Ecclesiastes 3 Explained
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2024
- In this video we explain the literary art of Ecclesiastes 3.
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| How to Learn to Read the Bible as Literary Art |
Reading Biblical Narrative: An Introductory Guide (amzn.to/30LzaRa)
Narrative Art in the Bible (amzn.to/30RVGIb)
The Art of Biblical Narrative (amzn.to/3aDrIfk)
Old Testament Narrative: A Guide to Interpretation (amzn.to/38rcE2C)
The Poetics of Biblical Narrative (amzn.to/2Gh4cqE)
| Literary Structure |
Literary Structure of the Old Testament (amzn.to/30Jdm8X)
Style And Structure In Biblical Hebrew Narrative (amzn.to/2RDTTlQ)
| Genesis |
Creation: The Story of Beginnings - Grossman (amzn.to/2GlPwq9)
Abram to Abraham: A Literary Analysis of the Abraham Narrative - Grossman (amzn.to/2v7id7Z)
Narrative Art in Genesis - Fokkelman (amzn.to/2ulmd4t)
A Commentary on the Book of Genesis (Part I) - Cassuto (amzn.to/2NOAhdt)
A Commentary on the Book of Genesis (Part II) - Cassuto (amzn.to/2Gcuk6d)
Genesis: A Commentary - Waltke (amzn.to/2vaBvt7)
The Gospel of Genesis: Studies in Protology and Eschatology - Gage (amzn.to/2RGjRFo)
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Genesis 16-50, Volume 2 - Wenham (amzn.to/3aDY21J)
| Transcription |
Welcome back to the Bible is Art where we explore the literary artistry of the Bible and this week we’re going to explore that great poem in Ecclesiastes 3 about Time.
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
Whenever you have a text this famous and repetitive, in order to understand the depth of the art of the author, you have to pay precise attention to the particularities. What words and phrases and in what order. What words does he choose not to use. What repetitions or omissions, patterns, and breaks in pattern. We need to do this because our familiarity can conceal subtly.
So let’s look at some particularities and then put those together to discover our author’s art.
First, there are all sorts of things that are perfect in this poem. There are 7 poetic couplets, totaling 14 lines (2x7). The keyword, time, is used 28 times (7x4). A similar technique, that is using seven to connote perfection, is used in Genesis 1 and I made a video about that I’ve linked in the description.
There is also perfect comprehensiveness. You begin with the extremes of an individual, birth and death, and end with the extremes of a nation, war and peace. And inside this frame you have the whole range of human experience. All of life is in its proper place, good and bad, or is it?
And I say this because of the second set of particularities. That is, there are things that are not perfect, that are off, that are confusing and ambiguous.
For instance in a poem that’s clearly been composed with a thought to Numerical perfection, having variations of the perfect number 7, it’s strange that in total the poem contains 60 words, that is, not perfect number. Furthermore, the whole poem is organized around the central two lines and it’s almost perfectly balanced, almost. There are 25 words before the central couplet and 24 words after. And although most of the couplets are perfectly balanced couplets with 4 words in each line the central couplet has 6 and 5 words. So there’s things that are slightly off.
Now, we know it’s organized around the central two lines not only for the balance of words before and after but also because the main word in each of the lines is repeated only here. Notice, you have a repetition of stones and embracing:
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
Also you have a unique feature here in that the line about stones is the only line with an object. All of the other lines have a time for and then some verb, a time to die or a time to laugh, but here you have a verb with an object, to cast away stones, to gather stones.
Great! I love how you drew out the connection between the confusion at the centre of the poem and Solomon's comment that no-one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
I feel exactly all the emotions expressed by Solomon. I find the gathering of stones to be my experience with hypocrisy,boundaries etc. A time for literally was a blessing for me. This video is awesome and it’s amazing when a person can get the full understanding of every aspect of emotions in Solomon’s poem of time
I'm creating a film about this verse. Thank you so much this really helps!
Wow, never would have seen this reading. You are bringing glory to God by showing the complexity of the work he inspired.
Truly a humbling realization of man's limited wisdom verses the limitless wisdom of God. Thank you for the video 💯🤗🔥
Takka Scott you’re welcome
Awesome video! I've always loved this poem and the way the Septuagint uses "kairos" time rather than the way we tend to think of "chronos" time. I never noticed the structure of the poem as a whole though. Incredible!
Brian Hoch thanks!
I love the homerun of how you bring this together at the end. Thank you! :D
I thought I’d escape math- reading the Bible 😳🥴
As always, love what you do. Thank you for this insight!
There is value in this. Interesting
Thanks for helping!
Perfectly imperfect
Makes sense! Thanks for sharing.
Writing a biblical exegesis paper on this passage for my theology grad degree. Very helpful. Thank you!
If you read it in the original hebrew you will find the number of words entirely different: 72 which is a perfect number 7 x 2 is 14. 7 + 2 = 9. Both indicating the author is YHWH and Ruach HaKodesh
zion 565 those numbers are from the Hebrew
@@TheBibleisArt I must have miscounted, I did count them twice to make sure but I am not by any means an expert on hebrew. My apologies!
Holy cow, this is a really detailed contextual summary. Thank you!
I'm always here for you, stop pushing me away
I enjoy your videos. This poem was written in another language, so why focus on the number of words in a translated version?
Rosie A. Thanks. I’m not, those word numbers are from the Hebrew.
@@TheBibleisArt Oh, I must have missed that. Thank you for clarifying!
Rosie A. No worries, I actually didn’t say it (I probably should have given that you’re the second person to point that out)
@@TheBibleisArt Everyone's a critic. :)
I'm 31 listen to old music and just put 2 and 2 together there is a old song by the "The Byrds" called turn turn turn thats about Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
TwoTimes 209 very true
Anderson Deborah Moore Ronald Hall Michael
I heard the Lord tell me there’s a time to gather stones and a time to scatter stones but I I’m not sure what it means?
I was in a Christian rehab I had been saved maybe a year and I really didn’t have anything I had lost everything in my life back then but I had a close walk with the Lord all I had was His comfort, the presence of God. He has always been faithful . His ways are way higher than ours. I still meditate on what he said. I don’t understand yet. He truly is the most high God.
Beautiful!
amén
Did they not stone woman back then? Gather stones and casting stones.
Romans 8:17 explains why we live a life of suffering. Read it ybaB
👌🏾👌🏾
Nice 6.7.23