The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
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Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
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What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
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One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
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The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
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The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
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All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
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All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
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The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
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Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
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There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.
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I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
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And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.
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I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
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That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
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I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
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And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
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For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
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Ecclesiastes 1 Study & Commentary
Qoheleth (the Preacher) establishes the ontological crisis of human existence. The prologue (v. 1-11) presents the "Hebel" (vanity) of the cosmic cycle—sun, wind, and water—where human effort is swallowed by a closed system of recurrence. Wisdom is then analyzed as a tool that, while superior to folly, increases the "sorrow" of perceiving the world’s brokenness.
THEOLOGICAL CONTEXT
1. The Concept of Hebel: "Vanity" is the Hebrew *Hebel*, meaning breath or vapor. It denotes not just futility, but transience and the inability to "grasp" meaning in a fallen world.2. The Solar Limitation: "Under the sun" is a technical term for the immanent frame—human life lived apart from transcendent revelation. It explores the "Closed System" of naturalism.
3. Cosmic Stagnation: The "nothing new" (v. 9) refers to the lack of redemptive novelty in the natural order; only God can bring the "New" (Isaiah 43:19).
PRACTICAL LESSONS
1. Epistemological Humility: Recognizing that intellectual pursuit without divine verticality leads to "vexation of spirit."2. Acceptance of Limitation: Understanding that man cannot "straighten what is crooked" (v. 15) by his own resolve.
