A Reexamination of “Eternity” in Ecclesiastes 3:11 -- By: Brian P. Gault

Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 165:657 (Jan 2008)
Article: A Reexamination of “Eternity” in Ecclesiastes 3:11
Author: Brian P. Gault


A Reexamination of
“Eternity” in Ecclesiastes 3:11

Brian P. Gault

Brian P. Gault is a Ph.D. student in Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East at Hebrew Union College—Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, Ohio.

The phrase “God has placed eternity in the human heart” (Eccles. 3:11)1 has become cliché in contemporary missiology and a repeated refrain from many Christian pulpits today. In his popular work, Eternity in Their Hearts, missiologist Don Richardson reports on stories that reveal a belief in the one true God in many cultures around the world. Based on Qoheleth’s words Richardson proposes that God has prepared the world for the gospel of Jesus Christ.2 In support of his thesis Richardson appeals to the words of the late scholar Gleason Archer, “Humankind has a God-given ability to grasp the concept of eternity.”3 While commonly accepted by scholars and laypersons alike, this notion is curiously absent from the writings of the early church fathers4 as well as the major theological treatise of William Carey, the founder of the modern missionary movement.5 In fact modern scholars have suggested almost a dozen different interpretations for this verse. In

their commentaries both Longman and Shields label this verse as one of the most difficult to interpret in Ecclesiastes.6 Therefore the obvious question must be raised, What was Qoheleth’s intended meaning for this enigmatic phrase? The purpose of this article is to evaluate the current interpretive options in light of the context and theology of Ecclesiastes and to explore the practical implications for this passage.

The verse may be translated, “He has made everything appropriate in its time, yet He has also placed הָעֹלָם in their hearts so that7 people cannot discover the work which God has done from beginning to end.”

Interpretive Options

The crux interpretum in this passage is the word הָעֹלָם. Scholars have proposed no less than ten interpretive options to resolve the enigma of this verse. (1) “He has also set the eternal work (creation in its widest sense) in the hearts of men.”

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