(15.) =And as he came out from the womb of his mother naked= (which is reserved to the end of the clause, making it emphatic; it is moreover written full, so that a slight additional emphasis is given by this to the ‘_state_ of nakedness’ existing), =he returns to go back= (somewhat stronger than goes back――he comes to this state through intermediate stages) just =as he came= (‘as he was at the first, so now is he at the last’), =and nothing at all does he not lift up= (Genesis vii. 17, ‘bear’ as a burden) =in his toil= (as we say, ‘_have_ for his _pains_,’ observing the meaning of עמל, not the labour but the anxiety which causes, or results from, the labour) =which he takes in his hand.= 16 And this also _is_ a sore │ Moreover, in this is evil, _that_ in all points as │ discovered that evil he came, so shall he go: and │ infirmity, that precisely what profit hath he that hath │ as he began, so does laboured for the wind? │ he leave off; and what │ possible advantage can │ there be, that he toiled │ for the wind? (16.) =And, moreover, this same evil sickness, all over against= (כל עמת occurs as two words here only; לעמת is the ordinary form, it has the meaning of ‘against,’ ‘over against,’ see Exodus xxv. 27, 2 Samuel xvi. 13; it has been proposed to read כלעמת, in which case the meaning will be as in the above――‘precisely as,’ LXX. ὥσπερ γὰρ, but this is to a certain extent to cut the knot rather than untie it. Now עמת occurs separately here only, and if עמת really exists, it is a noun feminine in regimen; now the meaning of עם, which is presented both in ‘people’ and in the preposition ‘_with_,’ gives evidently something ‘collected’ or ‘gathered,’ hence עמה would mean a ‘collection’ or ‘instance,’ and עמת ‘collection’ or ‘instance of,’ and then the exact meaning of כל ע״ will be ‘every instance of his going’), =which he comes= (close relative, the reason of which is now sufficiently evident, meaning, ‘just as he comes;’ he simply goes round in a circle without accomplishing anything, or returns back on his own track in every instance) =so= (emphatic, standing apart from its noun, equal ‘just so’) =does he go, and what profit to him who has toiled= (close relative again, ‘in that he has toiled’) =to the wind?= (which, see chapter i. 6, returns back again as it did before. ‘To’ is here not exactly the same as ‘like to,’ but very near it; but perhaps also because his toil or care is to his spirit, as it has no effect otherwise.) 17 All his days also he │ Moreover, all his days he eateth in darkness, and _he │ consumes in darkness: his hath_ much sorrow and wrath │ disappointment is very with his sickness. │ great indeed: he has │ sickness and is sorry.