Book of Qohelet/ Ecclesiastes – Messages in Moments of Hope and Despair
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The Book of Qohelet (Ecclesiastes) is one of the wisdom books in the Hebrew Bible. Over the last few months, Jenny, Lyn, and I have studied the 12 chapters of the book containing prismatic messages and ideas. Rich in genres, Qohelet is the closest any Biblical text comes to philosophy.
In James Crenshaw’s words, the book is a “kaleidoscopic image whereby apparently incongruent features of the text come together in many different meaningful configurations.
Course Materials
This is a pre-recorded course. The materials that come with the course include the recordings of 26 lessons. There is at least one hour of video material to every lesson, usually more. Every lesson is accompanied by extensive notes on vocabulary, grammar, and text-related issues. We have discussed various aspects of the Hebrew language: structure, form, historical setting, influences, messages and ideas, philosophy, genres.
Course Level
You should have finished and introductory course to Biblical Hebrew, preferably one that introduced the weak verbs. Reference material is available on my website hebrewthroughthebible.com (BH Resources: Hebrew Grammars, Hebrew Lexicons; Paradigms)
Some of the Topics Under Discussion during the Course:
- Qere Perpetuum
- Prepositions ב,ל,כ before word that begins withי
- Cantillation marks and their syntactic functions
- Strong and Weak Dagesh in begadkefat
- Hebrew Grammar books and lexicons
- (Aramaic, Persian) loanwords in Qohelet
- Ketiv and Qere
- Metathesis
- Web Services for studying Biblical Hebrew
- Hapax Legomena
- Pausal Forms
- Onomatopoeia and alliteration
- Metathesis
- Parallelism
- …and so much more…
In the Classroom:
 Jennifer – Hebrew Learning Bio
Hi! My name is Jennifer and I have been learning biblical Hebrew with Michal for approximately 7 years. I have flourished under her caring teaching style and through the application of her scaffolded mode of instruction. I am now able to read most of the biblical Hebrew text, with growing application of grammar and with increased understanding. Michal has high standards and will challenge you to reach your potential. I enjoy the classes so much! They are a highlight of the week and the additional understanding of the message in the original language is inspiring. I look forward to many more years of study as there is so much to discover and an exciting journey to last a lifetime.
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Michal S
hmuel, Instructor
Michal immigrated to Israel after completing her M.A. in Semitic Languages and Linguistics. She has taught Biblical Hebrew for more than 13 years to students from all over the world. The word of the Hebrew Bible is her passion in life.
Visit my website Hebrew Through the Bible for resources, private tutorials, etc.
Target audiences
- Intermediate Students
Curriculum
- 14 Sections
- 31 Lessons
- Lifetime
- Syllabus and Bibliography3
- Qohelet Chapter 1After the general introduction to the book, we read and discuss in the next four lessons the first chapter of the Book of Qohelet. Our topics will be: Meaning of the word קהלת, Keyword הבל, Keywords עמל, יתרון, Self-Presentation Formula in ANE, Keywords חכמה, עשה, רעיון רוח, רעות רוח, Qere Perpetuum, Prepositions ב,ל,כ before word that begins with י, Cantillation marks and their syntactic functions5
- Qohelet Chapter 2In the next three lessons we will read and discuss chapter 2. We will encounter his take on pleasure and toil, as well as wisdom and folly. Topics of study are: difference between silluq and meteg, strong and weak dagesh, using the Hebrew Lexicon online, enhanced Semitic Language Family vs. Indo-European Languages, Persian loanword פַּרְדֵּס, the history of the biblical books, Difference between (shofar) yetiv and mahpach3
- Qohelet Chapter 3Chapter three opens with the famous “Catalogue of Times.” We will use the grammar book to deal with a difficult verse3
- Qohelet Chapter 4In the next four lessons we explore the relationship between the Book of Qohelet and the Epic of Gilgamesh, meet Qohelet’s take on Social Cycle Theory, and review ordinal and cardinal numbers in Biblical Hebrew.3
- Qohelet Chapter 5In Lesson fourteen we continue our reading from chapter 4, because Qoh 4:17-5:6 create a thematic unit focusing on the importance of keeping vows according to the Bible. We will read in comparison what other biblical passages say about un-reflected speech and vows. Topics: Negative Jussive and Imperative. Because of the repeated exhortation to “eat and drink” throughout the book, we will explore the topic of food in the Bible and its source for pleasure in the Book of Qohelet2
- Qohelet Chapter 6This is a short chapter in which Qohelet gives his opinion on wealth and pleasure. Amassing wealth is pointless if one doesn’t enjoy it. It is better to enjoy what one has and to appreciate it, as life ends at some point. Topics: range of meanings of the word נֶפֶשׁ , the word אִלוּ Qoh 6:6, Ketiv and Qere in the Masoretic text, marginal notes by the Masoretes in manuscripts1
- Qohelet Chapter 7In the next two lessons we encounter the Hebrew comparative in a number of so-called “Better X than Y Proverbs.” Other topics: review Qere/ Ketiv Qoh 6:10, marginal notes by the Masoretes in the Westminster Leningrad Codex indicating the middle of the book, abbreviations I use in the footnotes, example of onomatopoeia and alliteration in v. 6, inflection of the root נתן (v. 7), discussion on patience and suffering in Hebrew and English (סבל), use of grammar book, alternative meanings of the root מרר based on Arabic, what is a wicked person according to Qohelet?2
- Qohelet Chapter 8The first eight verses are difficult to understand. They speak about the power of the king and the duty of the subservient individual to obey his command. In v. 5 we read about a מצוה “commandment.” The Hebrew Bible uses this word equally for the commandment of a king as well as for a commandment decreed by G’d (see BDB, p. 846). It is likely that Qohelet refers by “king” to both the supremacy of a human ruler over the people as well as to the supremacy of G’d over humankind. Topics: Metathesis, Persian loanword, abbreviations in the BDB, chiastic parallelism, the Hebrew letter combination טו for 15 and טז for 161
- Qohelet Chapter 9More observations: Carpe Diem. Topics: pausal forms, web services, mobile phone application, pronunciation of the letter ח (according to Modern Hebrew Pronunciation), stress at accented syllables, division of v. 11 into syntactic units with the help of the cantillation marks2
- Qohelet Chapter 10Some more observations: On wisdom and folly. Topics: Hapax Legomena, Energetic Nun, more examples for ketiv and qere, a re-interpretation of the word אשרי1
- Qohelet Chapter 11Carpe Diem!2
- Qohelet Chapter 12Conclusion of the Book in Qohelet’s words: Three possible readings: 1.Allegorical, 2.Literal, 3. Eschatological, הבל הבלים Inclusio2
- Attribution1
Instructor
My name is Michal Shmuel. I live in Israel with my four rumbunctious sons. I have an MA in Semitic Languages and Linguistics and have been teaching Biblical Hebrew for the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, for eTeacher, and for the Israel Institute of Biblical Studies for more than 10 years.
