NOTES for Ecc 10:9-10

If these verses were inserted into the Book of Proverbs of Solomon, a person reading the Bible for the first time would not distinguish which words came from which book. Ecclesiastes' reflections on wisdom and his advice on how to behave in various situations are similar to proverbs. Yet here they are in another context, within reflections on the meaning of being and on the foundations of one's relation to the world. But if this is so, what is the point of advice about observing safety rules when digging a pit or chopping wood, or reflections on whether one should or should not speak evil of the king, if both every household concern and royal power belong to the sphere of vanity?

It means there is still a need, in the midst of existence that seems like a meaningless and chaotic set of events, not to deny either what surrounds us or to interrupt our customary labor. And if we remember that both in the Old and in the New Testament eternal truths are explained through parables based on everyday life, then everyday concerns are not meaningless, and there is no wisdom in folding one's hands after recognizing everything around as a manifestation of vanity of vanities and being satisfied with that conclusion. And therefore not everything in the world is vanity of vanities.