Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Kirk Lowery <Kirk AT GrovesCenter.org>]

On 03/10/11 20:57, Stephen Shead wrote:

> And one extra little question for Karl, on his assertion that 1:1
> refers to Solomon (which I almost agree with - at least it implies
> him, though perhaps provocatively?), and thus clearly dates Qohelet
> to Solomon's reign (which I don't agree with): Karl, what do you make
> of 1:16, with "...wisdom more than *all* who were before me over
> Jerusalem..."? Who are "all" these kings?

Well, I'm not Karl, but my name does start with a "K". ;-)

I've often wondered if the identification with Solomon was because of
post-Biblical views of Solomon and his life. Certainly Qohelet shares
many characteristics with Solomon. But "all the kings before me"
would only refer to David and Saul if Solomon was speaking.

Allow me to offer two other candidates for Qohelet's secret identity:
Hezekiah and Josiah. The data doesn't fit perfectly, otherwise we
wouldn't be discussing this. I'm just sayin'...

Blessings,

Kirk
--
Kirk E. Lowery, PhD, President & Senior Research Fellow
The J. Alan Groves Center for Advanced Biblical Research
http://www.GrovesCenter.org
--
The tricorder broke
Communicator is dead
And my shirt is red
            --Star Trek haiku