Translation
In the multitude of dreams
Go to footnote numberthere is vapor,
Go to footnote numberand also in many words,
but rather
you should fear
Go to footnote numberELOHIM.
Paraphrase
An overreliance on dreams of all types is about as solid
as a vapor, and so is the habit of talking too much, or making vows you cannot keep. Instead of doing those things, you should simply obey THE CREATOR AND RULER OF ALL THINGS while keeping in mind His punishments if you don’t obey Him.
Footnotes
1: “multitude of dreams”
Earlier he has referred to the kind of dreams that are not helpful for guidance. Here he is either referring to the same kind of dreams or to dreams of all kinds, including daydreaming, normal night dreams that don’t mean anything, and the habit of some to constantly look for meaning in every dream. If God wants to guide you through a dream He will do so, and Solomon was not denying that. But my understanding is that such dreams are not a regular occurrence, and I hear Solomon saying something similar. That is why an overreliance on such dreams is not healthy.
2
Here the use of “vapor” seems to be pointing at only one of the 6 possible uses I have found i.e. that vapor is S: not solid, not firm, rather it is transitory and shifty.
3
The concept of fearing God was often mentioned in the Old Testament. That is because it fits perfectly with covenant relationships. There should be a constant awareness of our obligations before God and of the consequences should we fail to fulfill those obligations. The reality is that our relationship with God should be motivated by both love and fear, not just one or the other. In the paraphrase column I have chosen to communicate the idea of “fear” as “obedience” because that is what it looks like in our daily lives.