1The words of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem: 2Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. 3What is the profit to a man in all his labor which he labors under the sun? 4A generation passes away, and a generation comes; but the earth stands perpetually. 5The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, panting in a hurry to its place where it rises again. 6The wind goes toward the south, and it turns around to the north; it whirls around continually; and the wind returns according to its circuits. 7All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; to the place from where the rivers come, there they return again. 8All things are full of labor; man is not able to utter it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. 9That which has been is that which shall be; and that which has been done is that which shall be done; and there is nothing new under the sun. 10Is there a thing of which it may be said, See, this is new? It has already been in the days of antiquity, which were before us. 11There is no remembrance of former things, and also no remembrance of following things of what will be; nor a remembrance of those things by those who follow afterwards. 12I, the preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13And I have given my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that which is done under the heavens. It is an evil task which God has given to the sons of men to be busied with. 14I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and striving of spirit. 15What is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is lacking cannot be numbered. 16I spoke within my own heart, saying, Lo, I have become great and have gathered more wisdom than all who have been before me in Jerusalem; yea, my heart has seen much of wisdom and knowledge. 17And I gave my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I have perceived that this also is striving of spirit. 18For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 INTRODUCTION. (Ecc. 1:1-18)
the Preacher--and Convener of assemblies for the purpose. See my Preface. Koheleth in Hebrew, a symbolical name for Solomon, and of Heavenly Wisdom speaking through and identified with him.
Εκκλ. 1:12 shows that "king of Jerusalem" is in apposition, not with "David," but "Preacher."
of Jerusalem--rather, "in Jerusalem," for it was merely his metropolis, not his whole kingdom.
2 The theme proposed of the first part of his discourse.
Vanity of vanities--Hebraism for the most utter vanity. So "holy of holies" (
Έξ. 26:33); "servant of servants" (
Γέν. 9:25). The repetition increases the force.
all--Hebrew, "the all"; all without exception, namely, earthly things.
vanity--not in themselves, for God maketh nothing in vain (
1Τιμ. 4:4-5), but vain when put in the place of God and made the end, instead of the means (
Ψαλ. 39:5-
Ψαλ. 39:6;
Ψαλ. 62:9;
Ματθ. 6:33); vain, also, because of the "vanity" to which they are "subjected" by the fall (
Ρωμ. 8:20).
3 What profit . . . labour--that is, "What profit" as to the chief good (
Ματθ. 16:26). Labor is profitable in its proper place (
Γέν. 2:15;
Γέν. 3:19;
Παρ. 14:23).
under the sun--that is, in this life, as opposed to the future world. The phrase often recurs, but only in Ecclesiastes.
4 earth . . . for ever-- (
Ψαλ. 104:5). While the earth remains the same, the generations of men are ever changing; what lasting profit, then, can there be from the toils of one whose sojourn on earth, as an individual, is so brief? The "for ever" is comparative, not absolute (
Ψαλ. 102:26).
5 (
Ψαλ. 19:5-
Ψαλ. 19:6). "Panting" as the Hebrew for "hasteth"; metaphor, from a runner (
Ψαλ. 19:5, "a strong man") in a "race." It applies rather to the rising sun, which seems laboriously to mount up to the meridian, than to the setting sun; the accents too favor MAURER, "And (that too, returning) to his place, where panting he riseth."
6 according to his circuits--that is, it returns afresh to its former circuits, however many be its previous veerings about. The north and south winds are the two prevailing winds in Palestine and Egypt.
7 By subterraneous cavities, and by evaporation forming rain clouds, the fountains and rivers are supplied from the sea, into which they then flow back. The connection is: Individual men are continually changing, while the succession of the race continues; just as the sun, wind, and rivers are ever shifting about, while the cycle in which they move is invariable; they return to the point whence they set out. Hence is man, as in these objects of nature which are his analogue, with all the seeming changes "there is no new thing" (
Εκκλ. 1:9).
8 MAURER translates, "All words are wearied out," that is, are inadequate, as also, "man cannot express" all the things in the world which undergo this ceaseless, changeless cycle of vicissitudes: "The eye is not satisfied with seeing them," &c. But it is plainly a return to the idea (
Εκκλ. 1:3) as to man's "labor," which is only wearisome and profitless; "no new" good can accrue from it (
Εκκλ. 1:9); for as the sun, &c., so man's laborious works move in a changeless cycle. The eye and ear are two of the taskmasters for which man toils. But these are never "satisfied" (
Εκκλ. 6:7;
Παρ. 27:20). Nor can they be so hereafter, for there will be nothing "new." Not so the chief good, Jesus Christ (
Ιωάν. 4:13-
Ιωάν. 4:14;
Αποκ. 21:5).
9 Rather, "no new thing at all"; as in
Αρ. 11:6. This is not meant in a general sense; but there is no new source of happiness (the subject in question) which can be devised; the same round of petty pleasures, cares, business, study, wars, &c., being repeated over and over again [HOLDEN].
10 old time--Hebrew, "ages."
which was--The Hebrew plural cannot be joined to the verb singular. Therefore translate: "It hath been in the ages before; certainly it hath been before us" [HOLDEN]. Or, as MAURER: "That which has been (done) before us (in our presence,
1Χρ. 16:33), has been (done) already in the old times."
11 The reason why some things are thought "new," which are not really so, is the imperfect record that exists of preceding ages among their successors.
those that . . . come after--that is, those that live still later than the "things, rather the persons or generations,
Εκκλ. 1:4, with which this verse is connected, the six intermediate verses being merely illustrations of
Εκκλ. 1:4 [WEISS], that are to come" (
Εκκλ. 2:16;
Εκκλ. 9:5).
12 Resumption of
Εκκλ. 1:1, the intermediate verses being the introductory statement of his thesis. Therefore, "the Preacher" (Koheleth) is repeated.
was king--instead of "am," because he is about to give the results of his past experience during his long reign.
in Jerusalem--specified, as opposed to David, who reigned both in Hebron and Jerusalem; whereas Solomon reigned only in Jerusalem. "King of Israel in Jerusalem," implies that he reigned over Israel and Judah combined; whereas David, at Hebron, reigned only over Judah, and not, until he was settled in Jerusalem, over both Israel and Judah.
13 this sore travail--namely, that of "searching out all things done under heaven." Not human wisdom in general, which comes afterwards (
Εκκλ. 2:12, &c.), but laborious enquiries into, and speculations about, the works of men; for example, political science. As man is doomed to get his bread, so his knowledge, by the sweat of his brow (
Γέν. 3:19) [GILL].
exercised--that is, disciplined; literally, "that they may thereby chastise, or humble themselves."
14 The reason is here given why investigation into man's "works" is only "sore travail" (
Εκκλ. 1:13); namely, because all man's ways are vain (
Εκκλ. 1:18) and cannot be mended (
Εκκλ. 1:15).
vexation of--"a preying upon"
the Spirit--MAURER translates; "the pursuit of wind," as in
Εκκλ. 5:16;
Ωσ. 12:1, "Ephraim feedeth on wind." But old versions support the English Version.
15 Investigation (
Εκκλ. 1:13) into human ways is vain labor, for they are hopelessly "crooked" and "cannot be made straight" by it (
Εκκλ. 7:13). God, the chief good, alone can do this (
Ησ. 40:4;
Ησ. 45:2).
wanting-- (
Δαν. 5:27).
numbered--so as to make a complete number; so equivalent to "supplied" [MAURER]. Or, rather, man's state is utterly wanting; and that which is wholly defective cannot be numbered or calculated. The investigator thinks he can draw up, in accurate numbers, statistics of man's wants; but these, including the defects in the investigator's labor, are not partial, but total.
16 communed with . . . heart-- (
Γέν. 24:45).
come to great estate--Rather, "I have magnified and gotten" (literally, "added," increased), &c.
all . . . before me in Jerusalem--namely, the priests, judges, and two kings that preceded Solomon. His wisdom exceeded that of all before Jesus Christ, the antitypical Koheleth, or "Gatherer of men," (
Λουκ. 13:34), and "Wisdom" incarnate (
Ματθ. 11:19;
Ματθ. 12:42).
had . . . experience--literally, "had seen" (
Ιερ. 2:31). Contrast with this glorying in worldly wisdom (
Ιερ. 9:23-
Ιερ. 9:24).
17 wisdom . . . madness--that is, their effects, the works of human wisdom and folly respectively. "Madness," literally, "vaunting extravagance";
Εκκλ. 2:12;
Εκκλ. 7:25, &c., support English Version rather than DATHE, "splendid matters." "Folly" is read by English Version with some manuscripts, instead of the present Hebrew text, "prudence." If Hebrew be retained, understand "prudence," falsely so called (
1Τιμ. 6:20), "craft" (
Δαν. 8:25).
18 wisdom . . . knowledge--not in general, for wisdom, &c., are most excellent in their place; but speculative knowledge of man's ways (
Εκκλ. 1:13,
Εκκλ. 1:17), which, the farther it goes, gives one the more pain to find how "crooked" and "wanting" they are (
Εκκλ. 1:15;
Εκκλ. 12:12).
He next tries pleasure and luxury, retaining however, his worldly "wisdom" (
Εκκλ. 3:9), but all proves "vanity" in respect to the chief good.
