The Hebrew Bible

but the idea seems to be that they are afraid in all directions, above and below.

7And dust returns to the earth as it was, and the life-breath returns to God Who gave it.

Qohelet, too, at a couple of points expresses the idea that we are subject to God’s judgment, but this monitory flourish at the very end is an affirmation of the staunch piety with which the epilogist seeks to contain the more disruptive ideas of Qohelet.

13The last word, all being heard: fear God and keep His commands, for that is all humankind.

11The words of the wise are like goads and like nails driven in—from the composers of collections, given from a certain shepherd.

The stated idea as it is understood in this translation is plausible: Qohelet was not merely a sage but, one might say, a lecturing and publishing sage, one who gave public instruction and edited and formulated maxims.

The images suggest that the words of the wise may sting or hurt, which seems especially apt for Qohelet.

8Merest breath, said Qohelet. All is mere breath.

The evident idea here is that people may fling themselves