The solitary toiler in Ecclesiastes 4:7–8, discussed in my previous post, especially stands out to me as an example of theodicy in Ecclesiastes (or, theology of suffering; again, I use “theodicy” only because it is convenient). Yesh echad ve’eyn sheni. “There is one and there is no second.”
7Again I saw hebel under the sun: 8there is one, and there is no second; also son and brother there is not to him; and there is no end to all his toil. His eyes are also never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, ‘And for whom am I toiling…?’ This also is hebel and an unhappy business.” (Ecc. 4:7–8)
Some translations, such as the NRSVue, opt for a more interpretive (and less grammatically awkward) translation, such as, “The case of solitary individuals…” But for me, that butchers a crucial element we find in the Hebrew. That is, a potential echo of Ecclesiastes 4:1: “And there was not for them a comforter.” And there was one and no second.
This individual toils endlessly. And yet, he has no brother, no son, most likely no wife or daughter either. He works, then he dies, and that is it. The light is on, then it is out. I do not blame Qoheleth for responding, “This too is hebel.” It is. It is a tragic case of hebel.
And honestly? The subsequent focus on the value of a friend (4:9–12) contrasts this brutal reality. There is no one to comfort him. There is not even anyone to whom he is related, it seems. I imagine he is representative of many others in the time in which it was written, whether Persian or Hellenistic.
It is hebel. It sucks. And it’s not the way it should be. And here, I intend to make my project’s thesis statement, in layman’s terms: that “this too is hebel” is an ancient form of “this sucks.”
“This Too is Hebel” = “This Sucks”
I honestly cannot keep track of the posts in which I’ve defined, or rather summarized, hebel. I’ll keep this one simple: I do not interpret it literally, as breath or mist, and I do not interpret it as neutral. And finally, I do not interpret it as nihilistic, as in “meaningless.” There is an element of frustration, not total resignation. Even the ever-popular translation “vanity” seems to gloss over this aspect.
Qoheleth is not resigning himself. He is not saying, “Oh well, that too doesn’t matter” or “that’s utterly meaningless.” As in the case of the solitary toiler, Qoheleth cares. Someone toils and toils, and yet, they are completely devoid of both love and satisfaction. That is not a neutral fact. That is hebel. Look at all the “alsos” and “ands” in my translation. No, it does not look pretty; I am intentional in that regard. It is a lengthy grievance for a short snippet of text.
There is nothing positive in any of this. And, I will even venture to say there is nothing neutral in any of this. There is no second=he suffers in isolation. There is no end to his toil=he works until he dies. His eyes are never satisfied with riches=payday? Seriously? He must ask himself, for whom, and perhaps, for what purpose. Where is the good in ANY of that?
It’s Not Just Hebel
Consider the fact that it is not exclusively hebel Qoheleth identifies here. And here again, we find Qoheleth deeply reliant on repetition. One of 38 occurrences of hebel. One of 29 instances of “under the sun.” And one of two instances of “and an unhappy business” (the other being 1:13).
Just as we have seen with hebel AND a grievous ill… Hebel AND a chasing/striving after wind… Hebel AND a great evil… and so forth. Contextually, I am not finding any sense of neutrality. There is something deeply problematic for Qoheleth.
The Burden Given to Humanity
The Hebrew phrase inyan ra is most commonly translated “unhappy business,” but can also translate to “grievous task” or “miserable business.” It refers to the frustrating, exhausting burdens that God “has given to humans to be busy with” (1:13). If inyan ra recalls the burdensome task God gives humanity in 1:13, does the solitary toiler labor endlessly alone because this too belongs to the predicament God has placed humanity within?
I will leave that question for you to answer.
It’s all Hebel
As I especially noted in the previous two posts, “all” (kol) is a key word in Ecclesiastes. Qoheleth is, in some regards, a maximalist. “All work and all skill are envy,” not “work and skill are envy.” All of it. Every last drop.
And of course, all is hebel (1:2; 12:8; cf. 1:14; 2:17; 3:19). The hebel world is the world “under the sun.” The world Qoheleth experienced. And the world you and I experience in the present. Everything is marred by the frustration and futility of hebel. It was for Qoheleth; it is for you and me.
And the solitary toiler completely embodies this. He labors endlessly. Nobody shares his burden. He has no named relative and no apparent beneficiary. There is no comfort for him, and it certainly seems as though there is no divine voice calling to him. He thus exemplifies the isolation and dissatisfaction that occurs under the watch of a hidden God.
The figure himself is hebel. Interpretations of hebel of course range—from “vanity” to “meaninglessness” to the metaphorical “breath” or “vapor,” and “absurd” in more recent/scholarly translations. He validates them all simultaneously. His labor is “meaningless” or “futile” because it serves no beneficiary; it is “vapor” because it leaves no legacy; and it is “absurd” because it represents that which is irrational or nonsensical.
But the addition of inyan ra strips away any neutrality. Treating his tragedy as metaphorical “fog” misses the point entirely. He toils endlessly for no one. He is only living to die. Even his wages offer no reprieve. It is hebel. AND, it is an unhappy business.
No Comforter, No Resolution
In a modern context, we are often quick to offer theological platitudes to fix this isolation. Qoheleth, however, refuses to do so. He does not drift into theological platitudes. That is what most of us would like to see, I imagine. The oppressed have no comforter—but God will comfort you! The toiler toils endlessly in isolation—but God will reward him! That does not happen.
The fate of the oppressed, and of the solitary toiler, is left unresolved. We never find out what happened to them. As I quoted from Dead Poets Society in another post, they are “fertilizing daffodils.” They have reached the “one place” (3:20) by now.
It reveals much about the world. Qoheleth’s theological verdict escalates in Ecclesiastes 5:2, where he reveals God’s location in the midst of the chaos on earth. But I will go ahead and tell you: it isn’t anywhere close to the oppressed or the solitary toiler.
They suffer under the sun. The hebel world is a direct reflection of their tragedies: it is absurd, futile, and vapor.