The holy book of Christians, the Bible, consists of two parts: the Old and New Testaments. The book is unique, written by various people, there were about 40 of them, all of different professions, from shepherds and fishermen to ministers and kings. It is also important for Christians that the authors wrote under the influence of God, therefore the Bible is also called the Word of God. One of these inspired writers was King Solomon, who wrote the wise book of Ecclesiastes.
Son of david
King Solomon was not the only child of the second king of Israel, not even the firstborn. He was the third son, but David appointed him the throne, making him co-ruler during his lifetime. As a result of difficult historical upheavals, he inherits the throne of his father. In world history, the son of David remained as a man whose name has become synonymous with wisdom. Of the three books written by him, Ecclesiastes stands out especially, quotes of which are firmly among the most popular sayings.
Preacher
The entire Old Testament, like the books of Solomon, is written in Hebrew, but the name of this book sounds in Greek. In the original, it is called "Kochelet," which translates as "speaking in the congregation, preacher." Even the most notorious atheists know 2-3 quotes from the Old Testament of the Bible. Ecclesiastes, both for those who know and for those who are superficially acquainted with the Holy Scriptures, stand separately from other writings. This is noticeable in the general atmosphere of the book. The main idea of Solomon is "all vanity is vanity." Is happiness possible on this earth, can a person achieve complete peace? The answers to these questions Solomon gives a negative. Although a person of his strength and status should not be so disappointed in life, Solomon feels himself that way.
Book of Ecclesiastes
The quotes “There is nothing new under the Sun” and “vanity of vanities” are the most common from the book of the Preacher. They largely determine not only the spiritual meaning of the book, but also the life path of a person. The extreme degree of expression shows the meaninglessness of everything that happens in life. Why does Solomon, the almighty king, to whom rich Israel was subordinate, think so? He also gives the answer to this question, comparing life with a meaningless cycle of events for each person. The book of Ecclesiastes quotes provides answers to so many questions about the meaning of life,
Everything goes to one place: everything came from dust and everything will return to dust.
What is a sense of life?
In this quotation of Ecclesiastes, the meaning is hidden that the tragedy of a person is that he understands the meaninglessness of everything that happens, and this understanding is painful, because the meaning of any action is to try to change something, but with thoughts about the vanity of all things, you can not go far. But if you think about the following words of Ecclesiastes, will a person be satisfied if he ignores such thoughts about the frailty of everything? If he will have fun trying to decorate his life with bright colors? After all, the fun itself is nice, which can be more joyful than satisfying your needs. But even here Solomon with the same conclusion: everything is vanity. Pleasures will also not be able to hide behind their tinsel the sensations of the meaninglessness of the life cycle. This is evident from the quote by Ecclesiastes.
I tried to drink from a leaky vessel, Lord, but water flowed out of it. I stopped drinking, and the water ran and laughed at me, while I cried.
The king of Israel concludes that everything in this life does not depend on man. It is God's power that gives everything, even the very pursuit of happiness. Ecclesiastes quote
everything that God does is forever.
concludes the inevitability of God's judgment.
Solomon the Ruler
One of the main things that, in any case, left Solomon forever in history, even if he had not done anything, is the erection of the main religious building of Israel - the Temple of God, which was built for 7 years, and the celebration of its completion lasted two weeks. From the very beginning, the Temple was the main Israeli sanctuary, for visiting which people came from all over the world. The mountain on which it was set began to be called the Temple Mount, and the temple itself - the House of God. During the Babylonian captivity, when Judah was defeated as a result of the war with Babylonia, the temple was destroyed. During the reign of the wisest king, Israel received its main wealth from the control of the trade route from Syria to Egypt. But once an episode occurred, thanks to which the treasury of Israel was replenished at the expense of the king himself.
Solomon and women
The rumor of extraordinary wisdom spread far beyond the borders of the state, and now the queen of the Sabean kingdom (modern Yemen) wanted to make sure of the truth of the stories personally. Queen of Sheba arrived at the court of Solomon to ask him difficult questions. The tsarina was more than satisfied with the answers of the king and his gifts. According to the book of Kings, a period of prosperity began after Queen Sabey visited Israel. And subsequently, every year Israel received 666 talents. Given that the Jewish talent is 44.8 kg, the amount is very impressive. Subsequently, many began to talk about the illegal love affair of the two rulers, whether it is true or not, is not known for certain. In Ecclesiastes, quotes about a woman are filled with negative meaning, which suggests a rather painful breakdown in some relationship. Obviously, we are talking about nothing everyday, for the same Solomon in Proverbs said:
Take comfort in the wife of your youth
inviting this person to seek rest and peace in the family. Here the words are filled with pain and bitterness. Solomon's relationship with women is a very complex and voluminous topic. Being the eastern king, he had 300 concubines, concluded about 700 dynastic marriages. But it was not the experience of relations with them that made him say that a woman is worse than death. Trying to understand the cause of all the misfortunes, the Preacher concludes that forbidden love can greatly damage a person. Suddenly, Ecclesiastes comes to the conclusion that morally women are worse than men. Because he did not meet any woman who would be perfect in moral qualities. Quite understandable words from the point of view of people of the time when women were not treated as equal partners.
It is not difficult to imagine the fact that Solomon, saying this, was upset by the relationship with some woman who has a strong influence on his heart.
Paths to happiness
It turns out that all the quotes of Ecclesiastes are so sad, breaking hopes? Is it possible to get through their negative and see the joy of life? According to the Preacher himself, absolute happiness is unattainable, but there is an opportunity to find a blessing, relative happiness, which will be the best in life.
When a person understands that everything in the world comes from God, that everything is subordinate to Him, he will achieve this balance in life.
For God will bring every work to judgment, and all the secrets, whether it is good or bad.
This quote by Ecclesiastes summarizes his pessimistic thoughts, suggesting that the period of despondency is over, but the wise words he uttered have remained for centuries.