The Living Word

KING JAMES VERSION

"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever."

— Isaiah 40:8

Ecclesiastes 1

Listen to the Word

Initializing audio...

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

1

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

WhatsApp Copy

2

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

WhatsApp Copy

3

What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

WhatsApp Copy

4

One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

WhatsApp Copy

5

The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.

WhatsApp Copy

6

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.

WhatsApp Copy

7

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.

WhatsApp Copy

8

All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

WhatsApp Copy

9

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.

WhatsApp Copy

10

Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

WhatsApp Copy

11

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.

WhatsApp Copy

12

I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

WhatsApp Copy

13

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.

WhatsApp Copy

14

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

WhatsApp Copy

15

That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

WhatsApp Copy

16

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.

WhatsApp Copy

17

And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

WhatsApp Copy

18

For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

WhatsApp Copy

Proverbs Next

Chapter Study & Analysis

Overview

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

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.

Copied to clipboard!