Translation
He will not often remember the days of his
life for ELOHIM
causes him to be continually occupied
Go to footnote numberwith the joy of his heart.
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
He will not invest much mental energy in thinking about the days of his life that have already passed because THE CREATOR AND RULER OF ALL THINGS has caused him to be continually consumed with the blissful benefits brought to his inner being [by accepting God’s gift of satisfaction from his work].
Footnotes
1
This word is the one meaning “to be occupied or busy,” and it also means “to be bowed down, be depressed or afflicted.” In this case the negative aspects, such as “depressed or afflicted,” do not fit the context, so it must have something to do with being kept busy. The use of the participial form gives it the sense of “continually busy.” The reason he chose this word probably has to do with the idea that God keeps every man who receives His gift of work bound up or consumed with joy in simple things. It is more all-encompassing than how we use the words “busy or occupied.”
The KJV translates it with the word “answereth,” because its translators were drawing from another word that sounds and looks just like this one. It is possible that there is a connection between the two words, but that is not certain. Modern scholarship seems to be in agreement that the word used here is the word for “occupied” not the word for “answer.”
2: “his heart”
This sounds like an oxymoron. How can someone find joy in work? How is it a gift from God that He keeps us consumed with finding joy in our arduous labor? First Solomon paints a depressing picture of toilsome toil, and now he is telling us that work is our source of joy, and a gift from God?
Actually, the gift of God is not work by itself, but the ability to find enjoyment and satisfaction in our work without constantly looking for more. The truth is we don’t have very many options open to us; we cannot choose whatever we want and choose the consequences as well. According to Solomon who had accumulated much and suffered much, our options are:
1) Accumulate wealth only to find it hollow,
2) live a self-centered life only to become angry and frustrated,
3) Live a life of simplicity that focuses on the positive aspects of God’s daily provision, and, without realizing it, become happy, fulfilled and a blessing to others.
The only difference between a poor man who is striving for riches and a rich man who is striving for more riches is the amount of wealth possessed. The difference between a poor man who is striving for riches and a poor man who is content with what he has is the attitude, and the level of frustration/peace.