Erdman: I think your comment brings into sharper focus the nuance of Ecclesiastes’ take on the fear of God. This post and Enns’ article admittedly emphasize the frame narrator’s re-contextualization (I like the way you phrased it), but this only makes sense once one has grasped Qohelet’s own view of the subject. Your comment brings out that nuance that the post (perhaps wrongly) assumes. Thank you.

Thanks for the thoughts.

You noted that,
There is something “more central.” This doesn’t pit the frame narrator against Qohelet but “it acknowledges the true wisdom of Qohelet’s observations while at the same time reiterating Israel’s central tradition of fear of God and obedience to Torah” (137).

5:7 [6] says, “Much dreaming and many words are hevel; therefore fear God.”

Clearly God fearing is central to Qohelet; as such, the frame narrator is consistent with what Qohelet says in chap. 5 about God fearing…..however, I would suggest that Qohelet and the frame narrator differ in a very significant way in how they construe God fearing. For Qohelet (in chap. 5), God fearing obviously means silence, reverence, and awe. God should not be treated lightly or casually; one should not utter vows in haste; and when coming near to God, one should approach with ears open in order to listen and hear (and, I would think, to learn). As such, Qohelet strikes me as a good deal more mystical and spiritual. This is in contrast to the frame narrator, who views God fearing as a matter of keeping the commands.

I don’t necessarily view these two different approaches of God fearing as contradictory; I don’t think that’s the point. But neither would I suggest that Qohelet and the frame narrator are saying the same thing. I think (consistent with what you are saying here in this post) that the frame narrator is recontextualizing Qohelet’s God fearing in such a way as to set it within the context of the Israelite covenant.

Again, thanks for the thoughts.