Ecclesiastes 9

Ecclesiastes 9 is the ninth chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book contains the philosophical and theological reflections of a character known as Qoheleth, a title literally meaning "the assembler" but traditionally translated as "the Teacher" or "The Preacher". The identity of Qoheleth it unknown. In traditional Jewish texts such as the Peshitta, Targum, and Talmud, authorship of Ecclesiastes is attributed to King Solomon, due to the statement in Ecclesiastes 1:1 which identifies Qoheleth as the "son of David, king in Jerusalem". However, it is generally agreed upon by contemporary scholars that the book could not have been written in the 10th century during the time of Solomon. It is now thought to be one of the latest books in the Old Testament to be written, likely sometime between the 5th and 3rd centuries BCE.

This chapter brings together some of the book's major themes, namely the shared fate of death, the importance of enjoyment in the midst of an unpredictable world, and the value of wisdom.