Ecclesiastes 5:8

If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they. IF THOU SEEST THE OPPRESSION OF THE POOR ... As in Ecclesiastes 3:16, so here the difficulty suggests itself. If God is so exact in even punishing hasty words (Ecclesiastes 5:1), why does He allow gross injustice? In the remote "provinces" (Hebrew, mªdiynaah (H4082) jurisdiction) the "poor" often had to put themselves, for protection from the inroads of Philistines, etc., under, chieftains, who oppressed them even in Solomon's reign, and the exaction of the t...

4-8 When a person made engagements rashly, he suffered his mouth to cause his flesh to sin. The case supposes a man coming to the priest, and pretending that his vow was made rashly, and that it would be wrong to fulfil it. Such mockery of God would bring the Divine displeasure, which might blast what was thus unduly kept. We are to keep down the fear of man. Set God before thee; then, if thou seest the oppression of the poor, thou wilt not find fault with Divine Providence; nor think the worse of the institution of magistracy, when thou seest the ends of it thus perverted; nor of religion, when thou seest it will not secure men from suffering wrong. But though oppressors may be secure, God will reckon for all....

Verse Ecclesiastes 5:8. _IF THOU SEEST THE OPPRESSION OF THE POOR_] For this was a frequent case under all governments; and especially in the _provinces_ or _colonies_ which being far from the _seat_ of government, were generally oppressed by the sovereign's deputies. _MARVEL NOT AT THE MATTER_] החפץ _hachephets_, the _will_, i.e., of God; which permits such evils to take place; for all things shall work together for good to them that love him. "Marvel not, Ye righteous, if his dispensations here Unequal seem. What, though disorders reign? He still presides, and with unerring hand Directs the vast machine. His wisdom can

MATTER - Rather, purpose (as in the margin, and Ecclesiastes 3:1), referring either to the will of God or to the edict of an oppressive ruler. FOR HE ... THEY - literally, for high watches over high and the highest over them, i. e., the king in the capital watches over the judge or governor in the province, and God over both. This seems more in harmony with the preceding verses, and more agreeable to the scope of this passage than to understand the passage only of earthly rulers....

EXPOSITION ECCLESIASTES 5:1 Section 6. Man's outward and secular life being unable to secure happiness and satisfaction, can these be found in _popular religion?_ Religious exercises need the observation of strict rules, which are far from meeting with general attention. Koheleth proceeds to give instruction, in the form of maxims, concerning public worship, prayer, and vows. ECCLESIASTES 5:1 This verse, in the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin Bibles, forms the conclusion of Ecclesiastes 4:1; and is taken independently; but the division in our version is more natural, and the connection of this with the following verses is obvious....

IF THOU SEEST THE OPPRESSION OF THE POOR, AND VIOLENT PERVERTING OF JUSTICE IN A PROVINCE,.... Which is a very disagreeable sight, but often seen; the poor are oppressed, and judgment and justice perverted, and that in a very violent and flagrant manner, in open courts of judicature, in the several provinces and kingdoms of the world; MARVEL NOT AT THE MATTER; as though it was some strange and uncommon thing, when nothing is more common: or "marvel not at the will" or "pleasure" t; that is, of God, who suffers such things to be. So the Targum, Jarchi, and Aben Ezra, interpret it; stumble not at it, nor arraign the wisdom and justice of God; let not that temptation prevail in thee as it has done in some good men, who have been tempted from hence to think there was nothing in religion, nor no providence attending the affairs of this world; do not be frightened and astonished, and hurried...

3. EXHORTATIONS ON DIFFERENT VANITIES CHAPTER 5 _ 1. Concerning worship and vows (Ecclesiastes 5:1)_ 2. Concerning extortions (Ecclesiastes 5:8) 3. The vanities of wealth (Ecclesiastes 5:10) 4. The conclusion (Ecclesiastes 5:18) Ecclesiastes 5:1. The writer, King Solomon, seems to have been exhausted in his descriptions as to the things under the sun. He pauseth and turns to something different. He meditates on worship, that man aims to get in touch with the unsee

CONCERNING DESPOTISM AND WEALTH. Ecclesiastes 5:8 f. The oppression and injustice that one sees (_in_ an Oriental satrapy) are not to be wondered at when we remember the graded hierarchy of officials who are all eager simply to enrich themselves. There is no reference to God; read, One high official is watching over another, and there are higher ones (perhaps the king) over them. Yet on the whole a king, especially if he take an interest in agriculture, is an advantage to a country. So we may interpret the extremely difficult Ecclesiastes 5:9 (_cf. mg.)._ Ecclesiastes 5:10 ff. The avaricious man is always poor; though his wealth increases he lacks satisfaction, enlarged inc

POOR. needy, in want. Hebrew. _rush,_ as in Ecclesiastes 4:14. PROVINCE. See note on Ecclesiastes 2:8, and App-76. MATTER. Hebrew purpose or desire, put by Figure of speech _Metonymy_ (of Cause), App-6, for the effect of it. Hebrew. _hephez,_ one of the words supposed to be later Hebrew. See note on Ecclesiastes 3:1, and App-76. HE THAT IS HIGHER, &C.. the high One above the high one regardeth, even the Most High is over them....

_If thou seest the oppression of the poor_ From the follies of the religious life we pass to the disorders of the political. As in ch. Ecclesiastes 4:16, the thinker looks on those disorders of the world, "the poor man's wrong, the proud man's contumely," and teaches others how he has learnt to think of them. The words "wonder not" tells us with scarcely the shadow of a doubt who had been his teachers. In that counsel we have a distinct echo from one of the floating maxims of Greek proverbial wisdom, from the Μηδὲν θαυμάζειν ("wonder at nothing") of Pythagoras, and Cebes (_Tabula_, p. 232), which has become more widely known through the _Nil admirari_of Horace (_Epist_. i. 6. 1). Why men were not to wonder at the prevalence of oppression is explained afterwards. The word for "province" may be noted as one distinctly belonging to later Hebrew, found chiefly in the books