Verse by Verse

⁴ Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

⁵ The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh.

⁶ Better a handful with quietness than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.

⁷ Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun:

1 Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun: And look! The tears of the oppressed, but they have no comforter—On the side of their oppressors there is power, but they have no comforter.

¹⁸ I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.”

¹⁹ For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.

²⁰ All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.

²¹ Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?

²² So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?

tests (v.18) — God tests men to show them that, without Him, they are nothing more than animals.

Since the Fall (Genesis 3:19) man, like the beast, is on his journey from dust to dust. Man, who fancies himself to be like God, is in reality more like the beast. …

Many commentators portray [the] Preacher here as a confused figure who is uncertain of man’s destiny after death. Those interpreters who maintain that the author is expressing doubt here have the author contradicting himself, for in Ecclesiastes 12:7 he claims that the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. [It could be translated] “There are not many who take to heart as they ought to the fact that the spirit of man goeth upward, and that the spirit of the beast goeth downward to the earth.” — KJV Commentary, page 741.

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The Hebrews commonly believed that the spirit of an animal was different from that of a man. When the breath of life departed from an animal, it died, and its carcass was returned to the ground—that was the end of its existence. When the breath of life departed from man, his body also was returned to the ground, but his spirit returned to God from whence it came (Genesis 2:7). So, while this belief was commonly accepted, Solomon asked, “Does anyone really know for sure if this is what happens?” … Solomon himself [knew] for sure that man’s spirit returned to God as evidenced by Ecclesiastes 12:7, but he posed the question here as one looking at life “under the sun,” i.e., a life lived from a temporal, man-centered point of view. — Grace, page 1171.

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The question in verse 21 not only declares that man is wholly unable to discover what lies beyond death, but the form of the question implies that he does not wish to know. A similar question is: “Who hath believed our report?” (Isaiah 53:1). The answer is, no one: for none wished to believe it. 

The fact of death, and the darkness that lies beyond, impenetrable by man, turn into vanity and vexation of spirit all man’s efforts to make this world a satisfying portion. — Williams, page 441.

If, as most men profess to believe, there is nothing after death, than no matter what sort of spin they try to put on it, they are simply animals.

¹⁶ Moreover I saw under the sun: In the place of judgment, wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, iniquity was there.

¹⁷ I said in my heart, “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”

God will judge. Some will petition the Preacher and question why God has delayed the time of judgement. Such questions only serve to point out man’s wretched unwillingness to abide under the conviction of Ecclesiastes 3:11. — KJV Commentary, page 740.

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A difficulty is presented in verse 16, but answered in verse 17. The difficultly is: If God governs human affairs, why is injustice found where justice should be enthroned? The answer is, that God permits this folly on the part of man in order to humble him; and that He will in a future life judge him for his wrong doing. The word “there” (v.17) means in the world beyond the grave; that is, in the great day of future judgment. — Williams, page 441.

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The prophetic books are replete with warnings of consequences to Israel for failing to execute proper justice. The Psalms also lament the lack of justice against the wicked (Psalm 73:3-17). When considered “under the sun,” these things are depressing. But the antidote to despair is knowing that in His time God will righteously execute judgment on the world (2 Corinthians 11:15; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:11-13) — Grace, page 1171.

time (v.17) — a set time.

⁹ What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?

¹⁰ I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.

¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

¹² I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives,

¹³ and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

Verse 9 is asking what profit man receives for all his work.

God has given man an awareness of Himself (v.11), but it is suppressed by our sin nature (Romans 1:18-21). … Though man has an awareness of eternity, of “something more,” he cannot figure out God’s place in its entirety (thus his frustration and sense of futility). — Grace, page 1171.

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God has not created man without the ability to appreciate the importance of what he is doing. He has implanted eternity in the heart of man. To give into the heart is a Hebraism for giving or speaking in a flattering way. Man alone has within him the ability to appreciate what God is doing. It is beyond man to reason out the significance of each time event. He cannot know, even if he torments himself, the hours when events will come to pass. Indeed, to attempt the unraveling of the future is an exercise forbidden to man (Isaiah 47:12). He can, however, in the spirit of Romans 8:28 know that God is working all things together for His good and with the knowledge of that reality he can enter into the path of profit and joy. — KJV Commentary, page 740. 

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The decision to break with anxiety and travail is not a decision that man is free to make. It is not in his ability to do it. He may will it, but he cannot perform it (Romans 7:18). The ability to enjoy the things that are presented and to have a joyful heart is the gift of God. — KJV Commentary, page 740.

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The eating and drinking and toiling, and the enjoyment resulting therefrom means legitimate labor as man’s daily duty; but not as the end, or purpose, of his being. — Williams, page 441.

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Recognizing God’s sovereignty over all things (vs.1-8) is the key to enjoying life (v.13). — Grace, page 1171.

²⁴ Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.

²⁵ For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?

²⁶ For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

A life of honest labor ministers a happiness appointed by the hand of God. “Eat and drink” in this verse is to be understood as enjoyment of needful food with an appetite quickened by honest “labor” … He who thus works for his daily bread in obedience to the Divine Will (v.26), to him God recompenses wisdom, knowledge and joy; but to the disobedient He gives the fruitless toil of amassing wealth for honest men to enjoy. This latter “travail” Solomon found to be vanity and a striving after wind.

“Labor” (v.24) means fruitful toil, “travail” (v.26) on the other hand means toil that only gives fatigue. Had Solomon profited by the Proverbs of the wise men, and had he listened to his father’s dying words (1 Chronicles 28:9), he would have been spared the suffering here recorded. — Williams, pages 440-441.

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To “eat and drink” signify contentment. It is God’s will for us to be content with life (Psalm 104:13-15; 1 Timothy 6:6-8). — Grace, page 1170.

My take on these verses is that God wants us to be content and enjoy the things He has provided for us — but always in the context of His provision. We enjoy food as from Him and thank Him for it. We experience satisfaction from labor well done because we do it to glorify Him. It’s when we enjoy things while disregarding Him or in order to give our lives meaning, that those things become worthless.

¹⁸ Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me.

¹⁹ And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

²⁰ Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun.

²¹ For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

²² For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun?

²³ For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.

The elusive quality of one’s work and possessions caused the Preacher to despair. … To leave the fruit of all one’s labor to one who may indeed be a fool surely constitutes one of life’s most bitter disappointments. The days of a man are therefore filled with travail, and at night upon his bed he can find  no rest for his grief-stricken heart. Labor then cannot provide man with the key to profit in this life. — KJV Commentary, page 738.

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The knowledge that however artistic and beautiful may be the works of a clever man (v.21) … yet must he leave all to his successor who may be a fool, and this saddened him. The wise man’s “portion” or share, is sorrow, grief and vanity, but his foolish successor’s share is the possession, without effort, of all that his father painfully toiled to bring into being. This Solomon found to be vanity and a great calamity (v.21); and accordingly he gave up as desperate all hope of solid satisfaction from his toil (v.20). His son Rehoboam was his success, and he was a fool. — Williams, page 440.

there is a man (v.21) — Solomon was referring to himself. Paul used a similar phrase to refer to himself in 2 Corinthians 12:2.

[Solomon’s] fears turned out to be justified when his unwise son Rehoboam lost the great majority of his kingdom and in a short time undid most of what Solomon had accomplished (1 Kings 12:6-24). — Grace, page 1170.

evil (v.22) — Not sinful, but calamitous, causing distress

in the night his heart takes no rest (v.23) — Paul instructed believers not to worry about anything (Philippians 4:6). He also told believers, “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23). So, instead of working to find meaning in life, work to glorify God.

What is the point of working hard and accomplishing anything if it all comes to nothing in the end? Remember … it was sin that has subjected work to frustration and futility (Genesis 3:17-19). What Solomon lamented was not the futility of the work itself, but work done “under the sun.” When viewed without an eternal perspective, the fleeting nature of all that we accomplish is depressing. But praise be to God that this is NOT our perspective! As believers in Christ, we have an eternal perspective! Thus, we know that our “labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). [We can] do all our work with diligence and cheerfulness because we KNOW that we “shall receive the reward of the inheritance” because we serve the Lord Christ! — Grace, page 1170

¹⁵ So I said in my heart, “As it happens to the fool, it also happens to me, and why was I then more wise?” Then I said in my heart, “This also is vanity.”

¹⁶ For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. and how does a wise man die? As the fool!

¹⁷ Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

I turned (v.12) — Implies a deeper study

The question (v.12) “what can the man do” etc. means no one could, or can, possibly compete with King Solomon in determining the vanity of things under the sun, for no one ever was, or will be, as efficiently equipped as he was for this experiment. — Williams, page 440.

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Verse 12b is saying that if a man comes after Solomon and decides to do the same study of wisdom and folly, what can that man do except what Solomon has already done? (And he would come to the same conclusion.) — Grace, page 1169.

darkness (v.14) — symbolizing evil and foolishness

It is certain that wisdom is relatively superior to folly; for the wise man makes a better job of life than the fool. But this relative is cancelled out by the absolute of death, a fact which seriously challenges the worth of wisdom. There is a paradox about wisdom; wisdom means looking forward. While the fool, like the grasshopper, lives for the moment, the wise man, like the ant, dips into the future; he takes his bearings from tomorrow, and endeavors to plot his course accordingly (v.14). Yet this wisdom is most hazardous; for it is not in our power to foresee, still less to control, the future. — Guthrie, page 572.

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Although wisdom is certainly preferable to folly, the pursuers of both are subject to a common lot. One event unites all. The Preacher suffers from no illusion about life under the sun, and he does not seek to soften perplexing issues. Death brings about the extinction of every project and robs every man of the enjoyment of dignity. The fool and the wise man die alike. “Therefore I hated life.” — KJV Commentary, page 739.

In Proverbs (5:5-8), Solomon encouraged his readers to seek wisdom. He wasn’t saying, in Ecclesiastes 2, that wisdom has no value—only that wisdom, by itself doesn’t give life meaning.

Both the wise and the foolish are soon forgotten (v.16).

Life was a burden and to be hated because both wise and fool share the same fate. — Grace, page 1169.