Old Testament Commentary - Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes: The sages first wished to hide the work and they refused to endow it with the sanctity of Scripture for good cause. Contradictions to the Torah, to Solomon's Proverbs and even in itself are in it. Its first verse says, "The words of Kohelet [the preacher], son of David, king of Jerusalem. Some scholars consider it was written at a later date. If 'hiden' it could for a time been unrecognized. It is considered here to be written by an Solomon at the time of his reign when he had come to have numberous 'stange women' as wives of other countries, many who worshipped false Gods. Solomon allowed this and had houses of worship built to these Gods and he is said to have worshiped Ashtaroth (I Kings 11:5).

In this degenerated state the 'light of truth' he held, when the Wisdom of Solomon was great, had given way to 'darkness' of mind associated with sinful life and worldly precepts that from Lucifer. They had crept into the text of Ecclesiastes, particularly when Solomon says there is nothing after death so all is vanity, including 'Wisdom'. This would work in Solomon's mind to the relief of guilt in a coming life before God post death. Certainly many proverbs spoke against having 'strange women'. Other contributing causes for mental deterioration in Solomon's aging are speculative beyond the facts. He is no longer estolling all the higher precepts of the Torah as he had in his Wisdom. He had turned to a more worldly philosophical view than held before his wicked behavior.