The Old Testament

A Historical, Theological, and Critical Introduction


17. Ecclesiastes

Bible Reading Guide

Note: The numbers of the questions correspond to the chapters from which they come.

  1. Who is the Teacher?
  2. What did the Teacher do?
  3. What kind of God does Ecclesiastes 3 describe?
  4. How are wealth and wisdom compared in Ecclesiastes 4?
  5. If God is in heaven and you are on earth, what should your words be?
  6. For the Teacher a stillborn child is better off than what sort of person?
  7. Is it better to be over-righteous, over-wise, both, or neither?
  8. With the righteous receiving the reward of the wicked and vice versa, what is the Teacher’s recommendation?
  9. What happened to the man who saved a city by his wisdom?
  10. What is the answer for everything, in the Teacher’s experience?
  11. Why does the Teacher recommend the diversification of investments?
  12. How is the duty of all mankind understood?

Study Questions

  1. What was most likely the purpose of the Septuagint form of Ecclesiastes?
  2. What did Qohelet seek to understand?
  3. Of the themes of wisdom, which is the only one that has no negative evaluation?
  4. How did Jerome use Ecclesiastes?
  5. Who was the first to deny Solomonic authorship of Ecclesiastes?
  6. What is the likely date for the Hebrew language of Ecclesiastes?
  7. What is the essential meaning of hebel?
  8. How does the negative interpretation of Ecclesiastes understand wisdom’s goal?
  9. In the Old Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic, what does the female bartender recommend?
  10. What is unique about The Instructions of/for Šupê-ameli?
  11. What connects Ecclesiastes with other biblical wisdom literature?
  12. What purpose is suggested here for the book of Ecclesiastes?