Coconut
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I do NOT love this! :secret:
k, i`m kidding, the writer managed to redeem himself quite nicely
Out of Character
Author: Skip Moen
Now, I find woman more bitter than death; she is all traps, her hands are fetters and her heart is snares. He who is pleasing to God escapes her, and he who is displeasing is caught by her. Ecclesiastes 7:26 NJPS
More bitter than death – This is the only verse in the Bible that expresses outright misogyny. Even this one verse has caused enormous theological backpedalling. Koheleth Rabba and many of the sages and rabbis read this verse as if it were about only those women who actually are traps and snares. NASB. NIV, ESV and RSV follow the same pattern, treating the verse as if it applied only to such terrible women. These translations use the definite article (“the” woman) as a way of suggesting that the speaker doesn’t mean all women. But two verses later (7:28), Koheleth says that he searched among a thousand to find one righteous person, and not a single woman could be found. It’s hard to imagine that the Teacher (Koheleth) looked only among the unrighteous in his search. Apparently this Teacher really doesn’t like women very much. His remark that woman is more bitter (mar mimavet) than death can hardly be read as comfort and companionship.
What are we to say about a verse like this in the Bible? First, we should note that it is the only verse in the Bible like this. Everywhere else the relationship between a man and a woman is held in high regard and women in general are recognized for their special, God-given role. If Koheleth seems bitter about women, he stands alone in that regard.
Nevertheless, this is Scripture, so there has to be some explanation why God would include such a disparaging remark in holy text. Michael Fox offers some clues. The text is hyperbolic. Koheleth, as is his custom, makes outrageous remarks to grab our attention and drive home a point. “All is vanity” is such an opening remark. It wakes us up to a reality that the Bible does not deny. The world just doesn’t work the way it should.
Koheleth offers his own reconciliation of this statement when he also says that the best life has to offer is the enjoyment of the woman you love (cf. 9:9). Obviously, this would be impossible if every woman were a trap. Fox suggests that Koheleth’s own experience stands behind his critical remark. He has looked for someone to love and hasn’t found her. This colors his whole world. He begins to believe that every relationship is only relative frustration. In verse 28 we see that he sought a woman (yes, I know your Bible doesn’t read that way, but a minor change in the text makes this clear – see M. Fox[1]). Frustrated love might turn a man away from all women, as we are well aware.
Maybe the lesson in this misogynistic text is that the Bible never hides the real life of human beings. The Bible doesn’t clean things up, smooth over the rough edges or paint a picture of holiness that isn’t true to life itself. Koheleth expresses what many men feel. That doesn’t mean he is right. It only means he is hurt. And that is where most of us start – hurt and in pain. The great lesson of Ecclesiastes is that life is full of injustices, absurdities and failures. In the end, it’s either bitterness or grace. You choose.
Ecclesiastes is the best evangelical tract ever written. If you preach from it, offer the audience a .38 Special or a chance to repent. These are really the only possible conclusions for human existence. And there is no human relationship where this is more obvious than in a frustrated relationship between a man and a woman. No wonder God used marriage as the ultimate symbol of our intimacy with Him. It has all the human dynamics anyone could ask for.
k, i`m kidding, the writer managed to redeem himself quite nicely
Out of Character
Author: Skip Moen
Now, I find woman more bitter than death; she is all traps, her hands are fetters and her heart is snares. He who is pleasing to God escapes her, and he who is displeasing is caught by her. Ecclesiastes 7:26 NJPS
More bitter than death – This is the only verse in the Bible that expresses outright misogyny. Even this one verse has caused enormous theological backpedalling. Koheleth Rabba and many of the sages and rabbis read this verse as if it were about only those women who actually are traps and snares. NASB. NIV, ESV and RSV follow the same pattern, treating the verse as if it applied only to such terrible women. These translations use the definite article (“the” woman) as a way of suggesting that the speaker doesn’t mean all women. But two verses later (7:28), Koheleth says that he searched among a thousand to find one righteous person, and not a single woman could be found. It’s hard to imagine that the Teacher (Koheleth) looked only among the unrighteous in his search. Apparently this Teacher really doesn’t like women very much. His remark that woman is more bitter (mar mimavet) than death can hardly be read as comfort and companionship.
What are we to say about a verse like this in the Bible? First, we should note that it is the only verse in the Bible like this. Everywhere else the relationship between a man and a woman is held in high regard and women in general are recognized for their special, God-given role. If Koheleth seems bitter about women, he stands alone in that regard.
Nevertheless, this is Scripture, so there has to be some explanation why God would include such a disparaging remark in holy text. Michael Fox offers some clues. The text is hyperbolic. Koheleth, as is his custom, makes outrageous remarks to grab our attention and drive home a point. “All is vanity” is such an opening remark. It wakes us up to a reality that the Bible does not deny. The world just doesn’t work the way it should.
Koheleth offers his own reconciliation of this statement when he also says that the best life has to offer is the enjoyment of the woman you love (cf. 9:9). Obviously, this would be impossible if every woman were a trap. Fox suggests that Koheleth’s own experience stands behind his critical remark. He has looked for someone to love and hasn’t found her. This colors his whole world. He begins to believe that every relationship is only relative frustration. In verse 28 we see that he sought a woman (yes, I know your Bible doesn’t read that way, but a minor change in the text makes this clear – see M. Fox[1]). Frustrated love might turn a man away from all women, as we are well aware.
Maybe the lesson in this misogynistic text is that the Bible never hides the real life of human beings. The Bible doesn’t clean things up, smooth over the rough edges or paint a picture of holiness that isn’t true to life itself. Koheleth expresses what many men feel. That doesn’t mean he is right. It only means he is hurt. And that is where most of us start – hurt and in pain. The great lesson of Ecclesiastes is that life is full of injustices, absurdities and failures. In the end, it’s either bitterness or grace. You choose.
Ecclesiastes is the best evangelical tract ever written. If you preach from it, offer the audience a .38 Special or a chance to repent. These are really the only possible conclusions for human existence. And there is no human relationship where this is more obvious than in a frustrated relationship between a man and a woman. No wonder God used marriage as the ultimate symbol of our intimacy with Him. It has all the human dynamics anyone could ask for.
