Masters Of Assemblies
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia [1]
a - sem´bliz , (בּעלי אספות , ba‛ălē 'ăṣuppōth , Ecclesiastes 12:11 ): the American Revised Version, margin "collectors of sentences," thus Ḳimḥi , Grotius and others. This has been variously interpreted. Tyler translates "editors of collections." Klienert renders "protectors of the treasure-chambers," 'ăṣuppōth being considered equivalent to the 'ăṣuppı̄m of 1 Chronicles 26:15 , 1 Chronicles 26:17; Nehemiah 12:25 (see Assuppim ). The proverbs are like nails guarding the sacred storehouse, the book closing with this warning against touching the collection (compare Revelation 22:18 , Revelation 22:19 ). Delitzsch translates "like fastened nails which are put together in collections." "As ba‛ălē berı̄th ( Genesis 14:13 ) signifies 'the confederates,' ba‛ălē shebhū‛āh ( Nehemiah 6:18 ) 'the sworn,' and the frequently occurring ba‛ălē hā - ‛ı̄r 'the citizens': so ba‛ălē 'ăṣuppōth means, the possessors of assemblies and of the assembled themselves, or the possessors of collections and of things collected. Thus ba‛ălē 'ăṣuppōth will be a designation of the 'words of the wise' (as in shālı̄shı̄m , "choice men" = choice proverbs, Proverbs 22:20 , in a certain measure personified), as of those which form or constitute collections and which stand together in order and rank" ("Eccl," English translation, 434).
The Jerusalem Talmud takes 'ăṣuppōth as the Sanhedrin. On the whole it is better to interpret the phrase "persons skilled in collections" of wise sayings, grouped in a compact whole (compare Wright, Eccl, 102).
