Antithetic parallelism is frequent in this chapter, in contrast to chapters 25–26. The sayings seem to be generally related in couplets, thanks to content and also catchwords (e.g., Hb. hll, to boast or praise, in vv. 1–2). There are several admonitions and the final verses (23–27) form a special unit.

27:1 One should concentrate on the present moment because of one’s ignorance of the future. This is a commonplace. See Ecclesiastes 11:4, 6; James 4:13–15; and Amenemope 19.13 (ANET, p. 423).

27:2 Synonymous parallelism. Self-praise can hardly be objective, but one can normally trust praise from others as being honest.

27:3–4 Style (juxtaposition, comparison) unites these verses, although the thoughts are different. Difficulties are posed in verses 3a and 4a and the greater difficulty in …