Ecclesiastes 1
1
All Is Vanity
1The words of #ver. 12; ch. 7:27; 12:8-10 the Preacher,#1:1 Or Convener, or Collector; Hebrew Qoheleth (so throughout Ecclesiastes) the son of David, #ver. 12king in Jerusalem.
2 # ch. 12:8 Vanity#1:2 The Hebrew term hebel, translated vanity or vain, refers concretely to a “mist,” “vapor,” or “mere breath,” and metaphorically to something that is fleeting or elusive (with different nuances depending on the context). It appears five times in this verse and in 29 other verses in Ecclesiastes of vanities, says #[See ver. 1 above] the Preacher,
# ch. 12:8 vanity of vanities! #[Rom. 8:20]All is vanity.
3 # ver. 14; Ps. 144:4; See Job 7:16; Ps. 39:5 What #ch. 2:11, 22; 3:9; 5:16does man gain by all the toil
at which he toils under the sun?
4A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but #Ps. 104:5; 119:90the earth remains forever.
5 # [Ps. 19:4-6] The sun rises, and the sun goes down,
and hastens#1:5 Or and returns panting to the place where it rises.
6 # [ch. 11:5; John 3:8] The wind blows to the south
and goes around to the north;
around and around goes the wind,
and on its circuits the wind returns.
7All #Ps. 104:8, 9streams run to the sea,
but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
there they flow again.
8All things are full of weariness;
a man cannot utter it;
# ch. 4:8; Prov. 27:20 the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 # ch. 3:15; 6:10; [ch. 2:12] What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
10Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has been #ch. 3:15already
in the ages before us.
11There is no #ch. 2:16; See ch. 9:5remembrance of former things,#1:11 Or former people
nor will there be any remembrance
of later things#1:11 Or later people yet to be
among those who come after.
The Vanity of Wisdom
12I #ver. 1the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13And I #ver. 17; [1 Kgs. 4:33] applied my heart#1:13 The Hebrew term denotes the center of one’s inner life, including mind, will, and emotions to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy #ch. 2:23, 26; 3:10; [Gen. 3:19]business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is #ver. 2; ch. 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4; 6:9vanity#1:14 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (see note on 1:2) and a striving after wind.#1:14 Or a feeding on wind; compare Hosea 12:1 (also in Ecclesiastes 1:17; 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4, 6, 16; 6:9)
15 # See ch. 7:13 What is crooked cannot be made straight,
and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16I said in my heart, “I have acquired great #ch. 2:9; [1 Kgs. 3:12, 13; 4:30; 10:7, 23]wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17And I #ver. 13; [ch. 2:3, 12; 7:23, 25] applied my heart to know wisdom and to know #ch. 9:3 madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but #[See ver. 14 above]a striving after wind.
18For #[ch. 12:12]in much wisdom is much vexation,
and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
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Ecclesiastes 1
1
Introducing the Spokesman
1The words of the spokesman, the son of David and the king in Jerusalem.
The Theme
2“Absolutely pointless!” says the spokesman. “Absolutely pointless! Everything is pointless.”
Life Is an Endless Circle
3What do people gain from all their hard work under the sun?
4Generations come, and generations go,
but the earth lasts forever.
5The sun rises, and the sun sets,
and then it rushes back to the place where it will rise ⌞again⌟.
6The wind blows toward the south and shifts toward the north.
Round and round it blows. It blows in a full circle.
7All streams flow into the sea, but the sea is never full.
The water goes back to the place where the streams began
in order to ⌞start⌟ flowing again.
8All of these sayings are worn-out phrases. They are more than anyone can express, comprehend, or understand.
9Whatever has happened before will happen ⌞again⌟. Whatever has been done before will be done ⌞again⌟. There is nothing new under the sun. 10Can you say that anything is new? It has already been here long before us. 11Nothing from the past is remembered. Even in the future, nothing will be remembered by those who come after us.
The Spokesman Begins to Study Everything under Heaven
12I, the spokesman, have been king of Israel in Jerusalem. 13With all my heart I used wisdom to study and explore everything done under heaven.
The Spokesman’s General Conclusion
Mortals are weighed down with a terrible burden that God has placed on them. 14I have seen everything that is done under the sun. Look at it! It’s all pointless. ⌞It’s like⌟ trying to catch the wind.
15No one can straighten what is bent.
No one can count what is not there.
The Spokesman Begins to Study Life
16I thought to myself, “I have grown wiser than anyone who ⌞has ruled⌟ Jerusalem before me. I’ve had a lot of experience with wisdom and knowledge.” 17I’ve used my mind to understand wisdom and knowledge as well as madness and stupidity. ⌞Now⌟ I know that this is ⌞like⌟ trying to catch the wind.
18With a lot of wisdom ⌞comes⌟ a lot of heartache.
The greater ⌞your⌟ knowledge, the greater ⌞your⌟ pain.
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