For of the wise man as of the fool: if the initial particle ki is translated For, then verse 16 provides the reason for the previous argument. But such a connection between verses 15 and 16 does not seem logical. It is probably best to understand verse 16 as providing the reader with yet another example of how the wise and fool are alike. This approach would better account for the repetition of the phrase “as of the wise man as of the fool.” For this reason we suggest the initial particle be translated as “Indeed,” or not translated at all, as in Good News Translation.

Remembrance or “memorial” can be applied to any material object or to any thought or notion that helps us recall what happened in the past. It may be directed toward God or people. Whether it is a physical memorial to what the sage achieved or some mental reflection on his achievements is difficult to determine. However, the point is clearly made: nobody remembers either the fool or the wise after they die. This is another aspect of the finality of death. Rather than use a noun remembrance or “memorial,” translators can use a verbal form, “not remembered,” or even “are forgotten.” The whole clause may say something like this: “Indeed, whether wise or foolish, people are forgotten for ever” or “Whether you are wise or foolish, nobody remembers you for long.”

Seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten: this is a peculiar expression in Hebrew. The initial phrase seeing that is literally “in which already.” It is either a time phrase pointing back to something already done or an explanatory “because already.” However, it is followed by the “coming days,” referring to something future. In light of the Hebrew imperfect verb “will be forgotten,” we can assume that Qoheleth is speaking of the future. We may translate as “because we already know that in the future everything will be forgotten.” All in this clause is a general term, and we probably do not need to define it too closely. Almost certainly it refers to “both wise and fool.” Translators have the choice of using the more general “all” or “everything,” or naming the persons as “wise people and fools.”

How the wise man dies just like the fool! exclaims Qoheleth. This cry is similar to the idea found in verse 15, but for the first time the word “fate” is clearly identified as “death.” What does Qoheleth mean when he says that the wise dies … like the fool? We need to ensure that readers do not think that the manner of death is the same. His point is simply that, whether a person is wise or foolish, there is no escape from death. A second meaning may also be present in the cry, in the sense that neither wise nor fool have any lasting memorial. The introductory How is a painful cry from Qoheleth as he meditates on this fact. It is a word we find often in the laments in Psalms (see Psa 73.11, 19; Lam 1.1; 2.1; 4.1, 2). New English Bible, Moffatt, Jerusalem Bible all use the word “Alas!” whereas New American Bible “How is it that…?” may sound more like a question than a painful cry of distress. Some languages will prefer an interjection of some kind to express this emotion. Our translation can make a clear reference to the pain of this situation by rendering it as “What a tragedy that the wise man’s death is no different from the fool’s!” “How awful that death makes no distinction between wise and foolish people!”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .