Overview Article
Ecclesiastes encourages us to consider fundamental questions. Life is like a short breath of air. It quickly disappears, here today and gone tomorrow. However, life can have purpose. Ecclesiastes advises wisdom, righteous living, finding purpose by remembering our creator, and following God's commands. By doing so, we can find joy in the life God has given us.
Key People, Places, and Terms
Places 2
Themes
Enjoying God’s Gifts 17 The Teacher (the main speaker) in Ecclesiastes often concludes that we should enjoy life because it is a gift from God (see Ecclesiastes 2:24–25 ; 3:12–13 , 22 ; 5:18 ; 6:9 ; 8:15 ; 9:7–9 ; 11:7–10 ). Even when life s... Laziness and Hard Work 6 God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the garden of Eden to care for it, not just to relax and enjoy it ( Genesis 2:15 ). Work is not a punishment from when humans first sinned. Instead, God made work to be a go... Darkness and Light 4 Darkness means there is no light. There was no light until God commanded it to appear. He then separated light from darkness ( Genesis 1:2 , 4–5 , 18 ). The ninth plague he sent against Egypt was three days of deep da... Wealth and Poverty in the Wisdom Literature 3 The sayings in Scripture about wealth and poverty, especially in the wisdom literature, show a broad truth. God blesses wise people with wealth, which makes life's challenges easier to handle ( Proverbs 3:9–10 , 15–16...
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All Is “Vapor” 2 A key word in the book of Ecclesiastes is the Hebrew term hebel. This word means "vapor." Often it is translated as "meaningless." This word captures the main view about life in this world of the Teacher. The Teacher,... Wisdom 2 Wisdom helps us know how to speak and act in various situations. It allows us to avoid problems and manage them when they happen. Wisdom is more than just intelligence. Proverbs mentions that even animals like ants, r... Remember Him 2 God saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and made them his people. Yet, God knew they would forget him ( Deuteronomy 31:16–21 ). Moses warned the people entering the promised land to always remember what the Lor... The Creator-King 2 God created and established the world. All of creation is his work ( Genesis 1–2 ; Psalm 24:1–2 ; 95:4–5 ). He also rules over his creation, managing and caring for everything he has made ( 95:6–7 ; 96:10 ). Several p... Anger 1 Wise people do not get angry quickly. “ A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly ” ( Proverbs 14:29 ). Anger can cause bad judgment, so wise people think before they act ( 14:16 )... Bribery and Gifts 1 The Bible provides clear teachings about bribes (payments given to unfairly influence decisions) and gifts (offerings given to show respect or maintain relationships). Bribes are strongly condemned because they corrup... Death 1 Humans are mortal, and death is the natural end of life on earth ( Psalm 90:1–6 ). Human identity began when God breathed life into the dust of the earth and made a man ( Genesis 2:7 ). This state reverses at death wh... Fear of the Lord 1 As Moses gives his final instructions to the people of Israel before his death, he repeatedly urges them to "fear the LORD" (see, for example, Deuteronomy 6:1–13 ; 10:12–21 ; 31:9–13 ). Joshua gives the same advice ne... God’s Justice 1 God is just ( Psalm 9:7–8 ). He hates sin and fairly rewards people and nations based on what they do ( Psalm 67:4 ; Isaiah 1:27 ; Jeremiah 46:28 ; Joel 3:1–8 ; Acts 17:31 ). God has complete control over the natural... Human Sexuality 1 When God created the first humans in his own image, he created them male and female ( Genesis 1:27 ). God gave them the ability to have children through their sexuality. This was so they could fill the earth with peop... Kingship 1 Israel wanted a king to be “like all the other nations.” By the time of Saul and David, kingship in the ancient Near East was nearly two thousand years old. This was especially true in the Egyptian and Babylonian empi... Material Reward 1 Some people in the Old Testament period believed that righteous people would usually prosper in material ways. They treated the wisdom sayings found in books like Proverbs as general rules for life. Other biblical boo... Sin Enters the World 1 Genesis 3 explains how humans lost their moral innocence by rebelling against God. What God called "very good" was no longer perfect ( Genesis 1:31 ). The man and woman ate the fruit that promised knowledge of good an... Social Justice 1 In the Old Testament, prophets often challenged evil in society and called for social justice (fair treatment of all people, especially the poor and vulnerable). An early example is the prophet Elijah's response to Na... Solomon’s Wisdom 1 When God gave King Solomon the chance to ask for anything, Solomon chose wisdom. He wanted to govern God's people well and know right from wrong ( 1 Kings 3:9 ). Because of this unselfish choice, God granted him the w... Trusting in Human Strength 1 God often showed his power to his people throughout their history. He made an elderly couple, who could not have children, the ancestors of a great nation. He saved this nation from the powerful ruler of Egypt. He per...