Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
PHall | January 7, 2014
Job – When someone says, “It could be worse,” this is “Worse” Psalms – Psongs from a PSoldier Proverbs – What Rehoboam Did Not Learn From Solomon Ecclesiastes – What Solomon Did not Learn from Proverbs Song of Solomon – How Not to Write a Modern Love Poem
PHall | October 4, 2012
“There is a time to listen to others, and a time to listen to yourself.” Not quite from Ecclesiastes, but I think the Ecclesiastical Koholeth would approve. Driving down the road I saw a black motorcycle with a brown seat…not a common combination. It looked awesome! Years ago I had a chance to buy a […]
PHall | August 24, 2012
What do the Sermon on the Mount and Ecclesiastes have in common? Both are about the answer to true happiness. Ecclesiastes closes with the secret revealed, and the Sermon on the Mount opens with the answer. While there are different ways to translate and interpret Ecclesiastes 12:13, I prefer the one which is the most […]
PHall | April 27, 2012
Although Ecclesiastes has its own summation (12:13-14), let me attempt to provide a proverbial assessment that includes the beginning through the end: “God has doomed us to failure so that we may ultimately succeed.” Already I can hear the doubts and disagreements. Speaking in a way that suggests God has doomed us make us uncomfortable, […]
PHall | April 18, 2010
The below account is courtesy of Robert Turner: This story came right out of the heart of my native Kentucky, and I may have scooped Joe Creason with it. A well-known preacher of the past generation was hurriedly called to preach the funeral of one of two brothers. He had known the two men well […]
PHall | February 26, 2010
The “Christian” religious world is divided. The “Christian” religious world is united. No, that is not a contradiction, but rather a contradistinction. There is no denying that churches across the spiritual spectrum disagree on a host of important, indispensable and defining issues; yet if we truly want to fulfill Jesus’ prayer of unity (John 17), […]
PHall | November 28, 2009
There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Every year it is the same. It happened this year and will happen in the year to come, and those following. People move out, and people move in. Proximity to friends and family will be gained and lost. Ties will be tested. Friendships will begin, and […]
PHall | September 30, 2009
[Coffman lists this chapter as offering solutions to life’s perplexities: charity (vv.1-6); cheerfulness (vv.7-9); piety (v.10)] Live Day to Day for Others 1 Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days. [Extended Notes] 2 Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight [i.e., an idiom […]
PHall | September 30, 2009
Proverbs 1 Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor. [The amount of perfume is greater than the amount of flies, but the effect of the flies is greater than the effect of the perfume. Likewise, it takes years to build up a good reputation and […]
PHall | September 30, 2009
1 Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam. [We have all seen how a person’s face changes when they understand! Consternation furrows the brow. How this is connected to the following I do not know, other […]