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648 B
648 B
General Information
The teacher looks at the oppression in the world and is saddened by it, but he is the king and has the power to change things. He also laments being alone even though he has many wives, children, and concubines. The ULB sets poetry (4:1-3, 4:5-6, and 4:8-12) farther to the right than the rest of the text to show that it is poetry.
under the sun
"on the earth". This refers to things that are done on earth. See Ecclesiastes 1:3
behold, the tears
"I looked and I saw"
the tears of oppressed people
"the oppressed people were weeping"
Power was in the hand of their oppressors
"Their oppressors were powerful"