Ecclesiastes1

English Standard Version

TranslationKJV WEB ASV ESV NIV NASB NKJV NLT

¹The of the , the of , in .

² of , the , of ! All is .

³What does by all the at which he under the ?

⁴A , and a , but the .

⁵The , and the , and to the where it .

⁶The to the and goes the ; around and around the , and on its the wind .

⁷ the , but the is ; the the , .

⁸ are full of ; a it; the is not with , the with .

⁹ has been is what will be, and has been is what will be , and there is the .

¹⁰Is a of it is , , is ? has been in the us.

¹¹There is of things, will there be any of later things yet to those who .

¹² the have been in .

¹³And I my to and to by that is . It is an that has to the of to be with.

¹⁴I have that is the , and , is and a after .

¹⁵What is be , and what is be .

¹⁶ my , have , were me, and my has had of and .

¹⁷And I my to and to and . I that is but a after .

¹⁸ in is , and he who .

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Ecclesiastes 1.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: Solomon shows that all human things are vain. (1-3). Man's toil and want of satisfaction. (4-8). There is nothing new. (9-11). The vexation in pursuit of knowledge. (12-18).

vv1-3

Much is to be learned by comparing one part of Scripture with another. We here behold Solomon returning from the broken and empty cisterns of the world, to the Fountain of living water; recording his own folly and shame, the bitterness of his disappointment, and the lessons he had learned. Those that have taken warning to turn and live, should warn others not to go on and die. He does not merely say all things are vain, but that they are vanity. VANITY OF VANITIES, ALL IS VANITY. This is the text of the preacher's sermon, of which in this book he never loses sight. If this world, in its present state, were all, it would not be worth living for; and the wealth and pleasure of this world, if we had ever so much, are not enough to make us happy. What profit has a man of all his labour? All he gets by it will not supply the wants of the soul, nor satisfy its desires; will not atone for the sins of the soul, nor hinder the loss of it: what profit will the wealth of the world be to the soul in death, in judgment, or in the everlasting state?

vv4-8

All things change, and never rest. Man, after all his labour, is no nearer finding rest than the sun, the wind, or the current of the river. His soul will find no rest, if he has it not from God. The senses are soon tired, yet still craving what is untried.

vv9-11

Men's hearts and their corruptions are the same now as in former times; their desires, and pursuits, and complaints, still the same. This should take us from expecting happiness in the creature, and quicken us to seek eternal blessings. How many things and persons in Solomon's day were thought very great, yet there is no remembrance of them now!

Key Words

wordsH1697Hebrew

דָּבָר: a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause

PreacherH6953Hebrew

קֹהֶלֶת: a (female) assembler (i.e. lecturer); abstractly, preaching (used as a 'nom de plume', Koheleth)

sonH1121Hebrew

בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)

DavidH1732Hebrew

דָּוִד: David, the youngest son of Jesse

kingH4428Hebrew

מֶלֶךְ: a king

JerusalemH3389Hebrew

יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם: Jerushalaim or Jerushalem, the capital city of Palestine

VanityH1892Hebrew

הֶבֶל: emptiness or vanity; figuratively, something transitory and unsatisfactory; often used as an adverb

saysH559Hebrew

אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)

manH120Hebrew

אָדָם: ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.)