Why would the writer of Ecclesiastes say the wise won't be remembered any longer than the fool after their deaths?
For the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten.
Ecclesiastes 2:1 - 26
ESV - 1 I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself." But behold, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, "It is mad," and of pleasure, "What use is it?
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Asked July 11 2022
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Jack Gutknecht
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Shirley H
Did you ever read the last page of a book before the beginning? In this case, the "Book of Ecclesiastes," I think this helps us to understand. King Solomon concludes that as we journey and search for meaning in life, there is only one conclusion. Without God, everything is mundane, routine, never-ending, and repetitious. With God there is hope, peace joy, and a life of fullness. Then the best is yet to come, when we meet the Lord face to face! We will be glad that we tried to honor Him while we walked on His earth. One day we will give an accounting of our time and what we did.
Tim Maas
To me, this is a further example of portions of the book of Ecclesiastes where the writer is speaking from the point of view of knowledge "under the sun " (as was first noted in Ecclesiastes 1:3) -- that is, from the perspective of human observation, without divine insight -- leading him to conclude that everything (even wisdom) was meaningless, and to make multiple statements similar to the cynical perspective contained in the verse cited in the question.
Danny Hickman
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Solomon was a wise man. He wrote that the fool and the wise man are equal when it comes to fame (Pride). That's what he's talking about. Dr Martin Luther King was a tireless public servant. He lived his life in service to God and his fellow man. He's known worldwide. Adolph Hitler was a murderous scoundrel. He's just as famous as Dr King. What did Solomon write? He wrote that the wise wouldn't be remembered any longer than the fool after his death. He's saying foolishness is just as prevalent as wisdom. If we think about it, we all know his statement to be true. Now the why, because that's the question. WHY did Solomon tell the world that? Did that statement clear up anything? Is he trying to say that wisdom isn't superior to foolishness, or that the wise man is no better than the fool? No! He's saying that the wise man and the fool both die and are forgotten. He doesn't mean they won't be remembered; he means their time is up and someone else sits in the place they once occupied. There's a new fool and a new wise man born every day. He's talking about the circle of life. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:2) Here's what I think Solomon means: 'The fool is just as proud and conceited as the wise man. Both spend their whole life chasing something that they can't catch and hold onto. Then they are both humbled and brought to nothing.' To cap it off he says 'Nobody will even remember that either one of them was ever here.' He's saying how futile it is to walk in pride; that's the theme of the whole book.
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