Ecclesiastes 1:12

I. A MAN OF WISDOM WORKS IN HARMONY WITH GOD'S PROVIDENTIAL BLESSINGS, OTHERWISE HE DISCOVERS ALL HIS WORK IS VANITY. 1:126:12

A. Experiments and Conclusions Ecclesiastes 1:12 to Ecclesiastes 2:26

1. Experiments Ecclesiastes 1:12 to Ecclesiastes 2:11

a. Unlimited resources for research Ecclesiastes 1:12

TEXT 1:12
12 I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
THOUGHT QUESTIONS 1:12

16.

How is the Preacher identified in this verse?

17.

The Preacher should be identified, therefore, as what person?

18.

Write down your own ideas as to what might be involved in the use of the past tense (have been king) since Solomon is still king as he writes the book.

PARAPHRASE 1:12

I, the one who gathers together God's people in order to preach to them, became king over God's people, Israel.

COMMENT 1:12

Ecclesiastes 1:12 This verse is in harmony with Ecclesiastes 1:1 and restates the Preacher's position as king over Israel in Jerusalem. The experiments which immediately follow this verse, required great wealth and resources. A close study of 1 Kings 1-11 is sufficient to establish the credibility of Solomon's claim to wealth and capabilities. He was in a position to propose and follow through on the ambitious goals of Ecclesiastes 1:13 and Ecclesiastes 2:1.

One major problem of this verse centers on the use of the past tense in reference to his reign over Israel.
The verb rendered have been could as easily mean become, and thus the sentence would carry the idea that Solomon became king in Israel[7] (note the Paraphrase). However, the purport of the verse does not hinge on the tense of the verb, but rather on the question as to whether the one who is to make the experiments has sufficient wealth and resources to carry them through. He may be saying, I have been king, and still am! At any rate, as king he has the authority and financial affluence to pursue his objectives.

[7] H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Ecclesiastes (Columbus, Ohio: The Wartburg Press, 1952), p. 52.

Those who would argue for a non-Solomonic authorship interpret the past tense in this verse as implying that the author personified Solomon, as Solomon would not have used the past tense at a time when he was still the king.
The Berleburger Bible conveys the meaning of the verb as a description of the past that stretches into the future, I the preacher have been king thus far, and am one still.[8] There is a sense in which the past tense could be used in the latter part of Solomon's reign. The Lord took the kingdom from Saul while he still looked like a king. Samuel declared unto Saul, I will not return with thee; for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. (Read 1 Samuel 15:24-35.) Even in Solomon's day the kingdom shook beneath him with unrest and discontent. Sacrifice to foreign deities took place on the sacred ground of Israel. Jeroboam and Rehoboam stood waiting to claim their respective sections of the kingdom when it divided. Indeed, the handwriting was on the wall. It is reasonable, therefore, that Solomon could think of himself and the glory of the past as something that would never be reclaimed and thus in the last days of his reign to realize his control over Israel was indeed a thing of the past.

[8] Hengstenberg, op. cit., p. 61.

Another view concerning the tense of the verb is called the citizen-king concept. It maintains that Solomon speaks through two voices in the book. One voice is as king over Israel, and the other voice is that of a citizen who views from afar the happenings in Israel. It is believed that such a view explains the use of past tense in the verse.
Perhaps there is some basis for each of the views under consideration. At any rate, history records that Solomon reigned over Israel until his death. Perhaps the simplest explanation is to accept the possibility that Solomon is saying I, the Preacher became king over Israel in Jerusalem.

FACT QUESTIONS 1:12

34.

What major problem is suggested in this verse?

35.

Give evidence that Solomon could easily have been the one who carried out the experiments proposed in Ecclesiastes 1:13 and Ecclesiastes 2:1.

36.

Explain from the example of King Saul how Solomon could be spoken of as a king in the past tense while he is still reigning.

37.

Explain the citizen-king explanation as it pertains to the tense of the verb in this verse.