Abstract
The poem on time in Eccl 3:1-9 is one of the best-known texts in the book of Qohelet. According to this poem, there is a definite moment and time for every event under heaven. Although the poem differs in literary form from the other reflections found in the book of Qohelet, it reflects the same conception of time that underlies the initial reflections in the book : man is bound to the passage of time, and his life flows within the framework of the time allotted to him. If we read the poem on time in the light of Qohelet's thesis that all is vanity, we arrive rather at an interpretation that underlines man's limits in his attachment to time. However, if we go beyond Qohelet's thesis of vanity and read the poem on time in its context in Eccl 3, it becomes clear that the conception of time developed here by Qohelet is not dominated by resignation or pessimism, but recognizes, despite the limitations of the human being, a space of life and a temporal space that offer him the possibility of perceiving the good in life and of rejoicing. This perspective on life is also reflected in Eccl 11:9-12:8. Here, the limitation of human life is approached from the angle of age and old age. But the text begins by exhorting the young man to rejoice: awareness of man's limited time and ephemeral nature does not lead Qohelet to despair, but leads him to call for not missing out on life's good opportunities when the time comes.
