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Ecclesiastes 9:11–18

"Time and chance" and the poor wise man

"The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong… but time and chance happeneth to them all" (v. 11). Then a story: a poor wise man saved a little city from a great king, and no one remembered him (vv. 13–16). The Hebrew, Latin and English agree; the library's French of the Greek reads "peace" for "bread" in v. 11, probably a misprint (paix for pain).

Stable text: no manuscript differences in meaning

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✓ contains this verse · ▢ pages lost · – no copy survives

  • Same line, through lost copies
  • Translation
Hebrew
  1. The book as first writtenOften dated 4th–3rd century BC (debated)
  2. Masoretic Text (Leningrad Codex)AD 1008Descends, through lost copies, from The book as first written
Greek
  1. Greek Ecclesiastes (library: Giguet's French)Greek translation c. 1st–2nd century AD (debated); French 1872Translated from the Greek Ecclesiastes
Latin
  1. Latin Vulgate (Clementine)Jerome c. AD 398, from Hebrew; edition 1592Translated from the Hebrew text Jerome used
English
  1. King James Bible1611Translated from printed Masoretic Hebrew
New Testament quotation

    Every witness, in order

    1. Often dated 4th–3rd century BC (debated)

      The book as first written

      – No copy survives

      No original survives. The oldest Hebrew copies of Ecclesiastes are two Qumran fragments, 4Q109 (4QQoh-a, mid-2nd century BC, reported) and 4Q110 (4QQoh-b, reported).

    2. Jerome c. AD 398, from Hebrew; edition 1592

      Latin Vulgate (Clementine)

      ✓ Contains this passageTranslated from the Hebrew text Jerome used

      How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: Clementine Vulgate (1592 edition).

      Verti me ad aliud, et vidi sub sole nec velocium esse cursum, nec fortium bellum, nec sapientium panem, nec doctorum divitias, nec artificum gratiam; sed tempus casumque in omnibus. Nescit homo finem suum; sed sicut pisces capiuntur hamo, et sicut aves laqueo comprehenduntur, sic capiuntur homines in tempore malo, cum eis extemplo supervenerit. Hanc quoque sub sole vidi sapientiam, et probavi maximam: civitas parva, et pauci in ea viri; venit contra eam rex magnus, et vallavit eam, exstruxitque munitiones per gyrum, et perfecta est obsidio. Inventusque est in ea vir pauper et sapiens, et liberavit urbem per sapientiam suam; et nullus deinceps recordatus est hominis illius pauperis. Et dicebam ego meliorem esse sapientiam fortitudine. Quomodo ergo sapientia pauperis contempta est, et verba ejus non sunt audita? Verba sapientium audiuntur in silentio, plus quam clamor principis inter stultos. Melior est sapientia quam arma bellica; et qui in uno peccaverit, multa bona perdet.

      Latin numbering: Ecclesiastes 9:11–18. Jerome translated Ecclesiastes from Hebrew (c. AD 398), after writing a commentary on it (c. 388); the Vulgate is an indirect witness to a Hebrew text, with Jerome's interpretation.

    3. AD 1008

      Masoretic Text (Leningrad Codex)

      ✓ Contains this passageDescends, through lost copies, from The book as first written

      How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, a digital transcription of the Leningrad Codex.

      שַׁ֜בְתִּי וְרָאֹ֣ה תַֽחַת־הַשֶּׁ֗מֶשׁ כִּ֣י לֹא֩ לַקַּלִּ֨ים הַמֵּר֜וֹץ וְלֹ֧א לַגִּבּוֹרִ֣ים הַמִּלְחָמָ֗ה וְ֠גַם לֹ֣א לַחֲכָמִ֥ים לֶ֙חֶם֙ וְגַ֨ם לֹ֤א לַנְּבֹנִים֙ עֹ֔שֶׁר וְגַ֛ם לֹ֥א לַיֹּדְעִ֖ים חֵ֑ן כִּי־עֵ֥ת וָפֶ֖גַע יִקְרֶ֥ה אֶת־כֻּלָּֽם׃ כִּ֡י גַּם֩ לֹֽא־יֵדַ֨ע הָאָדָ֜ם אֶת־עִתּ֗וֹ כַּדָּגִים֙ שֶׁנֶּֽאֱחָזִים֙ בִּמְצוֹדָ֣ה רָעָ֔ה וְכַ֨צִּפֳּרִ֔ים הָאֲחֻז֖וֹת בַּפָּ֑ח כָּהֵ֗ם יֽוּקָשִׁים֙ בְּנֵ֣י הָֽאָדָ֔ם לְעֵ֣ת רָעָ֔ה כְּשֶׁתִּפּ֥וֹל עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם פִּתְאֹֽם׃ גַּם־זֹ֛ה רָאִ֥יתִי חָכְמָ֖ה תַּ֣חַת הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ וּגְדוֹלָ֥ה הִ֖יא אֵלָֽי׃ עִ֣יר קְטַנָּ֔ה וַאֲנָשִׁ֥ים בָּ֖הּ מְעָ֑ט וּבָֽא־אֵלֶ֜יהָ מֶ֤לֶךְ גָּדוֹל֙ וְסָבַ֣ב אֹתָ֔הּ וּבָנָ֥ה עָלֶ֖יהָ מְצוֹדִ֥ים גְּדֹלִֽים׃ וּמָ֣צָא בָ֗הּ אִ֤ישׁ מִסְכֵּן֙ חָכָ֔ם וּמִלַּט־ה֥וּא אֶת־הָעִ֖יר בְּחָכְמָת֑וֹ וְאָדָם֙ לֹ֣א זָכַ֔ר אֶת־הָאִ֥ישׁ הַמִּסְכֵּ֖ן הַהּֽוּא׃ וְאָמַ֣רְתִּי אָ֔נִי טוֹבָ֥ה חָכְמָ֖ה מִגְּבוּרָ֑ה וְחָכְמַ֤ת הַמִּסְכֵּן֙ בְּזוּיָ֔ה וּדְבָרָ֖יו אֵינָ֥ם נִשְׁמָעִֽים׃ דִּבְרֵ֣י חֲכָמִ֔ים בְּנַ֖חַת נִשְׁמָעִ֑ים מִזַּעֲקַ֥ת מוֹשֵׁ֖ל בַּכְּסִילִֽים׃ טוֹבָ֥ה חָכְמָ֖ה מִכְּלֵ֣י קְרָ֑ב וְחוֹטֶ֣א אֶחָ֔ד יְאַבֵּ֥ד טוֹבָ֥ה הַרְבֵּֽה׃

      The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the mighty, nor bread to the wise… for time and chance (et va-fega) happen to them all (v. 11)

      Hebrew numbering: Ecclesiastes 9:11–18.

    4. 1611

      King James Bible

      ✓ Contains this passageTranslated from printed Masoretic Hebrew

      How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: King James Version (1769 text).

      I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them. This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me: There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.

    5. Greek translation c. 1st–2nd century AD (debated); French 1872

      Greek Ecclesiastes (library: Giguet's French)

      ✓ Contains this passageTranslated from the Greek Ecclesiastes

      How the site knows this: Known here only through a translation.

      Et je me suis tourné d’un autre côté, et j’ai vu sous le soleil que la course n’est pas pour les agiles, ni la guerre pour les braves, ni la paix pour le sage, ni la richesse pour l’intelligent, ni la faveur pour le savant; car l’occasion et la chance est pour tous. L’homme ne connaît pas plus sa fin que le poisson retenu dans le filet perfide ou l’oiseau pris au piége; comme eux, les enfants des hommes sont surpris par l’adversité, lorsque soudain elle tombe sur eux. J’ai vu encore ceci: j’ai vu la sagesse sous le soleil, et grande elle est à mes yeux. Il était une ville petite, et dans ses murs il y avait peu d’hommes; et un grand roi marcha contre elle, et il l’investit, et il éleva tout alentour de hautes palissades. Et il se trouva, en cette ville, un homme pauvre et sage, et il la sauva par sa sagesse, et nul ne se souvint de cet homme pauvre et sage. Et je me suis dit: La sagesse prévaut sur la force, et la sagesse du pauvre est méprisée; ses discours ne sont point écoutés. Mieux est écoutée la parole du sage, dans le calme, que la clameur des princes dans leur folie. Mieux vaut la sagesse que des armes de guerre; une seule faute peut ruiner une grande prospérité.

      Greek (digital file) numbering: Ecclesiastes 9:11–18. Giguet's 1872 French of a printed Greek text (D check). A C check needs the Göttingen edition of Greek Ecclesiastes (P. J. Gentry, 2019). The file's "ni la paix pour le sage" is probably a misprint for pain (bread).

    What changed, and why

    Et va-fega, "time and occurrence": outcomes depend on timing and events beyond human control. It is not a theory of probability.

    The siege story is told as an example ("there was a little city") with no names. Proposed identifications (Athens and Themistocles, Archimedes at Syracuse, various Judean towns) have no support. A biblical comparison is the wise woman of Abel Beth Maacah (2 Samuel 20).

    "No man remembered" (v. 15) can also mean "no one thought of" consulting the poor man. Either way, v. 16: "Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised."

    What the evidence shows

    • Independently documentedThe witnesses agree on 9:11–18 (apart from a probable misprint in the French file).
    • Not independently verified9:14–15 describes a known historical siege.

    Sources

      Related lessons

      • Ecclesiastes 9: Eat Your Bread with Joy →The righteous and the wise are in God's hand, but no one knows from events whether love or hatred awaits (9:1). One fate comes to all, righteous and wicked, clean and unclean (vv. 2–3). Yet "a living dog is better than a dead lion": the living know they will die, the dead know nothing and their memory is forgotten (vv. 4–6). So: eat your bread with joy, drink your wine with a merry heart, wear white, anoint your head, enjoy life with the wife you love, and work with all your might, for there is no work in Sheol (vv. 7–10). The race is not to the swift: "time and chance happeneth to them all" (vv. 11–12). A poor wise man saved a little city from a great king, and no one remembered him; still, wisdom is better than strength and weapons, though one sinner destroys much good (vv. 13–18).
      • Investigation: Injustice Under the Sun →Ecclesiastes looks at injustice more directly than any other wisdom book: wickedness in the courts, tears of the oppressed with no comforter, layers of officials, the righteous perishing and the wicked praised, the poor wise man forgotten, fools in high places. It holds three things in tension: what Qoheleth sees, what he believes about God's judgment, and the limits of human knowledge.