(10.) All which shall find thy hand in order to do (that is, everything which it is in thy power to perform in regard of the above), in thy might do it, because there is nothing of a work, or a contrivance, or a knowledge, or a wisdom (all these being without the article, and singular) in Sheol, which (is the ‘place,’ or ‘end,’ etc.; for we have in English to supply some general word here) thou (emphatic) art going unto (the meaning is, ‘and that is whither thou art going unto’).
11 ¶ I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
But to return, I perceived how in this work-day world that not to the swift ones is the race, nor to the strong ones the battle, nor even to wise ones bread, nor yet to prudent ones wealth, nor yet to the instructed ones favour. For time and chance happens with regard to them all.
(11.) I turned, and see under the sun (‘see’ is rightly joined by the accents to the word which follows it; it is, as this formula of introduction shows, another aspect of the same truth as that set forth above) how not to swift is the race (מרוץ, occurs here only), and not to mighty ones the war, and also not to wise ones bread, and also not to prudent ones (occurs Genesis xli. 33 of Joseph, and 1 Kings iii. 12 of Solomon) an increase, and not to knowing ones a favour: (these three nouns, ‘bread,’ etc., are singular and without the article, the other two are with it), for time (the providential season, that is) and chance (occurs 1 Kings v. 4 as a noun only; the meaning of the verb, which occurs frequently, is, ‘to meet,’ ‘to approach’) happens with respect to (את, which the LXX. notice by making the verb compound, συναντήσεται) all.
12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
For so also Humanity knows not its time, but just like fishes which have been caught in a net, or birds held fast in a snare, just like them the sons of men are ensnared in some evil time, as it falls upon them——suddenly.