God.


Paul

[Paidion]

The commentary sounds as if it were well researched. However, I don't think "olam" and its Greek equivalent "aionios" has all of those many meanings. Worse yet, I think it dangerous to assume a word has a multitude of meanings and then to pick the one which renders a passage in agreement with one's theology.

The Greek word is simply the adjectival form of the noun "aion" (English transliteration "aeon") which means "age". An age can be a very long period of time, or sometimes it may refer to a shorter period, such as a person's life time.

Neither the adjective nor the noun have anything to do with eternity, regardless of the many translators who render it so. Here's an example of "aionios" in the Septuagint, where it would be ludicrous to translate it as "eternal":

4 ¶ And they shall build the aionios waste places, they shall raise up those that were before made desolate, and shall renew the deserted cities, even those that had been desolate for many generations. Isaiah 61:4 Septuagint

If these were "eternal wastes", then how could they ever have been "raised up" and "renewed"? Rather the word might be translated "permanent". If these waste places were in a ruined condition for a long time, perhaps for many generations, they would be considered to be permanent. However, that which is permanent may not continue for ever. You may have a permanent driver's licence, but you lose it if you violate enough traffic laws. In this case it was predicted that the permanent waste places would be built up again, and the deserted ruined cities which had been desolate for many generations would be renewed.

[Pierac]

The commentary sounds as if it were well researched. However, I don't think "olam" and its Greek equivalent "aionios" has all of those many meanings. Worse yet, I think it dangerous to assume a word has a multitude of meanings and then to pick the one which renders a passage in agreement with one's theology.

The Greek word is simply the adjectival form of the noun "aion" (English transliteration "aeon") which means "age". An age can be a very long period of time, or sometimes it may refer to a shorter period, such as a person's life time.

Neither the adjective nor the noun have anything to do with eternity, regardless of the many translators who render it so. Here's an example of "aionios" in the Septuagint, where it would be ludicrous to translate it as "eternal":

4 ¶ And they shall build the aionios waste places, they shall raise up those that were before made desolate, and shall renew the deserted cities, even those that had been desolate for many generations. Isaiah 61:4 Septuagint

If these were "eternal wastes", then how could they ever have been "raised up" and "renewed"? Rather the word might be translated "permanent". If these waste places were in a ruined condition for a long time, perhaps for many generations, they would be considered to be permanent. However, that which is permanent may not continue for ever. You may have a permanent driver's licence, but you lose it if you violate enough traffic laws. In this case it was predicted that the permanent waste places would be built up again, and the deserted ruined cities which had been desolate for many generations would be renewed.

Yes, I agree but the fact is our translators do! Aion and aionios and Olam are all associated within our modern scripture as eternity, age, and world, and a few other words. So tell me how eternity can be associated with an age or world? But you already know of this issue don't you!

Paul