- To what class of people does Kohelet appear to be addressing his advice in Ecclesiastes 8:1-4? What class finds itself in the king’s presence often enough to require this advice? Would these lessons be appropriate for poor people?
- What reasons are given for obeying the king in Ecclesiastes 8:2? Ecclesiastes 8:3-4?
- How would you compare the advice given by Kohelet in Ecclesiastes 8:2-3 with the advice given by the author of Proverbs 24:21?
- How would you compare the advice he gives about obedience to the law (Ecclesiastes 8:5-9) with the advice he gives about relating to God (Ecclesiastes 5:1-6; Ecclesiastes 7:13-14)?
- What advice does he give to one who is opposed to the law (Ecclesiastes 8:5-7)? What comparison does he make with one’s power over natural forces (Ecclesiastes 8:8-9)?
- To what major theme does Kohelet return in Ecclesiastes 8:10-15 (compare Ecclesiastes 7:15)?
- What does he see as one of the psychological consequences of living in a world in which “the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer” (Ecclesiastes 8:11)?
- Compare the thoughts presented in Ecclesiastes 8:12-13 with those in Ecclesiastes 8:14. Do they contradict each other? Does one sound more like the words of a person with deep religious faith? Which might you assume to be the thoughts of Kohelet? Might he be quoting something in order to refute it? Might there be an insertion here by another person? Can you reconcile the verses?
- To what basic conclusion does Kohelet return once again in Ecclesiastes 8:15? (compare Ecclesiastes 3:12, Ecclesiastes 3:22; Ecclesiastes 5:17)
- As in Ecclesiastes 3:11, what realization does Kohelet arrive at regarding the ways of God (Ecclesiastes 8:16-17)? Can the knowledge of God’s ways ever be acquired by humans?
