The book Qoheleth, as we suggested earlier, was written both self-referentially and in code. This clues us in that the "decoder ring" will be based on our own approach to the text, and especially our view of OT scriptures.

The standard "Qoheleth is tired of life" view, appears to contradict most other Biblical passages, suggesting that the decoder ring hinges on a Biblical approach to life. So it is not too surprising that the critical code-text uses the Hebrew word for breath, "hevel", which has many connotations with life. We explore that connection with a simple word study.

"Hevel" has Strong's concordance number 01892 which appears 73 times in the OT. A very related word is 01891, "haval" which appears 4 times. We exclude the verses in Qoheleth, and divide the remainder into three main categories: 1) "exhaled air, speech, words"; 2) "ephemeral, brief, non-physical"; and, 3) "false, apostasy, lying", and then categorize how each attestation of this word reflects these meanings.

Permitting the overlap of these categories, gives us 7 combinations (or 8 if we say "none of the above") categories: a=1, b=1&2, c=2, d=2&3, e=3, f=3&1, g=1&2&3, h=none.

a	b	c	d	e	f	g
	2K17:15	Ps39:5	Ps31:6		De32:21	Jb21:34
	Jb7:16	Ps39:11	Pr31:30		1K17:15	Jb27:12
	Jb9:29	Ps144:4	Ps62:10		1K16:26	Jb35:16
	Jb27:12				2K17:15	Ps62:9
	Ps39:6				Pr13:11	Ps94:11
	Ps78:33				Pr21:6	Je2:5
	Is49:4				Je8:19	Je23:16
					Je10:3	Is30:7
					Je10:8	Is57:13
					Je14:22	Je10:3
					Je16:19	Je10:15
					Jo2:8	Je51:18
					Zc10:2	La4:17

From this list we can see that the later prophets (and Jeremiah exclusively) used (f, g) meanings, or 3), the idea of a false, apostate replacement for truth. Not once is the word ever used to mean simply 1), "word, or air", it always carries other abstract connotations, so the translators are justified in using the abstract "vanity", since it is the largest attestation. However, note the early use in categories (b, c), that do not attribute any negative untruthfulness to the word. This forms a separate subgroup of meanings that are not well represented by the word "vanity".

So at a minimum, there appear to be three ways to divide this distribution in half: (1!1) those 33 that contain the meaning "words, breath" (b,f,g) and those 6 that lack this meaning (c,d); (3!3) the 29 majority that include the sentiment of "false", and 10 minority that do not; and, (2!2) the 26 that have the sense "ephemeral" (b,c,d,g) and the 13 in f) that lack it.

From our previous post, we commented that there are three code-texts, the third having the repeating phrase "striving after wind". The word translated "wind" is the word "ruach" in Hebrew, which appears some 378 times, translated by KJV 232/378=61% of the time "Spirit", and only 92/378=24% of the time "wind". Likewise the word translated "striving" is the Hebrew word "ra'uwth" which appears only 7 times in the whole OT, all here in this phrase in Qoheleth. The footnote to the ESV translation  ©2001 suggests that it can be also translated "eating", implying that the KJV translators let the context of Qoheleth determine the meaning, even though it requires a minority-supported translation of ruach. In other words, we see circular reasoning in the KJV interpretation of Qoheleth (which should confirm that much of Bible translation is recursive). Since the translation "striving after wind" was fitted to the standard view, we will use the alternate translation "eating the Spirit" as the non-standard view, which may be premature, but is intended to shake us loose from a fixed mindset.

So how do we use these statistics? Well, the word "vanity" does the best job capturing category (g), but each of the 6 other cases (3,!3; 2,!2; 1, !1), will require a word with a different connotation. I'm afraid that like sausage-making, the following frontal assault on Qoheleth will ruin any appetite for the product, so I will post the conclusion here, and treat the details as an appendix.

The conclusion is that Qoheleth has coded into "vanity of vanities", the meaning "Spirit of Spirits, all is Spiritual", with some strong advice on how to live a spiritual life.  This book, therefore, is a Trinitarian prophecy very similar to his father's Psalm 51:11, but  unlike David, Solomon gives practical advice on how to keep the Spirit.  When Solomon is interpreted this way, it restores his ruined reputation, to which he alludes in a consciously ironic way in the third chapter! In fact, the book so revels in irony, one almost has an image of Solomon splitting his sides in laughter, as he dodges and weaves his way through this little book. When you finally pin him down, chuckling and squirming, you may discover that after the Song of Songs, this is the most joyful book in the entire Old Testament canon, that is, if you can laugh at your own expense.

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Standard Translations
   "Vanity" Standard View (g = 33%)
This is, of course, the preferred translation, with the depressing conclusion that Solomon disagreed with his father David on just about everything of any importance. Furthermore, it carries the heretofore unusual conclusion that wealth, power, and international respect can be terrifyingly boring. Worst of all, it suggests that praying to God for wisdom, becoming the smartest man on the planet, is devastating for one's soul. In other words, this book may have made some sense if anyone but Solomon had written it.

   "Ephemeral" sub-class  (2 = 66%)
"Ephemeral of ephemeral, all is ephemeral" captures most of the standard interpretation of Qoheleth. Of course, there are many contradictory verses in the OT, especially in the Psalms, such as Psalm 119 which establish the permanence of words, especially words of Scripture: laws, ordinances, commands etc. Since Qoheleth is also Scripture, this produces a self-referential logic problem akin to "this statement is false". That should immediately raise a flag that we have a coded message.

    "Fake" sub-class  (3 = 74%)
Despite 74% of the usage of the word "hevel" carrying the negative connotation "fake, apostasy, lie", when applied to Qoheleth it becomes terribly illogical. "This too is fake" is just baldly self-contradictory. We arrive at this place by stripping off the abstract encrustations of "vanity", and trying our best to be honest with the meaning of the word. Now there is no question that abstractions enable a word to be nuanced, and we are un-nuancing this word, but nevertheless, such obvious problems with recursion should be as strong a flag as the more disguised contradiction "ephemeral" for the presence of a coded message.

    "Words" sub-class  (1 = 85%)
This translation is the closest to the concrete root meaning "breath". Some 85% of all meanings seem to imply a word that is spoken, a speech, a message of men. Since most people who heard Qoheleth, heard it spoken to them (for example, on the third day of Sukkoth, the Feast of Tabernacles), there is nothing contradictory in the statement all is words. However, at the next level of meaning, there appears an annoying reminder that words have some relation to fixed and permanent reality. We think of Job's plea "oh that my words were engraved on lead forever..", and we have the stubborn fact that Qoheleth has remained with us for 3000 years. Not everything is just breath, some words are, well, deeds. Moses commanded that the words of the commandments were to be worn,  written on the lintels, and today many observant Jews have a brass plaque firmly attached to their doorjamb, some even wear the leather pouches on the hands and forehead. If everything is breath, it is a breath that packs a material wallop. And of course, if Qoheleth is to be significant, then its words too, must have material consequences.  So even in this most widespread meaning of "hevel" we uncover some disturbing self-reference.

Non-Standard Translations
    "Permanence" sub-class  (!2=33%)
I have written !ephemeral as permanent, but we should recognize that permanence is not an exact opposite, but a polar extreme. That is, many things have intermediate permanence, which would be more properly called !ephemeral, e.g., river names are unchanged over a millenia without being eternal. But does this interpretation make sense?

Looking at verses 1:2-11, we get a sense that what is permanent is outside of man, it is only what is inside (remembrance) that is ephemeral. Then code-text iii) used in verse 14, is a warning to seek the permanent things rather than fame or glory.  Verse 1:17 suggests that wisdom is one of the permanent things, unlike remembrance, because it involves "eating the Spirit". Such wisdom, however, causes vexation and sorrow, a statement that seems to echo Genesis 3, "the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil". Chapter 2:1-11 expands on this theme of madness, folly and wisdom, concluding with iii) again, that it was all eating the Spirit. All these material accomplishments, done in the name of wisdom or pleasure were in reality spiritual, all derived their meaning from Spirit.

But doesn't this contradict the added clause in 2:11b, "there was nothing to be gained under the sun"? Kline argues that the phrase "under the sun" is a judgmental phrase, a fate to be avoided. We argue that it implies something material, the opposite of spiritual. So Qoheleth is saying "everything is spiritual, nothing is material". This interpretation then makes sense of the verses 2:12-13, which repeats the conclusion. To confirm this 2:14 gives the difference between the wise and the fool, and says the fool doesn't get it, i.e., the decoder ring.

Once again, does 2:14b-15 contradict this conclusion? No, because it says the same material thing happens to both, but the wise understand the spiritual significance of it. Note how the narrator questions his own conclusions, 2:15 "why then have I been so wise?", giving as an answer code-text ii). But if our answer is now "permanence", the question is also reversed. This is the cleverness of using a question instead of a statement, that the meaning changes depending on the expected result. (And a reason that politicians love this style of answering reporters.)

Verse 2:16-17 looks like an explanation in support of the standard view, but as we said a moment ago, all is permanent except human memories. So it could be that Qoheleth is telling us to focus on something besides our own fame. "I hated life [of a fool], because the material things were grievous, for all [else] is (iii) permanence and Spiritual." Also note that if Solomon wrote this book, he is destroying his own fame, he is teasing us about focussing on our own "legacy" instead of what really matters, and I see a mirth twinkling in his eyes as he deadpans "I hated life".

Likewise, 2:19 suggests that unlike the toil "under the sun", i.e., material things, buildings, parks, the wisdom he leaves for the future is permanent, using code-text ii). Howver 2:22b then appears contradictory, that (ii)="great evil". Qoheleth expands in 2:23, that toil gives sorrow, vexation, and sleepless nights, which is (ii). It looks like I can't wiggle out of this contradiction, though I might suggest that Qoheleth is ascribing the same permanence to the attitude as to the action. That is, sorrow and vexation have more permanence than the object of all that sweat. This reading would suggest a quasi-gnostic interpretation, one that emphasizes the spiritual aspects of all our actions and work. In support of this view, 2:24-26 talks about the proper approach to toil, making it as rewarding spiritually as physically. He ends with code (iii), his biggest gun after (i). Notice that if this be a valid way to interpret this passage, then these concluding paragraphs are a crowning conclusion, better than the standard interpretation that they represent a half-hearted attempt to back off from depression. That is, this interpretation makes the conclusion rhetorically more powerful, which has a better internal logic than the standard interpretation. This is another indication that are decoder ring is working.

Well, we could continue with Chapters 3-12, but I think the text is getting intentionally more difficult, so I will move on to the other decoder rings to demonstrate the method.

    "Hope" sub-class  (!3=26%)
The next largest minority is represented by the group of !3, in which 10/39 = 26% do not carry the meaning "false, fake". Once again, the Psalms use many examples of false hopes, such as idols and human wisdom, but refer to God as the one reliable hope. Therefore we translate the !2 non-standard sub-class as: "Hope of hope, all is hope".

With this meaning, 1:14 is telling us that what we strive for, what we see, what we toil for is in hope for something we do not see.  While wisdom brings grief, it is still worthwhile because everything is done in hope for a more permanent result. In 2:11, he considers all the good works he has done, and concludes "behold all was hope...and there was no material (under the sun) profit."  But look at what he toiled at--planting vineyards, trees, irrigation systems, breeding slaves--all these are investments, as they say in business, all these are outlays in hope of a return. All of them are based on hope.

In 2:15 he says , "as with the fool, so it will happen to me, why have I been wise? This too is hope." Clearly, the fate of doddering old age does make one appear like a fool,  though it has not yet happened as Solomon wrote this text. So the wisdom is intended as a guard, or offset to the senility of age, hoping that preparations will have been adequate. So in 2:17 he finds life grievous (difficult, hard), because everything is based on hope. I detect the same sentiment in St Paul who said "the whole creation groans in travail...", for life is hard. Yet the secret is to not lose hope.

Then in 2:18 he discusses legacy and reputation, which is ironic because this book did more to ruin Solomon's reputation than anything else he said. And though he despaired of finding a man wise enough to understand his legacy, he still concludes "this too is hope, and a great evil." The fact that the legacy is wasted is a great evil, but it does not remove the hope. The task of writing this self-effacing legacy is grievous, painful and keeps him up at night, yet it is done with hope. And the ultimate source of strength for this hope? The concluding verse 2:26, hope is from God and eating the Spirit.

    "Actions" sub-class  (!1=15%)
Finally, we come to the least attested meanings of "hevel", the non-breath, non-word, concrete deeds we will call "actions". Reading the same two chapters of Qoheleth with this translation, gives us the almost tautological statement 1:14 "I have seen all the material (under the sun) works which have been done and behold, all have been actions."  Isn't it curious, that as we strip away abstraction from the standard meaning, the translation becomes less acceptable and more self-contradictory, but as we strip away abstraction from the negated meaning, the translation becomes more acceptable and even tautological? Once again, we are being clued in that self-reference is key to this passage.

Continuing with 1:17-18, Qoheleth says knowing wisdom and increasing knowledge is an action which results in grief and pain. No disagreement there. He starts all these public works projects and then sums them up in 2:11, "behold all was an action, and eating the Spirit, and there was no material (under the sun) profit". I would interpret this translation as meaning that the process was more important than the product, that all of these good works were done regardless of material benefit (no profit), but were character benefit, because everything is feeding on Spirit.

In 2:11 he considers his legacy, and says "Why have I been wise? This too is action." Wisdom, therefore, is not a substance or a collection of things, of sayings, an encyclopedia, rather he is saying, wisdom lies in actions. Actions, of course, end when life ends, so he found life difficult, 2:17, because all the actions mattered, he could never get a break from actions. And the one who comes after me will be evaluated on his actions too (2:19), which makes him despair of leaving a lasting impression, since he must train his successors to action, not leave them dead artifacts. But he consoles himself with the thought 2:24-26, that God will do the task of making the fool understand that all is actions.

Alternative Non-Standard View
    "Spirit" sub-class  (!g=66%)
As equally likely as 1), and the logical opposite to the most commonly accepted g) above, is the category (!g), which consists of a combination (!1 or  !2 or !3). That is, there are 13 in category (g) and the 26 in (b,c,d,f), which makes it the largest sub-class. A word of caution here, the negation of (g=1&2&3) is (!g=!1+!2+!3), which in words is "not 1 or not 2 or not 3" the above minority positions all rolled into a loose confederation. Loose, because it is bound together by "OR", rather than "AND". You might object that normally definitions take the form "1 AND 2", rather than "1 OR 2", however, like the Democratic party, which is the party of !Life (=Abortion), one need not agree on any other subject to be included. (At the time of writing, the Democratic party has reinvented itself as !Iraq, with similar cohesion.) My point is that "OR" can provide unity just as well as "AND", if the bond is stated as a negation, and in this case, it would then contain a whopping 66% attestation, making it the most likely non-standard interpretation.

Then combining the three non-standard meanings "actions", ';permanence" and "hope", we look for a word that combines these meanings, and settle for "Spirit". This may obscure code-text iii), but perhaps it should be phrased "all is spiritual and partaking in the Spirit". The Trinitarian connotations are unmistakable, because the Spirit is ubiquitous, permanent, inspiring, and activating. But even more significant is the phrase, "hevel of hevel", for when such repetition is applied to "king of kings" or "prince of princes" it is a superlative, a position from which there is nothing greater. So the code-text i) reads "Spirit of spirits, all is Spirit, says Wisdom".

We have drawn this conclusion from primarily the first 2 chapters of Qoheleth, but when we apply it to Chapter 3, we hit a huge road-block. Chapter 3 has a long discussion of times and seasons, counselling patience. The word "hevel" doesn't appear until verse 19, where our decoder ring gives the translation "there is no advantage for a man over a beast for all is Spirit". That seems pretty nonsensical, or even heretical.  However, the word "ruach", translated "Spirit", "breath"  or "soul", is used all around this passage in 3:18-21, suggesting a more complex interplay between this Trinitarian "hevel" Spirit and the human "ruach" soul. But would we have noticed the interplay had we accepted the meaning "vanity"?

That is, chapter 3, despite its clearly unorthodox treatment of humans and animal souls, can almost be fit into a standard view of ephemeral life. It is only when we use this decoder ring, that it stands out as different, as un-decodable. If anything, the decoded text has only gotten worse, not better when we translated it as "Spirit". Does this help our hypothesis or hurt it? Now under the usual "scientific" analysis rules, Ockham's Razor would always favor the simpler hypothesis, e.g. the standard one. The justification as stated by Albert Einstein some 9 centuries after William of Ockham, "God is subtle but He is not devious", for generally speaking, God's creation is a straightforward thing. However, one sign of human meddling, one sign of a coded message is recursion, suggesting the confusion is purposeful. Complications that lead nowhere certainly fall under the Razor, but complications that continue, say, down three or more levels are two convoluted for accident.

Therefore even in the failure of chapter 3, we see the hand of Solomon leading us to another recursion, another level that we never suspected. That will be the topic of the next installment...