Albert Barnes Commentary Ecclesiastes 3:16-22

"And moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. I said in my heart, [It is] because of the sons of men, that God may prove them, and that they may see that they themselves are [but as] beasts. For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; and man hath no preeminence above the beasts: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man, whether it goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast, whether it goeth downward to the earth? Wherefore I saw that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him [back] to see what shall be after him?" — Ecclesiastes 3:16-22 (ASV)

That great anomaly in the moral government of this world—the seemingly unequal distribution of rewards and punishments—will be rectified by God, who has future times and events under His control (Ecclesiastes 3:16–17).

As for people, they are placed by God, who is their teacher, in a humble condition, even on a level with inferior animals, by death. This death is the great instance of their subjection to vanity (Ecclesiastes 3:18–19), which reduces to its original form all that was made of the dust of the ground (Ecclesiastes 3:20).

And though the destinies of man and beast are different, yet in our present lack of knowledge as to God’s future dealing with our spirits (Ecclesiastes 3:21), man finds his portion (see the Ecclesiastes 2:10 note) in such labor and such joy as God assigns to him in his lifetime (Ecclesiastes 3:22).

I saw ... (Ecclesiastes 3:16) – Rather, I have seen under the sun the place, etc. The place of judgment means the seat of the authorized judge. Compare the place of the holy (Ecclesiastes 8:10).

A time there (Ecclesiastes 3:17) – that is, a time with God.

Literally, regarding Ecclesiastes 3:18, I said in my heart with regard to the sons of men, it is that God may prove them and show them that they are beasts, they themselves. “Showing” is the reading of the Septuagint and Syriac; the present Hebrew text reads “seeing.” The meaning is that the long delay of God’s judgment (Ecclesiastes 3:16–17) is calculated to show people that the brevity of their life renders them incapable of following out and understanding His distributive justice.

That which befalleth the sons of men (Ecclesiastes 3:19) – literally, the event (happenstance) of the sons of men, that is, what comes upon them from outside, by virtue of the ordinance of God. See the Ecclesiastes 2:14 note. Death in particular (Ecclesiastes 3:2, Ecclesiastes 3:11) is a part of the work that God doeth.

The King James Version of Ecclesiastes 3:21 is the only rendering which the Hebrew text, as now pointed, allows. It is in accordance with the best Jewish and many modern interpreters. A slightly different pointing would be requisite to authorize the translation, Who knows the spirit of the sons of man whether it goes above, and, the spirit of the beast whether it goes down below? etc., which, though it seems neither necessary nor suitable, is sanctioned by the Septuagint and other versions and by some modern interpreters.

Who knoweth – This expression (used also in Ecclesiastes 2:19; Ecclesiastes 6:12) does not necessarily imply complete and absolute ignorance. In Psalms 90:11, it is applied to what is partially understood; compare similar forms of expression in Proverbs 31:10, Psalms 94:16, and Isaiah 53:1. Moreover, it is evident from marginal references that Solomon did not doubt the future existence and destination of the soul. This verse can only be construed as a confession of much ignorance on the subject.

What shall be after him (Ecclesiastes 3:22) – that is, what shall become of the results of his work after he is dead. Compare Ecclesiastes 2:19 and Ecclesiastes 6:12.