Out of Character
Now, I find woman more bitter than death; she is all traps, her hands are fetters and her heart is snares. He who is pleasing to God escapes her, and he who is displeasing is caught by her. Ecclesiastes 7:26 NJPS
More bitter than death – This is the only verse in the Bible that expresses outright misogyny. Even this one verse has caused enormous theological backpedalling. Koheleth Rabba and many of the sages and rabbis read this verse as if it were about only those women who actually are traps and snares. NASB. NIV, ESV and RSV follow the same pattern, treating the verse as if it applied only to such terrible women. These translations use the definite article (“the” woman) as a way of suggesting that the speaker doesn’t mean all women. But two verses later (7:28), Koheleth says that he searched among a thousand to find one righteous person, and not a single woman could be found. It’s hard to imagine that the Teacher (Koheleth) looked only among the unrighteous in his search. Apparently this Teacher really doesn’t like women very much. His remark that woman is more bitter (mar mimavet) than death can hardly be read as comfort and companionship.
What are we to say about a verse like this in the Bible? First, we should note that it is the only verse in the Bible like this. Everywhere else the relationship between a man and a woman is held in high regard and women in general are recognized for their special, God-given role. If Koheleth seems bitter about women, he stands alone in that regard.
Nevertheless, this is Scripture, so there has to be some explanation why God would include such a disparaging remark in holy text. Michael Fox offers some clues. The text is hyperbolic. Koheleth, as is his custom, makes outrageous remarks to grab our attention and drive home a point. “All is vanity” is such an opening remark. It wakes us up to a reality that the Bible does not deny. The world just doesn’t work the way it should.
Koheleth offers his own reconciliation of this statement when he also says that the best life has to offer is the enjoyment of the woman you love (cf. 9:9). Obviously, this would be impossible if every woman were a trap. Fox suggests that Koheleth’s own experience stands behind his critical remark. He has looked for someone to love and hasn’t found her. This colors his whole world. He begins to believe that every relationship is only relative frustration. In verse 28 we see that he sought a woman (yes, I know your Bible doesn’t read that way, but a minor change in the text makes this clear – see M. Fox[1]). Frustrated love might turn a man away from all women, as we are well aware.
Maybe the lesson in this misogynistic text is that the Bible never hides the real life of human beings. The Bible doesn’t clean things up, smooth over the rough edges or paint a picture of holiness that isn’t true to life itself. Koheleth expresses what many men feel. That doesn’t mean he is right. It only means he is hurt. And that is where most of us start – hurt and in pain. The great lesson of Ecclesiastes is that life is full of injustices, absurdities and failures. In the end, it’s either bitterness or grace. You choose.
Ecclesiastes is the best evangelical tract ever written. If you preach from it, offer the audience a .38 Special or a chance to repent. These are really the only possible conclusions for human existence. And there is no human relationship where this is more obvious than in a frustrated relationship between a man and a woman. No wonder God used marriage as the ultimate symbol of our intimacy with Him. It has all the human dynamics anyone could ask for.
Topical Index: more bitter than, mar, woman, misogyny, Ecclesiastes 7:26
[1] Michael Fox, Ecclesiastes: The JPS Bible Commentary, p. 52.
7:26 Now, I find woman more bitter than death; she is all traps, her hands are fetters and her heart is snares. He who is pleasing to God escapes her, and he who is displeasing is caught by her.
8:9 Spend your life with the woman you love
3:1 There is a season for everything (4 to be exact)
Hmmm
I took my kids to see the movie “In Time” this weekend, and we all really enjoyed it
A great Sci Fi love story about the use of Time
And I tend to read Ecclesiates as a commentary on Time
For me Ecclesiates does not seem misogynistic at all
Sometimes we just feel like the women we love are more bitter than death (Cold)
It is like the Winter of our Discontent, but there are four seasons in Time and our feelings change
So toward women (or men) we might feel Hot in the summer, Cool in the Fall, and Warm in the Spring
Or we could think in terms of the 4 literary genres and say sometimes we in different literary modes
Qoheleth is obviously in the satiric mode when he says “I find woman more bitter than death”
If that same woman died, he might feel like he was in a Tragedy
And if it turned out that she just fainted, his mood might change to Comedy
But he probably would not be with her in the first place if he had not felt some Romance for her
“more bitter than, mar, woman, misogyny, Ecclesiastes 7:26”
“more bitter than death” (thy name is woman) sounds almost Shakespearean
“took my kids to see the movie “In Time” this weekend, and we all really enjoyed it”
Hi Skip,
Lots of good Mem up there; takes me back to my favorite book in the Bible, Ecclesiastes 7
And back to my spiritual home town, Del Mara, where I met Michele and David while at UCSD
Speaking of movies, and Michele and David, I went up to Berkeley Sunday night to see them
We saw a fantastic movie, A Separation, a film that recently received the Best Foreign Film award
After a hard week at work and very busy weekend with my dog Max and my daughter Sinead
I thought for sure that I would fall asleep reading the subtitles and watching a bunch of Iranians
But boy was I surprised
David and I got there a little late, but after finding Michele and their daughter and son in law
I was immediately stunned by what I saw on the screen, because it was so beautiful and “realistic”
For some reason it was at first excruciatingly painful watching the interactions of the family life
Sons taking care of decrepit old fathers, husbands and wives separating
Daughters, and I should say deeply religious daughters, being torn between the parents
There was so much anger and emotion and then with the complicated laws of their society
I was wondering if the movie were some sort of right-wing diatribe against the Iranians
Or that maybe it would be more pleasant to have my fingernails torn off than watch this movie
But then about halfway through the movie their strangeness began to fade and it became very clear
These people were very human and cared deeply about God and morality and the laws
In this society the laws were connected to God and they were not mere abstractions of the “good”
The laws were very complicated and full of ambiguity and required intellectual rigor to understand
And by the time I walked away from the movie, I was thinking it was one of the finest I had ever seen
Poor Solomon. The man who had it all- yet had nothing. He was so “worldly wise.” He was the guy what had it going on. Possessions, prosperity, position,pleasures- everything one could possibly imagine and yet the poor fella came up empty. Nothing could satisfy Solomon. Solomon did not know our Savior, nor was he privileged to hear His words: “a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Accumulation was the name of the game in Solomon’s day. “Get all you can, can all you get, sit on the lid, and poison the rest..” (the “modern” name for this is greed) – Not that today, we “modern” people are no longer greedy- for greed no longer exists- or does it? Dear Santa,- “I want it all..” (oy!)
Prosperity. Can we handle it? “For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in,and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your G-d, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” (I am unable to comment further without fear of condemnation!) but is this “us” today? Are we blind to our blessings? Is this true?- “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
Position. Authority. Solomon- remember, it was G-d who gave you your kingdom and the right to rule! Have you forgotten? What are all these wives and concubines? You must have been pulled in one thousand directions and with one thousand wives did you also inherit one thousand mother-in-laws? What trouble you caused yourself by not obeying G-d’s Torah. (big dummy) Disobedience is disastrous.
Pleasures. Solomon, you poor guy.. – you did not know our Savior, -did you? “At His right hand there are pleasures forevermore.” And how we are pleased when we do what pleases Him. Solomon, can you say it and know it? – “I delight to do your will, O my G-d?”
Solomon, you had such a great start.. -what happened? Was it a slow drift? A bit of wandering here or just a small sin there? How the mighty have fallen.. You sir, have become a “disgrace to grace.” Solomon, you did not finish well, but we thank you for sharing your story and the lessons we have learned from your life.
Hi Carl, Would it change the scope of your reply if you realized that the “but” was ADDED by the translators. There is no such word in the Greek text. I have written about this (so has John Parsons). Grace comes WITH Moses, not in opposition to Moses.
” What are all these wives and concubines? You must have been pulled in one thousand directions and with one thousand wives did you also inherit one thousand mother-in-laws? What trouble you caused yourself by not obeying G-d’s Torah”
Maybe this is intended to be a joke, but I don’t find it funny. Solomon’s marriages took place in a patriarchy that reversed the marriage law of Genesis 2:24. Solomon didn’t have to worry about mother-in-laws because all of his wives were foreigners forced to leave their countries and mothers behind most likely never to be seen again. These kind of patriarchal marriage arrangement leave the woman alone in a strange land without her own kin to protect her. Abuse of women is quite common in these situations even in countries that still practice this today. The original marriage law of Genesis 2:24 was intended to prevent this. That said, if a mother-in-law is a problem, it is usually the HUSBAND’S MOTHER. In these cultures, a woman usually doesn’t achieve any power in the family unless she bears a son, and even then, her whole life revolves around her relationship with her son because he is the source of her power and security in her old age. Because of this, the husband’s mother sees her son’s wives as rivals for his affection. The husband’s mother has absolute authority over any other females in the household, and she isn’t going to let a daughter-in-law take her place if she can help it. Abuse by the husband’s mother (and father) is not uncommon in these cultures. Of course, there is no evidence that Bathsheba was like this, but who really knows? That said, if the thousand wives of Solomon were unrighteous, it is because they were pagans that were allowed to practice their own religion. They influenced Solomon to commit idolatry, but whose fault is that? Solomon allowed it, and the foreign wives probably thought they could use their own pagan beliefs to gain some power in an otherwise powerless situation. They found Solomon’s achilles heal and they exploited it. Who could blame them? I know I don’t. Solomon was wise, but he was also stupid. In the end, he behaved like a lot of men and blamed his wives for his own failings.
SUSAN, I FEEL THE SAME WAY YOU DO ABOUT SOLOMON… 🙁 jan
Thanks Jan, I’m glad someone sees it.
Not a problem. As in my post, -grace and Law do not contrast one another- they complete each other. There is not competition between the two but rather cooperation. As our Master Himself has said- “I have not come to nullify, render ineffective, or destroy the law, but rather to fulfill it.” But grace was introduced into this world by Yeshua. The Law may say: “eye for an eye or tooth for a tooth” and demand payment for our transgressions, but grace, (the goodness of G-d) says- “put that on my account..- I’ll pay.” (-and “I will forgive!)
Add in another peculiar thing to this mix : He wrote the Book! Who gave the Law to Moses? He did! Who is the LawGiver? He is. And who is the (only) Righteous Judge? He is. It is His Book- the Lamb’s Book of Life! And the Torah became flesh and dwelt among us. We have for our salvation, sanctification and succour, “both” the written and the Living (incarnated) Word. G-d humbled Himself and became a man- just like us. Humility to the extreme.
“But grace was introduced into this world by Yeshua. ”
Excuse me, brother Carl, but I beg to differ. Grace was evident right back in B’reshiyt. Why else would YHVH clothe Adam and Chavvah with priestly garments (made from the skin of an animal), thus installing them as His priests over His creation, after they fell, if not to demonstrate and manifest His grace?
More clarification then. Yes, Grace was present even before B’reshiyt. But all these things, from Genesis 1.1 until Calvary were a foreshadowing of Grace yet to be. Grace, this world never had known- full forgiveness. The blood of goats and calves was temporary. The blood of our Messiah was offered once- for all and forever. Grace was evident in the Law for the Law establishes guilt. Sin is a transgression of the law. The Law establishes our guilt before a thrice-holy G-d. When my dentist looks into my mouth for signs of decay, etc.- a bright light is used to detect any imperfections in my teeth. Light is that which reveals. The Torah of YHWH has revealed this fact: “all have sinned”. None of us (save ONE) are without “imperfections.” There is only one Perfect Man ever to have lived. The rest of us? (both Jew and Gentile) are sinners. (Just the facts m’am, sir)- “all have sinned.”
I will ask the question that needs to be asked. How then may one such as myself, whom the Law has established to be a sinner- become ‘rightly-related’ to His Creator? What did G-d do for us (sinners) that we could not do for ourselves? He sent Yeshua. Born in Bethlehem, born of a virgin and born to die a death that should have belonged to me. Our Bible is His Story. All of it.
I watched “Prince of Egypt” last night and saw many foreshadowings of my Deliverer. Moses was such an one. So was Joseph. So was David. So was Abraham. But Christ our Messiah, our Deliverer, our Salvation is the fulfillment.
Peter, had good intentions. His heart was in the right place but He was limited in his vision. “Let us make three tabernacles- One for Elisha, one for Moses and one for Yeshua. All three, -great men of G-d.
What was so wrong with this? Elisha- a man. Moses – a man. Abraham- a man. David- a man. Yeshua? A man..-and more. This man was the Son of man and this man is the Son of the Living G-d and G-d the (now) Living Son. This man was dead and is now alive -forevermore- interceding (right now) for you and for me. This is the ONE who has conquered death, sin and the grave. This Man is the ONE with the keys to life and death. This man, the Son of Man was the ONE who was sent. “Malachi”- My Messenger. He is the Sent ONE. But wait!- there’s more..- (I believe we know the more..) Shall we start a list or is a list necessary? Christ is the center. Christ is the compass. Christ is the circumference. Christ is all and in you all. “It is the LORD”. – and the LORD (ADONAI) is my Shepherd. Today. Right now, today and forever- He is Immanuel- G-d with us. And “since” G-d is with us, – who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all- how shall He not with Him, also freely give us all things? (Grace in action-or “Providence”) G-d, our Maker, does provide- for our wants to be supplied..- Have we become blind to our blessings?
There is nothing at all wrong with the Light, (“The Written Law therefore is holy and the commandment is holy, just and good”) for Light is that which reveals. Light brings forth life and scatters the darkness. “Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You dwell.”(Psalm 43.3)- Who is David talking to? May we also approach Him? “For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.” (Psalm 36:9) “And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19) – And who is this Morning Star?- the Fairest of ten thousand? Who did receive (and does deserve) the worship of men and of angels? – It is Christ the LORD. “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you..”- Who is speaking here?- It is Christ our LORD. The ONE who said- “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Did He?
Solomon was a great king. The queen of Sheba was right when she said- “the half has not been told..” But – “a greater than Solomon is here..” How much greater?
I continue to read. Skip , thank you for the leading of these devotion and many others. I thank all who come each day and ponder the words of scripture.
I thank Carl and his knowledge how he is able to transpose, translate or interpret what is being said. I appreciate that very much.
I am limited but I am with you .
I am limited but the LORD is giving increase to my understanding.
Truly ,I am aware of the LORD’S good ness in my life not only of the peace that HE is to me but the opposition that comes when the face of GOD is before me.
Bravo to the ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD OF ISRAEL.
To all ……………..keep on following on in HIS FOOTSTEPS