good (as an adjective) in the widest sense · conjunction + adjective, masculine singular absolute
wicked
לָֽרָשָׁ֔עla.ra.Sha'
H7563
morally wrong · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
prolong
יַאֲרִ֥יךְya.'a.Rikh
H748
to be (causative · verb, hiphil imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
days
יָמִ֖יםya.Mim
H3117
a day (as the warm hours) · noun, common masculine plural absolute
shadow
כַּצֵּ֑לka.Tzel
H6738
shade · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
feareth
יָרֵ֖אya.Re'
H3373
fearing · adjective, masculine singular absolute
before
מִלִּפְנֵ֥יmi.lif.Nei
H6440
the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
God
אֱלֹהִֽים'E.lo.Him
H430
gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Ecclesiastes 6:12 For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what…
Job 14:2 He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
Isaiah 3:11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
Isaiah 57:21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
Malachi 3:18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
Job 7:6-7 My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope.
Job 18:5 Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine.
Job 20:5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 8:9-13
Solomon, in the beginning of the chapter, had warned us against having any thing to do with seditious subjects; here, in these verses, he encourages us, in reference to the mischief of tyrannical and oppressive rulers, such as he had complained of before, Ecc 3:16; Ecc 4:1.
1. He had observed many such rulers, Ecc 8:9. In the serious views and reviews he had taken of the children of men and their state he had observed that many a time one man rules over another to his hurt; that is, (1.) To the hurt of the ruled (many understand it so); whereas they ought to be God's ministers unto their subjects for their good (Rom 13:14), to administer justice, and to preserve the public peace and order, t…
neither shall he prolong--not a contradiction to Ecc 8:12. The "prolonging" of his days there is only seeming, not real. Taking into account his eternal existence, his present days, however seemingly long, are really short. God's delay (Ecc 8:11) exists only in man's short-sighted view. It gives scope to the sinner to repent, or else to fill up his full measure of guilt; and so, in either case, tends to the final vindication of God's ways. It gives exercise to the faith, patience, and perseverance of saints.
shadow-- (Ecc 6:12; Job 8:9).
John Gill on Ecclesiastes 8:13
But it shall not be well with the wicked,.... It shall be ill with him; more is designed than is expressed, Isaiah 3:11; in life they have no solid peace and comfort; at death they will be turned into at judgment they will hear the awful sentence, "Go, ye cursed", and will be in torment to all eternity, Matthew 25:41;
neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow: wicked men sometimes do not live out half their days, which, according to the course of nature, and common term of life, they might be thought to live; or if they prolong their days in wickedness, as sometimes they do, Ecclesiastes 7:15; yet their days at longest are but a shadow which declines, and is quickly gone; or,…
"And it will not be well with the wicked, and he will not live long-like a shadow-because he does not fear God. "He invokes wickedness upon those who do not fear God, and desires that they do not wait long for their punishment, but rather are crucified and immediately put to death, this punishment is for those who merit such a death. This is similar to what the apostle says: "I would that those who annoy us were put to death." [Gal. 5,12.] And in another place "Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil, may the Lord reward him according to his works." [II Tim. 4, 14.] We must ask though how these things are said so mildly. This is very true to the Hebrew meaning of this verse. But we can follow the Septuagint's interpretation, which seems to take another meaning, and says, "and I know, since those who fear God will be well, that they fear his face, and the wicked will not be well, and his day will not be long in shadows, who does not fear God." He could have said this: 'let there also be those things which I considered a little earlier', but I know clearly that those fearing God will be well; "for the face of God is above those who do wickedness" [Ps. 33, 17.]. And the wicked will not be well, for he does not fear God and his days will not be longer in shadows. This is the day of his life, which is like a shadow for the living. Not by this do those who live for a long time lengthen their days, but they make them great with the number of their good deeds. As if confessing himself to be a sinner, Jacob says about this: "few and wicked are these days of mine" [Gen. 47, 9.]. And confessing in the Psalm he says, "my days are inclined like shadows, and I am like the hay of the field" [Ps. 101, 12.]. Not because he has sought a long life in the present world, in which all that we live is brief and looks lie shadow: "for man walks in His likeness" [Ps. 38, 7.], but because he fears the future, lest the length of his life, if it is indeed life, should be short.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Fear, Godly · Advantages of — Advantages of
Gentiles · PROPHECIES OF THE CONVERSION OF — PROPHECIES OF THE CONVERSION OF
Impenitence · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Keil & Delitzsch on Ecclesiastes 8:12-13
"Who is like the wise? and who understandeth the interpretation of things? The wisdom of a man maketh his face bright, and the rudeness of his face is changed." Unlike this saying: "Who is like the wise?" are the formulas חכם מי, Hos 14:9, Jer 11:11, Psa 107:43, which are compared by Hitzig and others. "Who is like the wise?" means: Who is equal to him? and this question, after the scheme מי־כמכה, Exo 15:11, presents him as one who has not his like among men. Instead of כּה the word כּחכם might be used, after לחכם, Ecc 2:16, etc. The syncope is, as at Eze 40:25, omitted, which frequently occurs, particularly in the more modern books, Eze 47:22; Ch2 10:7; Ch2 25:10; Ch2 29:27; Neh 9:19; Neh 1…
Injustice is momentary and does not upset God’s plans for justice (3:16-17; 12:14). In reality, wickedness does not pay.
Rashi on Ecclesiastes 8:13
And it will not be well with the wicked. Because he does not fear God.27Based on this verse, the Gemara in Kiddushin 33b states that any scholar who does not rise before his teacher is considered wicked, will not live long and will forget his learning.
