Ecclesiastes 8:8 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

There is no man that hath power over the spirit— No man is absolute commander over the wind to retain the wind; and there is no commander against the day of death; and there is no embassy to be admitted during the battle. Desvoeux; who remarks, that if ancient interpreters had plainly and literally translated the first clause, No man hath power over the wind to confine the wind, no one would now imagine that any thing else beside the wind and storms were here mentioned by Solomon; as was very well understood by the Latin interpreters of the Syriac and Arabic versions: but, the Greek interpreters having made use of the ambiguous word πνευμα, their successors determined that word to mean either the soul at large, or some particular affection of the soul. Among things which it is not in any one's power to matter, or, if we keep closer to the original, among things which have no commander among men who can dispose of them at his will, none had a better right to be mentioned than wind and death. The two sentences which follow look very like similes contracted into proverbs; and each of them has, besides the literal signification, a farther meaning; which may be easily discovered from their connexion with the subject in hand; namely, the difficulty of extricating ourselves out of the many dangers to which we are daily exposed. Why should not this be likewise a simile to the same purpose? The image of irresistible storms is so much the more proper in this place, as it may, besides the principal subject, imply a beautiful allusion to the violence of parties and factions, which so often rage at court. However, the application of these three proverbial similes to the argument may be thus supplied; It is as impossible to extricate yourself out of the difficulties into which your opposing wrong measures, without discerning both time and reason, will involve you; as to command the wind or death, or to have ambassadors admitted during the heat of the battle. I shall not dwell any longer upon this passage; but I hope it may be looked upon as an advantage, in the interpretation which I propose, that, instead of one single thought (viz. the unavoidability of death), in three different dresses, which most modern interpreters find here, it discovers three distinct ideas, and every one of them well connected with the subject treated by Solomon. The interpreter who makes a judicious writer a tautologist is not the most likely to have hit his true meaning. As far as to the end of the seventh chapter has been declared what discoveries Solomon had made in the latter part of his inquiry concerning the wickedness of ignorance, and the foolishness of that which is in the greatest esteem. It remains that we should have an account of his success in the former part of the same, concerning wisdom. To this effect, he enlarges upon the excellency of wisdom, which principally appears from its being the only sure guide by whose assistance a man can extricate himself out of the difficulties and dangers of this world. "No man," says he, "is to be compared with the wise: No man, besides him, knoweth how to behave in the most difficult occurrences of life: Ecclesiastes 8:1. I tell you, I, who have applied to wisdom more than any man,—Observe both the countenance and discourses of the king; and that for your own sake, for those who approach his person are sworn to support him. Be not so rash as to contradict him. Do not stay to hear what you cannot approve, for it would be in vain for you to oppose it. Some make it a duty blindly to comply with every whim of their superiors, without ever allowing themselves the liberty to examine whether they are right or wrong; but the wise man always makes use of his discernment, and knoweth when and how he should either obey or forbear obeying: Ecclesiastes 8:2-5. For, though other men may act at random; yet to him every determination of the will has its proper time and proper reasons to support it; because he knows that, as he is equally unable to dive into futurity, and to command events, the utmost caution is necessary, to avoid the many dangers to which a man is daily exposed, especially at court. It would be too late to think of mitigating the king's wrath when once it is kindled against you. The safest way is to prevent it, by declining rather than opposing such orders as you cannot comply with. The blind compliance, which is that of the wicked, is not safe or honest; and, though it may for the present ingratiate the courtier with his master, yet the bad consequences of his obsequiousness must sooner or later appear; and then he shall answer for them." Ecclesiastes 8:6-8.