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N27 tn The syntax and exegesis of the line is difficult. There are three basic interpretive options: (1) the king takes care of the security of the cultivated land: "in any case, the advantage of a country is that there is a king for the cultivated land"; (2) the king is in favor of a prosperous agricultural policy: "in any case, the advantage of a country is that there is a king who is obeyed for the sake of the agriculture"; and (3) the king exploits the poor farmers: "the produce of the land is [seized] by all, even the king is served by the fields." Perhaps the best option in the light of the context is to take the referent of כֹּל (kol, "all") to the government officials of Ecc_5:8 rather than to the people as a whole. The verse depicts the exploitation of the poor farmers by corrupt government officials. This is reflected in two English versions: "the increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields" (NIV); "the profit of the land is among all of them; a cultivated field has a king" (RSV margin). On the other hand, the Septuagint (LXX) treated the syntax so the king is viewed in a neutral sense: και περισσεια γης ἐπι παντι ἐστι, βασιλευς του αργου εἰργασμενου ("The abundance of the earth is for everyone; the king is dependent on the tilled field"). Most English versions deal with the syntax so that the king is viewed in a neutral or positive sense: "the profit of the earth is for all; the king himself is served by the field" (KJV); "a king who cultivates the field is an advantage to the land" (NASB); "this is an advantage for a land: a king for a plowed field" (NRSV); "the greatest advantage in all the land is his: he controls a field that is cultivated" (NJPS); "a country prospers with a king who has control" (Moffatt); "a king devoted to the field is an advantage to the land" (MLB); "a king is an advantage to a land with cultivated fields" (RSV); "the best thing for a country is a king whose own lands are well tilled" (NEB); and "an advantage for a country in every respect is a king for the arable land" (NAB). See D. BarthÈlemy, ed., Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 3:576-77.

Adam wrote:The ESV is the Bible I read daily. I like the NLT for a more dynamic translation.

MaxPC wrote:For most purposes we have the RSV-CE. For in-depth scholarly purposes I'll trot out my Navarre and Douay-Rheims. All are Catholic; all have the deuterocanonical books. But you probably guessed that already

lesterb wrote:

Adam wrote:The ESV is the Bible I read daily. I like the NLT for a more dynamic translation.

I use both of them. For my regular reading, I use the ESV as well.

lesterb wrote:For instance, a statement by Josh caught my attention and I checked out NET on Bible Gateway. That's a good way to check out a version for free. I could have just used it there, but it fits into my study sequence better to add to my regular Bible program. Anyway, the version with the notes isn't available on Bible Gateway, unless I just didn't notice it.

Bootstrap wrote:The excellent translations are the best part of the NET Bible. The translation itself is not that great, sort of NIV level, IMHO, but the notes are really useful.

Bootstrap wrote:The excellent translation notes are the best part of the NET Bible. The translation itself is not that great, sort of NIV level, IMHO, but the notes are really useful.