What is the Hebrew name for the Biblical book named “Ecclesiastes” in English? How did it get translated into a Greek word?
"Ecclesiastes (often abbreviated Ecc) (Hebrew: קֹהֶלֶת, Kohelet, variously transliterated as Qoheleth, Göhalath, Koheles, Koheleth, or Coheleth) is a book of the Hebrew Bible. The English name derives from the Greek translation of the Hebrew title."
From the Wikipedia article. Ecclesiastes - Wikipedia
The Chief answered as I would have – let me merely supplement by saying that both terms mean, essentially, “the Preacher” – the self-adopted name of the author (or the person he purports to be, if as most scholars believe it was written by someone writing it “as if by” someone described as “the Preacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem”).
The English names of many of the books of the Old Testament are derived from the Septuagint, the first Greek translation of the OT: Genesis (beginning), Exodus (a going out), Deuteronomy (second law), Psalms (songs). For some reason, other books got English names instead of Greek (Kings, Numbers).
Whatever that reason was, it must have come via Latin, as the books that got English names in, well, English are the same ones that got Spanish names in Spanish, French ones in French, etc.
Which would mean that when it originaly went Septuagint -> Vulgate, some books would have kept the Greek titles, some switched to Latin titles. Then later on, when the change was from Vulgate -> Vernacular, the Latin-retitled would get translated titles. Sounds reasonable, would have to look for exceptions, probably each language may have some version variation.