What does it mean?

1. Now that we know what it says, we move on to: Interpretation What does it mean?

2. Why is interpretation so important? • What you see is not always what you get. I don’t care what you say, There is NO triangle here Like, Totally Dude!

3. Why is interpretation so important? Oh great so how am I, like, supposed to figure out, like what they are talking about? • Because Time and Distance have thrown up barriers between us and the biblical writers which block our understanding Like, Totally Dude!

4. Interpretation ` Before you start whining, why don’t we take a look at what some of these barriers are? Like I totally wasn’t whining, it was that other dude, Dude!

5. Barriers to interpretation Language

6. Language The Bible was originally written in Hebrew and Greek and then translated into English

7. Language • Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 • .µl;iv;WryBi Jl,m, dwID;A÷B, tl,h,qo yreb]Di 1 • .lb,h; lKoh' µylib;h} lbeh} tl,h,qo rm'a; µylib;h} lbeh} 2

8. Language Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” NASB

9. Language Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: 2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (NIV)

10. Language Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” NASB Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: 2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (NIV)

11. Language Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 1 The words of the Assembler, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 “Vapor of breath,” says the Assembler, “Vapor of breath! The whole thing is a breath.” ME

12. Break the Language Barrier with: Concordances Theological wordbooks Dictionaries Commentaries

13. Barriers to interpretation Why art thou wearing thy lawn upon thy head? Dude! Like what’s with the dress!! Cultural

15. Cultural Webster: The total pattern of human behavior including thought, speech, actions and artifacts Culture includes what people Think Believe Say Do Make

16. Cultural • Reading the Bible is like entering a foreign land, you need to become comfortable with different customs and practices! • Don’t read our western, 21st century culture into the Bible!

17. Cultural • Question: • Why is it important to know English customs regarding automobiles before driving in England?

18. Cultural Cultural fact: The English drive on the opposite side of the road!

19. Cultural Things to look for:

20. Cultural Political Ecclesiastes 8:4 Since a king's word is supreme, who can say to him, "What are you doing?"

21. Cultural Political In the ancient world it is known that the king was a mediator between God and man. In many cultures he was god incarnate. The king of the Israelites was supposed to listen to the wisdom of the Prophets -ISBE

22. Cultural Ecclesiastes 5:1 Guard your steps as you go to the house of God, and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. Religious

23. Cultural 5:1. options in the temple. Ancient Near Eastern literature offers similar cautions. An inscription from Ugarit comments on the actions of a fool who rushes to offer prayers to appease his god even though he has no sense of guilt. The options mentioned in the text contrast the direction of communication. The sacrifice of the fool usually accompanies a petition to the deity for favor or the granting of a request. What one listens to in the temple would typically be an oracle in which the deity can express favor or disfavor. The Egyptian Teaching of Ptah-Hotep spends nearly fifty lines extolling the virtues of one who hears over the foolishness of one who speaks rashly. Bible Background Com. Religious

24. Cultural Ecclesiastes 5:8-9 If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields. Economic

25. Cultural God warned the Israelites when they asked for a King. 1 Samuel 8:11-12 He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. The BIBLE! Economic

26. Cultural Legal Ecclesiastes 8:11 Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.

27. Cultural 8:11-12. criminal punishment in Israel. Israel shared a common legal tradition with the rest of the ancient Near East concerning criminal punishment. The most common penalties in the Bible were stoning, death by fire and mutilation. Ancient Near Eastern sources (e.g., the Code of Hammurabi and the Middle Assyrian Laws) occasionally mention the methods of punishment, which included drowning, mutilation and impalement. Imprisonment was not used as a punishment for crime, though there were debtors' prisons and political prisoners. Additionally, prisons would be used to detain those awaiting trial. Bible Background Commentary Legal

28. Cultural Ecclesiastes 11:6 Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. Agricultural

29. Cultural To scatter seed upon the ground for the purpose of producing a crop. Sowing took place soon after the first rains had fallen and the soil had become soft. Manners and Customs of Bible Times Agricultural

30. Cultural "Morning" and "evening" seem to be a merism, embracing the whole day. "Sow your seed" diligently and abundantly is the gist of this admonition. The reason for the diligence ("for") is that the mystery of which seed grows and how it does is in God's hands and cannot be known to us. The limits of our wisdom are a catalyst to industry not despair. NIV Application Commentary Agricultural

31. Cultural Ecclesiastes 10:18 If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks. Architectural

32. Cultural The roof was constructed by laying brushwood across rough sycamore beams and binding them together by using mud. A heavy roller was kept on the roof to compact the material after rain. Roofs were not watertight and therefore had two characteristics leaks and a green color. Manners and Customs of Bible Times Architectural

33. Cultural Ecclesiastes 9:8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Clothing White = Best clothes, Party? White = Holy, purity?

34. Cultural On the other hand, white sometimes has associations of festivity and privileged power, including royalty. Employing the conventional images of festivity, the writer of Ecclesiastes urges “Let your garments always be white… Dictionary of Biblical Imagery Clothing

35. Cultural Domestic Ecclesiastes 7:6 Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless.

36. Cultural Sometimes we just have to realize that this literature is POETRY and is written to give us a picture in our minds of something. Domestic Crackling Thorns in a fire = Laughter of Fools

37. Cultural Ecclesiastes 8:10 Then too, I saw the wicked buried -- those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless. Geographical

38. Cultural (1) Failure to punish wickedness is a great enigma (8:10-14). 8:10-12a. Solomon had noted that wickedness is not always punished (cf. 3:16; 4:1). He had seen that the wicked have access to the holy place (i.e., the temple), die, are buried, and even are praised in the city where they practiced wickedness. Affirming that such a contradiction of the doctrine of retribution was meaningless (hebel; cf. 1:2) Geographical

39. Cultural Ecclesiastes 9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. Military

40. Cultural Military

41. Cultural Ecclesiastes 10:7 I have seen slaves riding on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land Social

42. Cultural He had also seen slaves riding on horseback, a position of honor (cf. Jer. 17:17:25) while princes went on foot like slaves. Thus since position was not assigned on the basis of merit but on the basis of a rulers caprice, the value of wisdom was often nullified. Bible Knowledge Commentary Social

43. Cultural Manners and Customs of the Bible Gives detailed accounts of ancient customs such as marriage, education, farming, dress, economics, food, housing and worship.

44. Cultural Dictionary of Biblical Imagery Explores images, symbols, metaphors and literary patterns found in the Bible Attempts to shed light on the literature, specifically the word pictures found in scripture.

45. Cultural New Bible Dictionary Bible Dictionary’s give detailed information on the people, places and many of the subjects covered in the Bible

46. Cultural Bible Background Commentary Provides historical, cultural and social background for passages in selected books of the Bible

47. Break the Cultural Barrier with: Manners and Customs of the Bible Dictionaries Commentaries Bible Encyclopedia

48. Barriers to interpretation It’s all in the Genre, Man Literary

49. Break the Literary Barrier with: Understanding Genres in Scripture

50. Barriers to interpretation Communication