[¹] Hebrew He that is good before God.
Now, I have made a discovery, and that more bitter than death; it is with respect to woman, when she is in the nature of an ensnarer, her affection seductions, and her hands bondage. A real good in the sight of the Almighty is it to be delivered from her, but the erring sinner is taken by such as she.
(26.) And finding (a participle written full, giving a peculiar emphasis to this word) am I a bitterness above death with respect to the woman (את with the article, which the LXX. note by σὺν, as usual; thus ‘woman’ is generic, hence the precise idea seems to be ‘and a discovery of mine more bitter than death——is with respect to woman;’ and, again, this follows the accentuation, which makes a pause at ‘death,’) who (but the relative is full, and so refers back to the whole clause, ‘when she’) is snares (masculine plural, and hence distributive, ‘in the nature of an ensnarer’ then, see Proverbs xii. 12, chapter ix. 14, where this form alone מצודה in the feminine occurs, chapter ix. 12, Isaiah xxix. 7, Ezekiel xix. 9, and with shurek at Job xix. 6; there is a slight difference in meaning in these forms) and allurements (the root חרם is to destroy, and the noun signifies ‘a cursed thing’ as often as a ‘net;’ see Deuteronomy vii. 26, Joshua vi. 17) her heart (singular following plural; her heart then is in the nature of things which allure to destruction, a whole armoury of them, as it were, in her love) and bonds her hands (or ‘powers’); good in the sight of Divine providence (‘a real good is it in the sight of Divine providence’ is the meaning) is deliverance from her (emphatic), but the erring one (a full participle, which the LXX. note) is taken by her (emphatic).
27 Behold, this have I found, saith the Preacher, [¹]counting one by one, to find out the account:
28 Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.
[¹] Or, weighing one thing after another to find out the reason.
Observe, this have I discovered, and this is what the Preacher announces, one after another, so as to find out a wise experiment; but which I have longed for without discovering: one single specimen of Humanity in a thousand I discovered; but a woman in all these I did not discover.