Chapter I: Introduction -- Chapter II: Formal Literary Aspects -- 1. The composition -- 2. Figures of style -- 3. Metre -- 4. Gattungen -- Chapter III: Polar thought patterns -- PART A -- 1. Conservation, life-abandonment, death -- 2. Worth(lessness) of wisdom -- 3. Risk and assurance (111-6) -- 4. Political power(lessness) (82-9) -- 5. Talk and silence -- 6. Wealth has no value (59-69) -- 7. Labour without product -- 8. The inhuman human -- 9. No retribution where expected -- 10. Toil and joy -- PART B -- 1. Composition -- 2. Figures of style -- 3. Metre -- 4. Gattungen -- 5 -- Chapter IV: Qohelet's place in the development of wisdom -- 1. The history of Egyptian and Mesopotamian wisdom -- 2. The development in Old Testament wisdom -- 3. The position of Qohelet in the development -- Chapter V: The Explanation for the Polarity in the Book of Qohelet -- 1. Religio-historical developments -- 2. Qohelet in this situation -- Chapter VI: Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Abbreviations -- Transcription.