The Search for Wisdom and Its Burden
Ecclesiastes 1:12-18
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalm
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
Jude
Revelation
Ecc.1.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- קהלת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- הייתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- על: PREP
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בירושלם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Kings 3:12 (allusion): God's promise to Solomon of a wise and discerning heart — links the speaker's royal identity and later claims to exceptional wisdom in Ecclesiastes.
- 1 Kings 11:43 (verbal): Explicit statement that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel; closely parallels Qoheleth's self-identification as king in Jerusalem.
- Proverbs 1:1 (verbal): Proverbs opens by naming its author as 'Solomon son of David, king of Israel,' echoing the royal attribution claimed by the Preacher.
- Ecclesiastes 12:9-10 (structural): Late self‑reflection within the same book where the Preacher describes himself as wise and as one who sought to impart knowledge — a self‑reference that reinforces the opening claim of royal authorship and authority.
- 2 Chronicles 1:1 (thematic): Describes Solomon's established rule and prosperity in Jerusalem, providing historical and thematic background to the speaker's role as king.
Alternative generated candidates
- I, Qoheleth, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
- I, Qoheleth, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Ecc.1.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונתתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- לבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- לדרוש: VERB,qal,inf
- ולתור: VERB,qal,inf,NA,NA,NA
- בחכמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- כל: DET
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- תחת: PREP
- השמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- ענין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רע: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לבני: PREP
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לענות: VERB,qal,inf
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 8:16-17 (verbal): Similar first‑person pursuit of wisdom to discern 'the business that is done upon the earth' and the conclusion that God sets humans to be exercised by it—close verbal and thematic echo.
- Ecclesiastes 3:10 (verbal): Explicit restatement of the idea that God has given 'workers' a task to be busy with; same language about the business God assigns to mankind.
- Ecclesiastes 1:9 (verbal): Shares the broad phrase 'all that is done under the heavens' and the theme of searching for meaning in what continually occurs 'under the sun'.
- Genesis 3:17-19 (thematic): Portrays human toil and the burdensome work assigned by God after the Fall, thematically paralleling the 'grievous task' God has given to mankind.
- Job 7:1 (thematic): Speaks of man’s appointed toil and weariness—an earlier wisdom‑poetic reflection on human labor and suffering that resonates with Ecclesiastes’ depiction of life’s burdens.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I set my heart to seek and to inquire by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens; this is a vexation God has given to human beings to be occupied with.
- I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; it is an oppressive task God has given to the sons of men to be occupied with.
Ecc.1.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ראיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- המעשים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- שנעשו: REL+VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- תחת: PREP
- השמש: NOUN,f,sg,def
- והנה: ADV
- הכל: PRON,m,sg,abs
- הבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ורעות: CONJ+ADJ,f,pl,abs
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 1:2 (verbal): The opening refrain 'vanity of vanities... all is vanity' echoes the same judgment about life under the sun.
- Ecclesiastes 2:11 (verbal): Nearly identical language: after surveying his works the speaker declares 'behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind.'
- Ecclesiastes 12:8 (structural): The book's closing restates 'vanity of vanities... all is vanity,' framing 1:14 within the work's overall thesis.
- Ecclesiastes 2:17 (thematic): Expresses the same disillusionment with toil 'under the sun'—the work done under the sun becomes a cause for hatred of life.
- Job 7:16 (verbal): Job likewise calls human days and pursuits 'vanity' (hebel), reflecting a parallel lament over life's futility.
Alternative generated candidates
- I have seen all the deeds that are done under the sun; behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
- I have seen all the deeds that are done under the sun, and behold—everything is vanity and a chasing after the wind.
Ecc.1.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מעות: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יוכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,ms
- לתקן: VERB,qal,inf
- וחסרון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יוכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,ms
- להמנות: VERB,nip,inf
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 7:13 (verbal): Direct parallel within Ecclesiastes: repeats the idea/phrasing that what God has made crooked cannot be made straight, highlighting human inability to correct divine ordering.
- Romans 9:20-21 (allusion): Paul’s potter/clay argument emphasizes human inability to challenge or reshape what God has ordained—echoing Ecclesiastes’ theme of limits on correcting what is 'crooked'.
- Jeremiah 10:23 (thematic): Asserts that human beings cannot direct their own way, paralleling Ecclesiastes’ recognition of human inability to straighten or fully account for what is lacking.
- Isaiah 45:9 (thematic): Addresses the folly of disputing with the Creator; like Ecclesiastes it underscores the limits of human power to alter what has been formed or ordained.
Alternative generated candidates
- That which is crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is lacking cannot be numbered.
- The crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be numbered.
Ecc.1.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- דברתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- עם: PREP
- לבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- הנה: PART
- הגדלתי: VERB,hiphil,perf,1,_,sg
- והוספתי: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- חכמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- כל: DET
- אשר: PRON,rel
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לפני: PREP
- על: PREP
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולבי: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,_,sg
- ראה: VERB,qal,imperat,2,m,sg
- הרבה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חכמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ודעת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Kings 4:29-34 (verbal): Describes Solomon's unparalleled wisdom and fame — explicitly states his wisdom surpassed all others and includes similar claims about abundance of wisdom and knowledge.
- 1 Kings 3:12 (thematic): God's granting of exceptional wisdom to Solomon; provides the theological background for the speaker's claim of increased wisdom.
- Proverbs 1:5 (verbal): Advises that the wise will hear and increase in learning; echoes the motif of accumulating wisdom and knowledge.
- Eccl.2:9 (structural): Within the same book the author repeats and elaborates the claim of having greater wisdom than predecessors and enjoying the fruits of it — an internal parallel development of the same theme.
- Luke 2:52 (thematic): Summarizes growth 'in wisdom and stature' — a New Testament parallel emphasizing personal increase in wisdom as notable development.
Alternative generated candidates
- I said to my heart, "Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than all who were before me in Jerusalem; and my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge."
- I said to myself, “Behold, I have become great and increased in wisdom more than all who were before me in Jerusalem; my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge.”
Ecc.1.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואתנה: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- לבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- לדעת: VERB,qal,inf,-,-,-
- חכמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ודעת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הוללות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ושכלות: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ידעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- שגם: CONJ
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- רעיון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 1:14 (verbal): Uses the same verdict—'vanity and a striving after wind'—linking the author's observation that pursuit of wisdom/pleasure is ultimately futile.
- Ecclesiastes 2:11 (verbal): After testing wisdom and pleasures the speaker concludes 'behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind,' echoing the conclusion reached in 1:17.
- Ecclesiastes 12:8 (thematic): Reiterates the book's central refrain 'vanity of vanities,' summarizing the Preacher's ultimate judgment about wisdom, folly, and human endeavor.
- Proverbs 1:7 (thematic): Contrasts wisdom and folly—'the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom'—providing the traditional proverb background to the Preacher's investigation of wisdom and folly in 1:17.
- Ecclesiastes 2:15 (thematic): Observes that the wise and the fool share the same fate, reinforcing the Preacher's discovery that knowledge of wisdom and of folly alike leads to an assessment of futility.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I perceived that this also is a striving after wind.
- I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I perceived that this also is a chasing after the wind.
Ecc.1.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- ברב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חכמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- כעס: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויוסיף: CONJ+VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,sg
- דעת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יוסיף: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מכאוב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 2:14-16 (thematic): Same book develops the idea that the wise fare no better than fools and that increased wisdom brings frustration and grief (the wise man’s sorrow and lack of lasting advantage).
- Ecclesiastes 7:16-18 (thematic): Warns against being 'over wise' because excess wisdom can destroy—echoes the motif that too much insight yields harm and distress.
- Isaiah 47:10 (verbal): Speaks of 'thy wisdom and thy knowledge' perverting or bringing ruin—an explicit verbal link between knowledge/wisdom and negative consequences.
- 1 Corinthians 8:1 (verbal): 'Knowledge puffs up'—a New Testament remark that increased knowledge can produce harmful effects (pride, division), paralleling the idea that more wisdom brings trouble.
- James 3:13-16 (thematic): Contrasts earthly wisdom that breeds bitter envying, strife, and disorder with true wisdom—reflects the theme that certain kinds of knowledge/wisdom lead to trouble rather than well‑being.
Alternative generated candidates
- For in much wisdom there is much vexation, and whoever increases knowledge increases sorrow.
- For with much wisdom comes much vexation, and whoever increases knowledge increases sorrow.
I, Qoheleth, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
I set my heart to search and to investigate by wisdom all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to humankind to be occupied with.
I have seen all the deeds that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
The crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
I said to my heart, 'Behold, I have grown great and increased in wisdom more than all who were before me in Jerusalem; and my heart has perceived much wisdom and knowledge.'
I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I perceived that this too is a striving after wind.
For with much wisdom comes much vexation, and whoever increases knowledge increases sorrow.