Ecclesiastes is different from every other book in the Bible, both in its language and its contents. In another article, I showed that it is evidence in favor of the book being written by Solomon around 1000 BCE. I will now discuss its contents.
WHAT DOES “VANITY” (HÆBÆL) MEAN
At the beginning of Ecclesiastes in chapter 1, verses 2 and 3, we read:
2 “The greatest vanity! (hæbæl habālīm)” the congregator has said, “the greatest vanity (hæbæl)! Everything is vanity!” 3 What profit (yitrōn)does a man have in all his hard work at which he works hard under the sun?
We need to look at the principal words, and I start with “vanity.” The Hebrew word hæbæl has the meaning “breath; by extension: something with no substance, meaninglessness, worthlessness, vanity, emptiness, futility; idol.” (Kohlenberger/Mounce) The words hæbæl habālīm are superlative — the greatest vanity.
What did Qōhelet, the Congregator, mean with his words? We get a clue in verse 3, which implies that the hard work of man will not succeed, and give him real profit or gain, which is the meaning of yitrōn.
There is no quotation from Ecclesiastes in the Christian Greek Scriptures. But there may be allusions to the book in Romans 8:20 (above) and Matthew 12:36 (below):
20 For the creation was subjected to futility (mataotēs), not by its own will but through him that subjected it, on the basis of hope.
36 I tell YOU that every unprofitable saying that men speak, they will render an account concerning it on Judgment Day.
The Greek mataiotēs has the meaning “futility, emptiness, purposelessness,” and we see that both hæbæl and mataiotēs include the meanings “emptiness and futility.” Franz Delizsch translated the New Testament into Hebrew, and it is interesting that he used the Hebrew word hæbæl for the Greek word mataiotēs in Romans 8:20. Paul’s points are that all humans have inherited sin, and therefore, they live a life that is not good and satisfactory. But God will change this situation.
Ecclesiastes discusses the same theme from a different angle, showing that humans cannot find lasting satisfaction in their work because of unforeseen occurrences, and more than anything else, because all will die and lose everything. It is very likely that Paul alluded to Ecclesiastes when he wrote Romans 8:20.
Solomon speaks of God’s judgment in Ecclesiastes 12:14, saying that every sort of work and every hidden thing will be included in the judgment, and Jesus speaks of Judgment Day, saying that every unprofitable saying will be included in the judgment.
TO WHAT DOES “EVERYTHING” REFER?
The Hebrew word kol means “all, every,” and in 1:2 it is preceded by the definite article and means “everything.” It can be used in a universal sense, including absolutely everything, or it can refer to everything inside a particular group. To find the reference of “everything,” I quote Ecclesiastes 1:14 (above) and 3:14 (below):
14 I saw all the works that were done under the sun, and, look! everything was vanity and a striving after wind.
14 I have come to know that everything that the [true] God makes, it will prove to be to time indefinite. To it there is nothing to add and from it there is nothing to subtract; but the [true] God himself has made it, that people may be afraid on account of him.
The Congregator points out that what God makes will stand to time definite. It is obvious that God’s actions cannot be classified as vanity. But “everything” must refer to the actions of mankind “under the sun.
THE THEME OF ECCLESIASTES
The chapters include many different thoughts. Paul’s words in Romans 8:20 capture the backdrop of Solomon’s words: “The creation was subjected to futility.” Based on this, there are two verses that particularly carry out the theme, namely Ecclesiastes 9:10, 11:
10 All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheʹol, the place to which you are going.
11 I returned to see under the sun that the swift do not have the race, nor the mighty ones the battle, nor do the wise also have the food, nor do the understanding ones also have the riches, nor do even those having knowledge have the favor; because time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all.
The point of verses 11 and 12 is that those who are best qualified will not always succeed because “time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all.” The most important “unforeseen occurrence” is death, as we see in verse 10. Death is never classified as vanity. But death is a main cause of vanity, and it is featured prominently is Ecclesiastes, as we will see.
Verse 10 admonishes all to use their opportunities in life because there are no opportunities in the grave. I will express the theme of the book in the following way.
HUMANS CANNOT GET LASTING HAPPINESS IN THIS LIFE BECAUSE THEY EXPERIENCE UNFORESEEN OCCURRENCES, AND AT LAST THEY DIE. BUT THEY SHOULD TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEEK THE HAPPINESS GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THEM.
THE LIFE OF MAN IS VANITY
The point of the Congregator, that I quoted above, is that “everything that the [true] God makes, it will prove to be to time indefinite” (3:14) But what is vanity is connected with the humans. I quote 6:12:
12 Because there exist many things that are causing much vanity, what advantage does a man have? 12 For who is there knowing what good a man has in life for the number of the days of his vain (hæbæl) life, when he spends them like a shadow? For who can tell man what will happen after him under the sun?
This verse catches two main subjects of Ecclesiastes. The Hebrew word hæbæl is connected with the life of man. In his first letter to Timothy 6:19, Paul speaks of “the real life.” The Greek adverb ontōs that modifies “life” has the meaning “really, in truth, truly” (Mounce) In contrast to what really is life in the fullest sense of the word is that humans spend the days of their lives “like a shadow.” This is the umbrella term under which the different sides of vanity are subsumed.
The other main subject is the opposite of life: death, which stops everything a man has achieved. This subject is implied by the words “what will happen after him? I will discuss both subjects in detail, and I start with the vanity of human life.
All the works of man are vanity.
1:14
14 I saw all the works that were done under the sun, and, look! everything was vanity and a striving after wind.
Works that bring joy are vanity.
2:1
1 I said, even I, in my heart: “Do come now, let me try you out with rejoicing. Also, see good.” And, look! that too was vanity.
All my works are vanity.
2:11
2 And I, even I, turned toward all the works of mine that my hands had done and toward the hard work that I had worked hard to accomplish, and, look! everything was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing of advantage under the sun.
The wise one and the stupid one end their day in the same way; this is vanity.
2:15, 16
15 And I myself said in my heart: “An eventuality like that upon the stupid one will eventuate to me, yes, me.” Why, then, had I become wise, I overmuch so+ at that time? And I spoke in my heart: “This too is vanity.” 16 For there is no more remembrance of the wise one than of the stupid one to time indefinite. In the days that are already coming in, everyone is certainly forgotten; and how will the wise one die? Along with the stupid one.
Losing one’s achievements at death and leaving them to another man who is coming after him is vanity.
2:17-19
17 And I hated life, because the work that has been done under the sun was calamitous from my standpoint, for everything was vanity and a striving after wind. 18 And I, even I, hated all my hard work at which I was working hard under the sun, that I would leave behind for the man who would come to be after me. 19 And who is there knowing whether he will prove to be wise or foolish? Yet he will take control over all my hard work at which I worked hard and at which I showed wisdom under the sun.
When a man who has not worked hard receives the fruit of hard work, this is vanity.
2:17-19
21 For there exists the man whose hard work has been with wisdom and with knowledge and with proficiency, but to a man that has not worked hard at such a thing will be given the portion of that one. This too is vanity and a big calamity.
Hard work brings pains and vexation. This is vanity.
2:22
22 For what does a man come to have for all his hard work and for the striving of his heart with which he is working hard under the sun? 23 For all his days his occupation means pains and vexation, also during the night his heart just does not lie down. This too is mere vanity.
When the sinner is storing up wealth to hand it over to the good man, this is vanity.
2:22
26 For to the man that is good before him he has given wisdom and knowledge and rejoicing, but to the sinner he has given the occupation of gathering and bringing together merely to give to the one that is good before the [true] God. This too is vanity and a striving after wind.
Man dies in the same way as the beasts. This is vanity.
3:19, 20
19 For there is an eventuality as respects the sons of mankind and an eventuality as respects the beast, and they have the same eventuality. As the one dies, so the other dies; and they all have but one spirit, so that there is no superiority of the man over the beast, for everything is vanity.
Hard work done because of jealousy is vanity.
4:4
4 And I myself have seen all the hard work and all the proficiency in work, that it means the rivalry of one toward another; this also is vanity and a striving after the wind.
Not to be satisfied with riches he has obtained is vanity.
4:8
8 Also, his eyes themselves are not satisfied with riches: “And for whom am I working hard and causing my soul to lack in good things?” This too is vanity, and it is a calamitous occupation.
When a wise youth becomes king but loses the support of the people, this is vanity.
4:13-16
13 Better is a needy but wise child than an old but stupid king, who has not come to know enough to be warned any longer. 14 For he has gone forth from the prison house itself to become king, although in the kingship of this one he had been born as one of little means. 15 I have seen all those alive who are walking about under the sun, [how it goes] with the child, who is second, that stands up in the other one’s place. 16 There is no end to all the people, to all those before whom he happened to be; neither will people afterward rejoice in him,+ for this too is vanity and a striving after the wind.
Losing everything when one dies is a calamity (“evil sickness”).[1]
5:15-16
15 Just as one has come forth from his mother’s belly, naked will one go away again, just as one came; and nothing at all can one carry away for his hard work, which he can take along with his hand. 16 And this too is a grave calamity (rā‘ā hōlā, evil sickness): exactly as one has come, so one will go away; and what profit is there to the one who keeps working hard for the wind?
When a man acquires riches but is not able to use his riches, this is vanity.
5:15-16
1 There exists a calamity that I have seen under the sun, and it is frequent among mankind: 2 a man to whom the [true] God gives riches and material possessions and glory and who, for his soul, is in no need of anything that he shows himself longing for, and yet the [true] God does not enable him to eat from it, although a mere foreigner may eat it. This is vanity (hæbæl) and it is a bad sickness (rā‘ā hōlā).
Desires to fill one’s mouth is vanity if one does not control them.
6:7-9
7 All the hard work of mankind is for their mouth, but even their own soul does not get filled. 8 For what advantage does the wise have over the stupid one? What does the afflicted one have in knowing how to walk in front of the living ones? 9 Better is the seeing by the eyes than the walking about of the soul. This too is vanity and a striving after the wind.
These words are difficult to comprehend. But The Watchtower of June 1. 1977, page 330, has an interesting comment:
People work hard to get what they need to keep themselves alive; they work “for their mouth.” Yet this seldom satisfies their many desires, their soulful longings. The wise but discontented man may try to suppress troublesome desires, whereas the fool gives in to them, exercising no restraint. This was apparently the basis for Solomon’s questions: “For what advantage does the wise have over the stupid one? What does the afflicted one have in knowing how to walk in front of the living ones?” In the sense that both the wise and the stupid one have nagging desires, the wise person has no advantage. Similarly, the afflicted one may know how to conceal his disturbing desires before others, but this still does not remove them. Unfulfilled, they continue to trouble him. He, too, is no better off than the fool. So the truly wise course is for a person to be content, enjoying what he has, what he can see with his eyes, instead of longingly looking at something else, letting soulful desire deprive him of peace.
The stupid ones may cause problems. This is vanity.
7:5, 6
5 Better is it to hear the rebuke of someone wise than to be the man hearing the song of the stupid ones. 6 For as the sound of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the stupid one; and this too is vanity.
Wicked people may have a good life. But then they die and are forgotten. This is vanity.
8:9, 12
9 All this I have seen, and there was an applying of my heart to every work that has been done under the sun, [during] the time that man has dominated man to his injury. 10 But, though this is so, I have seen the wicked ones being buried, how they came in and how they would go away from the holy place itself and be forgotten in the city where they acted that way. This too is vanity.
These words are difficult to comprehend. But The Watchtower of September 1. 1977, page 518, has an interesting comment:
The conclusions Solomon reached about oppressive rule by man were based on careful observation. He gave heartfelt consideration to the whole scope of such human rule and its effect upon the people. For this reason he could say: “All this I have seen, and there was an applying of my heart to every work that has been done under the sun, during the time that man has dominated man to his injury.”—Eccl. 8:9.
Tyrannical rulers, however, are not able to continue their domination indefinitely. Solomon continued: “Though this is so [man’s dominating man to his injury], I have seen the wicked ones being buried, how they came in and how they would go away from the holy place itself and be forgotten in the city where they acted that way. This too is vanity.” (Eccl. 8:10) While alive, the wicked ones would come in and go away from the holy place, which, in Solomon’s day, was the holy city of Jerusalem with its temple of Jehovah. (Matt. 24:15
When righteous men get what the wicked ones deserve, this is vanity.
8:14
14 There exists a vanity that is carried out on the earth, that there exist righteous ones to whom it is happening as if for the work of the wicked ones, and there exist wicked ones to whom it is happening as if for the work of the righteous ones. I said that this too is vanity.
I have quoted 18 different situations that Solomon characterized as “vanity.” In the last part of the book, in 12:8, he concludes his discussions by saying:
8 “The greatest vanity!” said the congregator, “Everything is vanity.”
A SYNTHESIS OF SITUATIONS OF VANITY
Solomon says that all the works of man are vanity (1:14), including his own work. He also says that rejoicing is vanity (2:1). These all-embracing expressions are modified throughout the book.
The following situations are vanity:
Hard work brings pain and vexation.
A man is given what another man has achieved.
Works done because of jealousy.
Not to be able to use his riches.
Not to be satisfied with his riches.
Lack of control in using one’s achievements.
A youth who becomes king but loses the support of the people.
Stupid persons can cause many problems.
Three of Solomon’s statements about vanity relate to situations where someone other than the one who worked hard reaps the fruit of another man’s hard labor. But the situation par excellence that represents vanity is death, of which five different situations are mentioned.
[1]. In the last part of 5:2, he words “evil sickness” (rā‘ā hōlā) is used as a synonym with “vanity” (hæbæl). Therefore, I classify 5:15, 16 together with the other where “vanity” (hæbæl) occurs.
Ecclesiastes is different from every other book in the Bible, both in its language and its contents. In another article, I showed that it is evidence in favor of the book being written by Solomon around 1000 BCE. I will now discuss its contents.
WHAT DOES “VANITY” (HÆBÆL) MEAN
At the beginning of Ecclesiastes in chapter 1, verses 2 and 3, we read:
2 “The greatest vanity! (hæbæl habālīm)” the congregator has said, “the greatest vanity (hæbæl)! Everything is vanity!” 3 What profit (yitrōn)does a man have in all his hard work at which he works hard under the sun?
We need to look at the principal words, and I start with “vanity.” The Hebrew word hæbæl has the meaning “breath; by extension: something with no substance, meaninglessness, worthlessness, vanity, emptiness, futility; idol.” (Kohlenberger/Mounce) The words hæbæl habālīm are superlative — the greatest vanity.
What did Qōhelet, the Congregator, mean with his words? We get a clue in verse 3, which implies that the hard work of man will not succeed, and give him real profit or gain, which is the meaning of yitrōn.
There is no quotation from Ecclesiastes in the Christian Greek Scriptures. But there may be allusions to the book in Romans 8:20 and Matthew 12:36:
20 For the creation was subjected to futility (mataotēs), not by its own will but through him that subjected it, on the basis of hope.
The Greek mataiotēs has the meaning “futility, emptiness, purposelessness,” and we see that both hæbæl and mataiotēs include the meanings “emptiness and futility.” Franz Delizsch translated the New Testament into Hebrew, and it is interesting that he used the Hebrew word hæbæl for the Greek word mataiotēs in Romans 8:20. Paul’s points is that all humans have inherited sin, and therefore, they live a life that is not good and satisfactory. But God will change this situation.
Ecclesiastes discusses the same theme from a different angle, showing that humans cannot find lasting satisfaction in their work because of unforeseen occurrences, and more than anything else, because all will die and lose everything. It is very likely that Paul alluded to Ecclesiastes when he wrote Romans 8:20.
TO WHAT DOES “EVERYTHING” REFER?
The Hebrew word kol means “all, every,” and in 1:2 it is preceded by the definite article and means “everything.” It can be used in a universal sense, including absolutely everything, or it can refer to everything inside a particular group. To find the reference of “everything,” I quote Ecclesiastes 1:14 (above) and 3:14 (below):
14 I saw all the works that were done under the sun, and, look! everything was vanity and a striving after wind.
14 I have come to know that everything that the [true] God makes, it will prove to be to time indefinite. To it there is nothing to add and from it there is nothing to subtract; but the [true] God himself has made it, that people may be afraid on account of him.
The congregator points out that what God makes will stand to time definite. It is obvious that God’s actions cannot be classified as vanity. But “everything” must refer to the actions of mankind “under the sun.
THE THEME OF ECCLESIASTES
The chapters include many different thoughts. Paul’s words in Romans 8:20 capture the backdrop of Solomon’s words: “The creation was subjected to futility.” Based on this, there are two verses that particularly carry out the theme, namely Ecclesiastes 9:10, 11:
10 All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheʹol, the place to which you are going.
11 I returned to see under the sun that the swift do not have the race, nor the mighty ones the battle, nor do the wise also have the food, nor do the understanding ones also have the riches, nor do even those having knowledge have the favor; because time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all.
The point of verses 11 and 12 is that those who are best qualified will not always succeed because “time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all.” The most important “unforeseen occurrence” is death, as we see in verse 10. Death is never classified as vanity. But death is a main cause of vanity, but it is featured prominently is Ecclesiastes, as we will see.
Verse 10 admonishes all to use their opportunities in life because there are no opportunities in the grave. I will express the theme of the book in the following way.
HUMANS CANNOT GET LASTING HAPPINESS IN THIS LIFE BECAUSE THEY EXPERIENCE UNFORESEEN OCCURRENCES, AND AT LAST DIE. BUT THEY SHOULD TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEEK THE HAPPINESS GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THEM.
THE LIFE OF MAN IS VANITY
The point of the congregator, that I quoted above, is that “everything that the [true] God makes, it will prove to be to time indefinite” (3:14) But what is vanity is connected with the humans. I quote 6:12:
12 Because there exist many things that are causing much vanity, what advantage does a man have? 12 For who is there knowing what good a man has in life for the number of the days of his vain (hæbæl) life, when he spends them like a shadow? For who can tell man what will happen after him under the sun?
This verse catches two main subjects of Ecclesiastes. The Hebrew word hæbæl is connected with the life of man. In his first letter to Timothy 6:19, Paul speaks of “the real life.” The Greek adverb ontōs that modifies “life” has the meaning “really, in truth, truly” (Mounce) In contrast to what really is life in the fullest sense of the word is that humans spend the days of their lives “like a shadow.” This is the umbrella term under which the different sides of vanity are subsumed.
The other main subject is the opposite of life: death, which stops everything a man has achieved. This subject is implied by the words “what will happen after him? I will discuss both subjects in detail, and I start with the vanity of human life.
All the works of man are vanity
1:14
14 I saw all the works that were done under the sun, and, look! everything was vanity and a striving after wind.
Works that bring joy are vanity
2:1
1 I said, even I, in my heart: “Do come now, let me try you out with rejoicing. Also, see good.” And, look! that too was vanity.
All my works are vanity
2:11
2 And I, even I, turned toward all the works of mine that my hands had done and toward the hard work that I had worked hard to accomplish, and, look! everything was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing of advantage under the sun.
The wise one and the stupid one end their day in the same way; this is vanity
2:15, 16
15 And I myself said in my heart: “An eventuality like that upon the stupid one will eventuate to me, yes, me.” Why, then, had I become wise, I overmuch so+ at that time? And I spoke in my heart: “This too is vanity.” 16 For there is no more remembrance of the wise one than of the stupid one to time indefinite. In the days that are already coming in, everyone is certainly forgotten; and how will the wise one die? Along with the stupid one.
Losing one’s achievements at death and leaving them to another man who is coming after him is vanity
2:17-19
17 And I hated life, because the work that has been done under the sun was calamitous from my standpoint, for everything was vanity and a striving after wind. 18 And I, even I, hated all my hard work at which I was working hard under the sun, that I would leave behind for the man who would come to be after me. 19 And who is there knowing whether he will prove to be wise or foolish? Yet he will take control over all my hard work at which I worked hard and at which I showed wisdom under the sun.
When a man who has not worked hard receives the fruit of hard work, this is vanity.
2:17-19
21 For there exists the man whose hard work has been with wisdom and with knowledge and with proficiency, but to a man that has not worked hard at such a thing will be given the portion of that one. This too is vanity and a big calamity.
Hard work brings pains and vexation. This is vanity.
2:22
22 For what does a man come to have for all his hard work and for the striving of his heart with which he is working hard under the sun? 23 For all his days his occupation means pains and vexation, also during the night his heart just does not lie down. This too is mere vanity.
When the sinner is storing up wealth to hand it over to the good man, this is vanity.
2:22
26 For to the man that is good before him he has given wisdom and knowledge and rejoicing, but to the sinner he has given the occupation of gathering and bringing together merely to give to the one that is good before the [true] God. This too is vanity and a striving after wind.
Man dies in the same way as the beasts. This is vanity.
3:19, 20
19 For there is an eventuality as respects the sons of mankind and an eventuality as respects the beast, and they have the same eventuality. As the one dies, so the other dies; and they all have but one spirit, so that there is no superiority of the man over the beast, for everything is vanity.
Hard work done because of jealousy is vanity.
4:4
4 And I myself have seen all the hard work and all the proficiency in work, that it means the rivalry of one toward another; this also is vanity and a striving after the wind.
Not to be satisfied with riches he has obtained is vanity.
4:8
8 Also, his eyes themselves are not satisfied with riches: “And for whom am I working hard and causing my soul to lack in good things?” This too is vanity, and it is a calamitous occupation.
When a wise youth becomes king but loses the support of the people, this is vanity.
4:13-16
13 Better is a needy but wise child than an old but stupid king, who has not come to know enough to be warned any longer. 14 For he has gone forth from the prison house itself to become king, although in the kingship of this one he had been born as one of little means. 15 I have seen all those alive who are walking about under the sun, [how it goes] with the child, who is second, that stands up in the other one’s place. 16 There is no end to all the people, to all those before whom he happened to be; neither will people afterward rejoice in him,+ for this too is vanity and a striving after the wind.
Losing everything when one dies is a calamity (“evil sickness”).[1]
5:15-16
15 Just as one has come forth from his mother’s belly, naked will one go away again, just as one came; and nothing at all can one carry away for his hard work, which he can take along with his hand. 16 And this too is a grave calamity (rā‘ā hōlā, evil sickness): exactly as one has come, so one will go away; and what profit is there to the one who keeps working hard for the wind?
When a man acquires riches but is not able to use his riches, this is vanity.
5:15-16
1 There exists a calamity that I have seen under the sun, and it is frequent among mankind: 2 a man to whom the [true] God gives riches and material possessions and glory and who, for his soul, is in no need of anything that he shows himself longing for, and yet the [true] God does not enable him to eat from it, although a mere foreigner may eat it. This is vanity (hæbæl) and it is a bad sickness (rā‘ā hōlā).
Desires to fill one’s mouth is vanity if one does not control them.
6:7-9
7 All the hard work of mankind is for their mouth, but even their own soul does not get filled. 8 For what advantage does the wise have over the stupid one? What does the afflicted one have in knowing how to walk in front of the living ones? 9 Better is the seeing by the eyes than the walking about of the soul. This too is vanity and a striving after the wind.
These words are difficult to comprehend. But The Watchtower of June 1. 1977, page 330, has an interesting comment:
People work hard to get what they need to keep themselves alive; they work “for their mouth.” Yet this seldom satisfies their many desires, their soulful longings. The wise but discontented man may try to suppress troublesome desires, whereas the fool gives in to them, exercising no restraint. This was apparently the basis for Solomon’s questions: “For what advantage does the wise have over the stupid one? What does the afflicted one have in knowing how to walk in front of the living ones?” In the sense that both the wise and the stupid one have nagging desires, the wise person has no advantage. Similarly, the afflicted one may know how to conceal his disturbing desires before others, but this still does not remove them. Unfulfilled, they continue to trouble him. He, too, is no better off than the fool. So the truly wise course is for a person to be content, enjoying what he has, what he can see with his eyes, instead of longingly looking at something else, letting soulful desire deprive him of peace.
The stupid ones may cause problems. This is vanity.
7:5, 6
5 Better is it to hear the rebuke of someone wise than to be the man hearing the song of the stupid ones. 6 For as the sound of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the stupid one; and this too is vanity.
Wicked people may have a good life. But then they die and are forgotten. This is vanity.
8:9, 12
9 All this I have seen, and there was an applying of my heart to every work that has been done under the sun, [during] the time that man has dominated man to his injury. 10 But, though this is so, I have seen the wicked ones being buried, how they came in and how they would go away from the holy place itself and be forgotten in the city where they acted that way. This too is vanity.
These words are difficult to comprehend. But The Watchtower of September 1. 1977, page 518, has an interesting comment:
The conclusions Solomon reached about oppressive rule by man were based on careful observation. He gave heartfelt consideration to the whole scope of such human rule and its effect upon the people. For this reason he could say: “All this I have seen, and there was an applying of my heart to every work that has been done under the sun, during the time that man has dominated man to his injury.”—Eccl. 8:9.
Tyrannical rulers, however, are not able to continue their domination indefinitely. Solomon continued: “Though this is so [man’s dominating man to his injury], I have seen the wicked ones being buried, how they came in and how they would go away from the holy place itself and be forgotten in the city where they acted that way. This too is vanity.” (Eccl. 8:10) While alive, the wicked ones would come in and go away from the holy place, which, in Solomon’s day, was the holy city of Jerusalem with its temple of Jehovah. (Matt. 24:15
When righteous men get what the wicked ones deserve, this is vanity.
8:14
14 There exists a vanity that is carried out on the earth, that there exist righteous ones to whom it is happening as if for the work of the wicked ones, and there exist wicked ones to whom it is happening as if for the work of the righteous ones. I said that this too is vanity.
I have quoted 18 different situations that Solomon characterized as “vanity.” In the last part of the book, in 12:8, he concludes his discussions by saying:
8 “The greatest vanity!” said the congregator, “Everything is vanity.”
A SYNTHESIS OF SITUATIONS OF VANITY
Solomon says that all the works of man are vanity (1:14), including his own work. He also says that rejoicing is vanity (2:1). These all-embracing expressions are modified throughout the book.
The following situations are vanity:
Hard work brings pain and vexation.
A man is given what another man has achieved.
Works done because of jealousy.
Not to be able to use his riches.
Not to be satisfied with his riches.
Lack of control in using one’s achievements.
A youth who becomes king but loses the support of the people.
Stupid persons can cause many problems.
Three of Solomon’s statements about vanity relate to situations where someone other than the one who worked hard reaps the fruit of another man’s hard labor. But the situation par excellence that represents vanity is death, of which five different situations are mentioned.
[1]. In the last part of 5:2, he words “evil sickness” (rā‘ā hōlā) is used as a synonym with “vanity” (hæbæl). Therefore, I classify 5:15, 16 together with the other where “vanity” (hæbæl) occurs.
THE GREATEST VANITY IS DEATH
Death has such a prominent place in Solomon’s discussions because it stops any achievement and any profitable situation. Thus, death is the best example of vanity. I will now discuss the different sides of death Solomon mentions.
Already, Solomon’s introductory words anticipate the prominent place death has in his discussion, as we see in 1:4:
4 A generation is going, and a generation is coming; but the earth is standing even to time indefinite.
People die; one group of people is born, and then they die, and another group follows. There is nothing stable in the human family. So, Solomon asks, according to 1:3:
3 What profit does a man have in all his hard work at which he works hard under the sun?
A man works hard and achieves several good things. But then death comes and takes everything away. Everything is vanity! (1:2)
In contrast, nature is stable. The earth is standing to time indefinite, and all the winter torrents are going forth to the sea. But human generations come and go, nature is stable; nothing is new, as we see in 1:9, 10:
9 That which has come to be, that is what will come to be; and that which has been done, that is what will be done; and so there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Does anything exist of which one may say: “See this; it is new”? It has already had existence for time indefinite; what has come into existence is from time prior to us.
Then Solomon again anticipates death and the unstableness it causes, as we see in 1:11, 12:
11 There is no remembrance of people of former times, nor will there be of those also who will come to be later. There will prove to be no remembrance even of them among those who will come to be still later on.
The humans of the generations that come and go die. All that they have achieved is gone, and no one remembers them any longer.
Nature is stable, but in connection with humans, death has been introduced, and, therefore, everything is vanity. |
Achievements and happiness are restricted by the shortness of life.
2:3
3 I explored with my heart by cheering my flesh even with wine, while I was leading my heart with wisdom, even to lay hold on folly until I could see what good there was to the sons of mankind in what they did under the heavens for the number of the days of their life.
Death is not directly mentioned, but the expression, “the number of the days of their life” shows that death is an underlying theme in the Congregator’s discussions
Death removes every achievement both from the wise one and from the fool.
2:13-17
13 And I saw, even I, that there exists more advantage for wisdom than for folly, just as there is more advantage for light than for darkness.
14 As regards anyone wise, his eyes are in his head; but the stupid one is walking on in sheer darkness. And I have come to know, I too, that there is one eventuality (miqræ) that eventuates (qāra) to them all. 15 And I myself said in my heart: “An eventuality (miqræ) like that upon the stupid one will eventuate to me, yes, me.” Why, then, had I become wise, I overmuch so at that time? And I spoke in my heart: “This too is vanity (hæbæl).” 16 For there is no more remembrance of the wise one than of the stupid one to time indefinite. In the days that are already coming in, everyone is certainly forgotten; and how will the wise one die (mūt)? Along with the stupid one.
17 And I hated life, because the work that has been done under the sun was calamitous (ra‘) from my standpoint, for everything was vanity (hæbæl) and a striving after wind.
The point in these verses is that wisdom is better than folly. But from “my standpoint,” from the standpoint of the Congregator, there is little purpose in working hard to acquire wisdom, because death blots out both wisdom and folly.
The Hebrew word qāra means “encounter, meet, befall” and the corresponding noun miqræ means “happening by chance.” Verse 16 shows that miqræ, the happening by chance that both wise ones and fools experience, is the same as death. Thus, death is inevitable, but it is a chance happening.[1]
Man’s vanity is accentuated by the fact that they die in the same way as the beasts die.
3:17-22
16And I have further seen under the sun the place of justice where there was wickedness and the place of righteousness where wickedness was. 17 I myself have said in my heart: “The [true] God will judge both the righteous one and the wicked one, for there is a time for every affair and concerning every work there.”
18 I, even I, have said in my heart with regard to the sons of mankind that the [true] God is going to select (RJF: “have selected them”) them, that they may see that they themselves are beasts. 19 For there is an eventuality (miqræ) as respects the sons of mankind and an eventuality (miqræ) as respects the beast, and they have the same eventuality. As the one dies (mūt), so the other dies (mūt); and they all have but one spirit, so that there is no superiority of the man over the beast, for everything is vanity. 20 All are going to one place. They have all come to be from the dust, and they are all returning to the dust. 21 Who is there knowing the spirit of the sons of mankind, whether it is ascending upward; and the spirit of the beast, whether it is descending downward to the earth? 22 And I have seen that there is nothing better than that the man should rejoice in his works, for that is his portion; because who will bring him in to look on what is going to be after him?
The key to the understanding of this text is the words “that they may see that they themselves are beasts.” What do these words mean in the context that everything is vanity? We find a clue in verses 16 and 17, where we read that wickedness exists both in the place of justice and in the place of righteousness. God’s judgment of both the righteous and the wicked does not change the fact that wickedness permeates everything.
This shows the background for the Congregator’s words that all the works that are done under the sun, and everything is vanity (1:14). Because of this situation, humans cannot do anything worthwhile and good any more than the beasts can; God has selected them to see that they are like the beasts.
Moreover, the most important reason that is shown throughout the book, why everything is vanity, is that regardless of what humans achieve, they lose everything when they die. So, humans are like beasts because they cannot do anything worthwhile and good, and they are like beasts because they die in the same way as beasts and return to dust like the beasts.
I will consider the words to put these verses in the same way as other statements about death in the book. In verse 19, the Hebrew word miqræ (“chance happening”) is used two times, both with refence to men and to beasts. And in the same verse mūt (“to die”) is used as a parallel to miqræ with reference to men and beasts.
The question about the spirit of man and beast in verse 20 cannot be answered on the basis of human knowledge. But Chapter 12, verse 7, says that the spirit of man, the life force, returns to God.
Congratulating the dead.
4:1-3
1 And I myself returned that I might see all the acts of oppression that are being done under the sun, and, look! the tears of those being oppressed, but they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power, so that they had no comforter. 2 And I congratulated the dead who had already died rather than the living who were still alive. 3 So better than both of them [is] the one who has not yet come to be, who has not seen the calamitous work that is being done under the sun.
The Congregator uses contrasts and strong language to state his main point that everything is vanity. He mentions one who has not been born as better than people who have been born. This is a strong contrast but not advice against procreating children.
Death takes away all achievements and profit.
5:15-17
15 Just as one has come forth from his mother’s belly, naked will one go away again, just as one came; and nothing at all can one carry away for his hard work, which he can take along with his hand. 16 And this too is a grave calamity: exactly as one has come, so one will go away; and what profit is there to the one who keeps working hard for the wind? 17 Also, all his days he eats in darkness itself, with a great deal of vexation, with sickness on his part and [cause for] indignation.
Again death as a cause of vanity is stressed. A man may have worked hard, even with vexation and sickness. And when he dies, he is naked and cannot bring anything with him.
A vain life ends in death, so, humans have no advantage
6:11-12
11 Because there exist many things that are causing much vanity, what advantage does a man have? 11 For who is there knowing what good a man has in life for the number of the days of his vain life, when he spends them like a shadow? For who can tell man what will happen after him under the sun?
Because of the situation in this world, it is correct to say that humans generally live a vain life.
The day of death is better than the day of birth.
7:1, 2
1 A name is better than good oil, and the day of death than the day of one’s being born. 2 Better is it to go to the house of mourning than to go to the banquet house, because that is the end of all mankind; and the one alive should take [it] to his heart.
Because of all the problems in this world, the Congregator has argued that the dead may, from one point of view, be better off than the living. This could hardly be his thought in these verses because the Congregator contrasts the day of death with the day of birth. Thus, the focus is on the person’s life between birth and death.
The word “name” (LXX: “good name”) is connected with the day of death. When a person dies, the way he has lived identifies him as the person he is; he has a name. If the person has been righteous, he has a good name. The words of 3:11 (above) and 9:1 (below) suggest that “the good name” relates to God and the person’s destiny after death.
11 Everything he has made pretty in its time. Even time indefinite (‘ōlām) he has put in their heart, that mankind may never find out the work that the [true] God has made from the start to the finish.
1 For I took all this to my heart, even to search out all this, that the righteous ones and the wise ones and their works are in the hand of the [true] God.
The Hebrew noun ‘ōlām refers to a long time whose end is not seen. That God has put “time indefinite” in the heart of mankind, shows that God’s purpose with his human sons and daughters goes beyond their day of death. Each person’s works show what kind of name he has when he dies. That the works of the righteous and wise ones “are in the hand of the [true] God” supports the view that the words of Solomon refer to the future destiny of God’s servants.
Thus, Solomon’s words may anticipate Jesus’ words in Luke 10:20, that they should rejoice because their names have been inscribed in the heavens.”
The day of death cannot be controlled.
8:8
8 There is no man having power over the spirit to restrain the spirit; neither is there any power of control in the day of death; nor is there any discharge in the war. And wickedness will provide no escape for those indulging in it.
The greatest vanity in the world is death, and no human being can prevent or control the day of death.
The wicked and the good experience the same destiny: they die.
9:2-3
2 All are the same in what all have. One eventuality (miqræ) there is to the righteous one and the wicked one, the good one and the clean one and the unclean one, and the one sacrificing and the one that is not sacrificing. The good one is the same as the sinner; the one swearing is the same as whoever has been afraid of a sworn oath. 3 This is what is calamitous (rā‘) in all that has been done under the sun, that, because there is one eventuality (miqræ) to all, the heart of the sons of men is also full of bad; and there is madness in their heart during their lifetime, and after it—to the dead ones (mūt)!
The basis for all the discussions of death in Ecclesiastes is that everything is vanity, and death is the greatest of all vanities because it stops and cancels all of mankind’s achievements. These two verses represent the climax of these thoughts: the wicked and the good, the clean and the unclean, experience the same destiny; they all die.
I will later show that verse 3 may imply the resurrection of the dead for most humans because of the saying that the good and the sinner go “to the dead ones.” This supports the saying in 7:1 that the day of death is better than the day of birth.
The dead have no part in the vain works under the sun.
9:4-6
4 For as respects whoever is joined to all the living there exists confidence, because a live dog is better off than a dead lion. 5 For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten. 6 Also, their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished, and they have no portion anymore to time indefinite in anything that has to be done under the sun.
Life is precious even though all works of man is vanity. The living know that they will die, but there is no consciousness when a person has died.
The day of death is better than the day of birth.
9:9-12
9 See life with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life that He has given you under the sun, all the days of your vanity, for that is your portion in life and in your hard work with which you are working hard under the sun. 10 All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheʹol, the place to which you are going.
11 I returned to see under the sun that the swift do not have the race, nor the mighty ones the battle, nor do the wise also have the food, nor do the understanding ones also have the riches, nor do even those having knowledge have the favor; because time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all. 12 For man also does not know his time. Just like fishes that are being taken in an evil net, and like birds that are being taken in a trap, so the sons of men themselves are being ensnared at a calamitous time, when it falls upon them suddenly.
I will show in the next section that while the works of man in this wicked of things are vanity, there are certain works that God is behind that will bring happiness among all the vanity.
One thing that brings happiness for a man is life with his wife. The advice of Solomon to a man is that he should do works that bring happiness “with your very power” because there is no work or consciousness in the grave (verse 10), and death can come suddenly at a time that man does not know (verse 12). This is the worst part of one’s vain life (verse 9).
A SYNTHESIS OF EXPRESSIONS OF DEATH
The greatest of all vanities is death because it takes away all of man’s achievements. This is a main theme throughout the book, and I have quoted 11 passages where death, against the backdrop of vanity, is discussed.
However, the statement of the Congregator in 9:4 is that “a live dog is better off than a dead lion.” Life is precious, despite the claim in 1:14 that all the works of man are vanity. The Congregator admonishes man to work hard for things that brings happiness in a world of vanity, and to stress this point, he shows that there is no work or consciousness in the grave.
ALL IS “VANITY” IN THE CHRISTIAN GREEK SCRIPTURES
Solomon’s discussion of vanity is related to man, as we read in 1:14:
14 I saw all the works that were done under the sun, and, look! everything was vanity and a striving after wind.
The way Solomon describes human actions as vanity is unique among the books of the Hebrew Scriptures. But there are some parallels in the Christian Greek Scriptures, namely, in the book of Romans. I quote Romans 8:20:
20 For the creation was subjected to futility (mataiotēs), not by its own will but through him that subjected it, on the basis of hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God.
I have shown above that the Greek word mataiotēs (“futility”) has a similar meaning to the Hebrew word hæbæl (“vanity”), and that Franz Delitzsch, in his Hebrew translation of the New Testament, translates mataiotēs with hæbæl. The subject matter of Romans is completely different from that of Ecclesiastes. But if we take a closer look, we find that both books share the same basis: all humans are sinners and fall short of God’s righteousness.
The subject matter differs because Solomon wrote when God’s people were under the law of Moses, while Paul wrote after Jesus gave his life as a ransom sacrifice and the law was no longer valid. Solomon pointed to human actions and specific situations, while Paul stressed how inherited sin prevented sincere people from following God’s laws and principles.
The words of Romans 8:20 that “the creation” (“Adam’s descendants”) should have the glorious freedom of the children of God show that all humans were slaves, as we see in Romans 8:17:
17 But thanks to God that YOU were the slaves of sin but YOU became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which YOU were handed over.
That the followers of Jesus were set free from sin, as Paul says, does not mean that they stopped being imperfect humans who continued to sin. But it meant their sins were forgiven because of Jesus’ ransom sacrifice. Paul stressed this truth in Romans 7:15-22:
15 For what I am working out I do not know. For what I wish, this I do not practice; but what I hate is what I do. 16 However, if what I do not wish is what I do, I agree that the Law is fine. 15But now the one working it out is no longer I, but sin that resides in me. 18 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, there dwells nothing good; for ability to wish+ is present with me, but ability to work out what is fine is not [present]. 19 For the good that I wish I do not do, but the bad that I do not wish is what I practice. 20 If, now, what I do not wish is what I do, the one working it out is no longer I, but the sin dwelling in me. 21 I find, then, this law in my case: that when I wish to do what is right, what is bad is present with me. 22 I really delight in the law of God according to the man I am within, 23 but I behold in my members another law warring against the law of my mind+ and leading me captive to sin’s law that is in my members.
If we were to find a heading or theme for Paul’s quoted words that humans cannot do what they wish to do, it would be: “Everything is vanity.” Paul describes the same situation Solomon describes—the results of human imperfection—though from a completely different point of view.
I will now return to the 18 situations described as vanity. One important point is that 5 of these expressions refer to death, where all achievements disappear. Other situations refer to different wrong actions, to one person who receives what another person deserves, to actions caused by jealousy and wrong desires
[1]. A detailed discussion of chance happenings is found in the article, “Studies in Ecclesiastes: Predestination or free will?” (https://mybelovedreligion.no/2026/10/07/studies-in-ecclesiastes-predestination-or-free-will/)
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