Wisdom and Folly: The section is a loosely woven collection of vignettes and sayings, punctuated by phrases characteristic of Qohelet’s own voice. It is difficult to break it into segments because the themes of randomness, social order, wisdom and folly, and language overlap and sometimes clash. The reader may find it difficult to follow a coherent line of reasoning. The overarching theme is that of living in an unpredictable world, and the section moves from random disaster (9:11–12) to random success (11:6).

Qohelet’s attitude toward the social order contains tensions. On the one hand, it is unfortunate that a poor wise man may not be heeded (9:13–16) and it is possible for those with social power to use it badly (9:17; 10:5). On the other hand, 10:6 implies that fools and the rich are a …