1These are the words of the Teacher,†the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
ⓘThe Teacher starts by noting that every natural...
The Teacher starts by noting that every natural and historical activity has a repetitive cycle of coming and going, existing and not existing. This can cause some to feel that everything is meaningless. The Teacher quickly shifts from one topic to another and ends this section with the topic he began with, using a literary style that reflects the cycles he describes in nature and human history.
2“Futility† of futilities,”says the Teacher,“futility of futilities!Everything is futile!”3What does a man gain from all his labor,at which he toils under the sun?4Generations come and generations go,but the earth remains forever.5The sun rises and the sun sets;it hurries back to where it rises.6The wind blows southward,then turns northward;round and round it swirls,ever returning on its course.ⓘThe sea is never full, and we are...
The sea is never full, and we are never satisfied. This image shows how life can feel unfulfilling.
7All the rivers flow into the sea,yet the sea is never full;to the place from which the streams come,there again they flow.8All things are wearisome,more than one can describe;the eye is not satisfied with seeing,nor the ear content with hearing.9What has been will be again,and what has been done will be done again;there is nothing new under the sun.10Is there a case where one can say,“Look, this is new”?It has already existedin the ages before us.11There is no remembranceof those who came before,and those yet to come will not be rememberedby those who follow after.
With Wisdom Comes Sorrow
ⓘThe Teacher examines how wisdom, work, and pleasure...
The Teacher examines how wisdom, work, and pleasure relate to each other.
12I, the Teacher, was king over Israelin Jerusalem. 13And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a miserable task God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
14I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
15What is crooked cannot be straightened,and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16I said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdomand knowledge.”
17So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.
18For with much wisdom comes much sorrow,and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
Commentary
Ecclesiastes 1:1
Ecclesiastes does not mention the Teacher's name (Qoheleth in Hebrew), but King David's son likely refers to Solomon (see also Ecclesiastes 1:12, 16; 2:4–9).
Commentary
Ecclesiastes 1:2
Futility of futilities...Everything is futile (literally vapor of vapors): Whenever "meaningless" appears in this book, it translates the Hebrew word hebel, which means "breath" or "vapor." The Teacher concludes that everything is temporary and lacks meaning, like vapor.
The Hebrew phrase under the sun appears twenty-nine times in Ecclesiastes. The New Living Translation sometimes translates it as "here on earth" (Proverbs 2:18) or "in this world" (Proverbs 2:20). It suggests a view of life focused on earthly matters rather than God's perspective.
Commentary
Ecclesiastes 1:4
Generations come and go, and individual lives often seem to pass without importance.
Commentary
Ecclesiastes 1:11
There is no remembrance: We cannot rely on others to remember what we believe we have accomplished.
Commentary
Ecclesiastes 1:13
What a miserable task God has laid: The harsh truths of human experience remind us of the Fall in Eden (Genesis 3). Ecclesiastes does not avoid sad topics like death, oppression, and loneliness. Instead, it faces them directly and includes them in realistic conclusions.
Commentary
Ecclesiastes 1:14
a pursuit of the wind.: Life comes and goes quickly, just like the wind.
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