Ecclesiastes 12:11 - Exposition

The words of the wise are as goads . The connection of this verse with the preceding is maintained by the fact that the "acceptable words," etc; are words of the wise, emanate from the same persons. Herewith he proceeds to characterize them, with especial reference to his own work. The goad was a rod with an iron spike, or sharpened at the end, used in driving oxen (see 3:31 ; 1 Samuel 13:21 ; Ecclesiasticus 38:25; Acts 9:5 ). Words of wisdom are called goads because they rouse to exertion, promote reflection and action, restrain from error, impel to right; if they hurt and sting, the pain which they inflict is healthful, for good and not for evil. And as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies . The proposition "by" is an interpolation, and the sentence should run: Ant/ like nails fastened [are] the, etc . —masmeroth, "nails," as in Isaiah 41:7 . There is much difficulty in explaining the next words, בַּעַלִי אַסֻפוֹת ( baale asuppoth ). We have had similar expressions applied to possessors in Ecclesiastes 10:11 , "lord of the tongue," and "lord of wings" ( Ecclesiastes 10:20 ); and analogy might lead us to apply the phrase here to-persons, and not things; but in Isaiah 41:15 we find a threshing-instrument termed "lord of teeth;" and in 2 Samuel 5:20 a town is called Baal-Perazim, "Lord of breaches;" so we must be guided by other considerations in our exposition. The Septuagint, taking the whole sentence together, and regarding baals as a preposition, renders, "As nails firmly planted, ( οἳ παρᾶ τῶν συνθεμάτων ἐδόθησαν ἐκ ποιμένος ἑνός ) which from the collections were given from one shepherd." Schleusher takes οἳ παρὰ τῶν συνθεμάτων to mean, " Ii quibus munus datum erat collectionem faciendi ," i.e. the author, of collections. The Vulgate has, Verba … quae per magistrorum consilium data sunt a pastore uno . The "masters of assemblies" can only be the chiefs of some learned conclaves, like the great synagogue supposed to exist in the time of Ezra and later. The clause would then assert that these pundits are like fastened nails, which seems rather unmeaning. One might say that their uttered sentiments became fixed in the mind as nails firmly driven in, but one could not properly say this of the men themselves. A late editor, Gietmann, suggests that "lords of collection" may mean "brave men, heroes, gathered in line of battle," serried ranks, just as in Proverbs 22:20 the term shalishim, chariot-fighters, chieftains, is applied to choice proverbs. Thus he would say that the words of the wise are as goads because they stimulate the intellect, as nails because they readily find entrance, and like men in battle array when they are reduced to writing and marshaled in a book. This is certainly ingenious, but somewhat too artificial to be regarded as the genuine intention of the writer. It seems best to take the word translated "assemblies" as denoting collections, not of people, but of proverbs; and the compound phrase would thus mean proverbs of an excellent character, the best of their sort gathered together in writing. Such words are well compared to nails; they are no longer floating loosely about, they are fixed in the memory, they secure other knowledge, and, though they are separate utterances, they have a certain unity and purpose. Nails are often used proverbially as emblems of what is fixed and unalterable. Thus AE schyl; 'Suppl.,' 944—

τῶν δ ἐφήλωται τορῶς

γόμφος διαμπὰξ ὡς μένειν ἀραρότως

"Through them a nail is firmly fixed, that they

May rest immovable."

Cicero, 'Verr.,' 2.5.21, " Ut hoc beneficium, quemadmodum dicitur, trabali clave figeret; " i.e. to make it sure and steadfast (comp. Horace, 'Carm.,' 1.35. 17, et seq .). Which are given from one shepherd . All these words of the wise, collections, etc; proceed from one source, or are set forth by one authority. Who is] this shepherd? Some say that he is the archisynagogus, the president of the assemblies of wise men, to whose authority all these public utterances are subjected. But we do not know that such supervision existed or was exercised at the time when Koheleth wrote; and, as we saw above, there is probably no reference to any such assemblies in the passage. The "one shepherd" is doubtless Jehovah, who is called the Shepherd of Israel, who feeds his people like a flock, etc. (see Genesis 48:15 ; Genesis 49:24 ; Psalms 23:1 ; Psalms 80:1 , etc.). The appellation is here used as concinnous with the thought of the ox-goad, intimating that God watches and leads his people like a tender shepherd and a skilful farmer. This is an important claim to inspiration. All these varied utterances, whatever form they take, whether his own or his predecessor's, are outcomes of wisdom, and proceed from him who is only wise, Almighty God. It is no disparagement of this work to imply that it is not the production of the true Solomon; Koheleth is ready to avow himself the writer, and yet claims a hearing as being equally moved by heavenly influence. It is like St. Paul's assertion ( 1 Corinthians 7:40 ), "I think that I also have the Spirit of God."