Word Study on תָּאִיר פָּנָיו

(I may or may not have stayed up all night working on this paper. I may or may not have gone mad. I undoubtedly have missed something important.)

Question

The question at present is the nuance of meaning within the phrases found at the second half of the first verse of Ecclesiastes eight. These particular phrases translating to something like, enlightening the face (תָּאִ֣יר פָּנָ֔יו) and strength of the face (וְעֹ֥ז פָּנָ֖יו). The methods employed were mainly the gathering of data for purposes of comparison and, subsequently, the collecting of additional connotation.

Arguments

Of primary import seems the story of Moses, his shining face after speaking with God. Who is like the wise man? asks Qohelet. Who is like Moses who had to hide his face beneath a veil due to the fright it caused? Who understands the words of the great lawgiver? Who knows the meaning of a thing? So, when David asks God in Psalm 119 to shine his face upon him, and pleads to God, “teach me your ways,” we see wisdom and the law connected to this concept of an enlightened countenance. Qohelet is concerned with what is under the sun, but even under the sun, the wisdom of God startled the people with its supernatural effects.

From the Book of Ecclesiastes itself, one gets the picture that light is better than darkness (2:13), but that light is a fleeting pleasure (11:7;12:2).

It is also important to realize that the phrase “enlightening the eyes,” seems a likely synonym of “enlightening the face,” the former having a connotation of strengthening an individual. That pairs well with the somewhat odd remark about changing the “strength of his face,” at least on the face of it. However, a strong face is almost always a term used in opposition to something, i.e. stubbornness; In the cases of Ezekiel and the Suffering Servant, this is seen as a good, but it can be a stubbornness against God such as those refusing God’s correction (Jeremiah 5).

Of a final note: It seems prayers are made to God that he shine his face upon the supplicant. This also, like with the “enlightening the eyes,” phrase, seems to be connected to strengthening. It is part of the blessings Aaron and sons are to use on God’s people, and psalm 80 connects this shinning face of God to salvation.

Conclusion

In the chaos before creation, when God hovered over the face of the waters, he said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. We too pray that God enlighten us (I know I did as I worked on this paper), but what does Qohelet mean when he says that the wisdom of man makes his face shine? He could have meant it literally, as a reference to Moses; He could have meant it figuratively, something akin to his earlier saying that wisdom strengthens the wise. I don’t think either of these are wrong, nor do I feel they need be exclusive of each other. In the proverbs we read of wisdom’s calling, and she provides an impressive pedigree. She was seemingly first in creation, before creation even. Qohelet says that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. Light excels darkness at the beginning of time, and wisdom too, primordial, excels her competitor. Moses’ face was changed, and it terrified people. Wisdom creates. To accept wisdom, to ask God to shine on you, your face will change. Like Ezekiel, you will be stronger. Like Moses, you will find this change, imperceptible to you, extraordinary to those around you.

The Data

For anyone interested, I used a few different resources to look up instances of the phrase, an online one called Parallel Plus put out by theBible.org, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, A Chain Reference Bible put out by B. B. Kirkbride Bible Co., and a Nave’s Topical Bible produced by Zondervan. Furthermore, I relied heavily upon my trusty BDB and my Reader’s Hebrew Bible to see me through.