Toil, God's Gift, and Finding Satisfaction
Ecclesiastes 2:17-26
Ecc.2.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ושנאתי: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- החיים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- כי: CONJ
- רע: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- המעשה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- שנעשה: CONJ+VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- תחת: PREP
- השמש: NOUN,f,sg,def
- כי: CONJ
- 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): Shares the central refrain of nihility/vanity (הבל) — 'Vanity of vanities... all is vanity' — framing the same existential verdict about life under the sun.
- Ecclesiastes 2:11 (verbal): Immediate internal parallel: again declares that 'all was vanity and a striving after wind' after surveying human toil, echoing the complaint that labor under the sun yields nothing.
- Job 7:1-6 (thematic): Job expresses a strikingly similar lament about life as drudgery and days as hardship and fleetingness, reflecting the same sense of hatred or weariness of life and the futility of toil.
- Psalm 39:5-6 (thematic): Speaks of human life as brief, a vapor/handbreadth and a shadow, echoing Ecclesiastes' view of life's transience and the futility ('vanity') of human endeavors.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a vexation of spirit.
- And I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a vexation of spirit.
Ecc.2.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ושנאתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- עמלי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,suff:1cs
- שאני: CONJ+PRON,1,c,sg
- עמל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תחת: PREP
- השמש: NOUN,f,sg,def
- שאניחנו: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,1,c,sg,obj:3,m,sg
- לאדם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שיהיה: CONJ+VERB,qal,yiqtol,3,m,sg
- אחרי: PREP
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 2:21 (verbal): Direct continuation of the same thought—he must leave his labor and possessions to someone who comes after him.
- Ecclesiastes 2:22 (verbal): Closely linked complaint about the profit of toil under the sun and the frustration of leaving work to others.
- Job 7:1 (thematic): Job describes human life as hard labor/a hireling's service on earth, echoing the theme of weary toil under the sun.
- Luke 12:16-21 (thematic): Parable of the rich fool: storing up wealth for oneself only to leave it behind—underscores the vanity of toil and leaving goods to others.
- Psalm 49:10-12 (thematic): Speaks of the inevitability of death and the futility of trusting riches, since the wealthy cannot redeem their lives and their wealth passes on.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I hated all my toil which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to a man who will be after me.
- And I hated all my toil which I toil under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will be after me.
Ecc.2.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ומי: PRON,interr
- יודע: VERB,qal,ptc,ms,sg
- החכם: ADJ,m,sg,def
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- או: CONJ
- סכל: ADJ,m,sg
- וישלט: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עמלי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,suff:1cs
- שעמלתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- ושחכמתי: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- תחת: PREP
- השמש: NOUN,f,sg,def
- גם: ADV
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- הבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 2:16 (verbal): Same chapter's parallel question about the wise and the fool and the lack of lasting remembrance—echoes the wording and conclusion of vanity.
- Ecclesiastes 2:18 (structural): Immediate context: the speaker laments leaving his toil to another who may rule over it, the same complaint about injustice and futility.
- Ecclesiastes 8:14 (thematic): Observes the same ‘vanity’ that the righteous sometimes suffer while the wicked prosper—reflects Qoheleth’s puzzlement at unjust outcomes.
- Psalm 73:12 (thematic): Asaph’s complaint that the wicked prosper and increase mirrors the surprise that fools may thrive or assume power over the wise.
- Job 21:7-13 (thematic): Job questions why the wicked live long and are honored despite their ways, a parallel lament about apparent reversals of justice and the futility of human striving.
Alternative generated candidates
- And who knows whether that man will be wise or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all the fruit of my toil, which I have labored and used my wisdom under the sun—this too is vanity.
- And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will have dominion over all my labor in which I have labored and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun—this also is vanity.
Ecc.2.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וסבותי: VERB,qal,perf,1,com,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- ליאש: VERB,qal,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- לבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- על: PREP
- כל: DET
- העמל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שעמלתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- תחת: PREP
- השמש: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 1:3 (verbal): Asks the same basic question about the profit/advantage of all human labor 'under the sun'—shared vocabulary and problem statement about work's value.
- Ecclesiastes 1:14 (thematic): Declares that 'all is vanity and vexation of spirit' for works done under the sun, framing the same conclusion about the futility of human labor that leads Qohelet to despair.
- Ecclesiastes 2:11 (verbal): Qohelet's immediate summary after recounting his labors: 'behold, all was vanity'—a close verbal and logical parallel to his turning to despair over his toil.
- Ecclesiastes 2:18-19 (thematic): Complains that hard work may be left to someone who did not toil, intensifying the sense of frustration and meaninglessness of labor that precipitates despair.
- Psalm 73:16-17 (thematic): The psalmist's crisis of faith over the prosperity of the wicked and his struggle to make sense of life mirrors Qohelet's despair about the value and outcome of human toil.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore I was provoked to despair, and I gave up in my heart concerning all the toil that I had labored under the sun.
- Therefore I became discouraged in my heart concerning all the toil that I had labored under the sun.
Ecc.2.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- יש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שעמלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בחכמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ובדעת: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ובכשרון: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולאדם: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שלא: CONJ
- עמל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- יתננו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- חלקו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- גם: ADV
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- הבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ורעה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רבה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 2:18-19 (structural): Immediate context: Qoheleth laments his toil and asks who will inherit his efforts—same theme of labour yielding to another and being judged ‘vanity.’
- Ecclesiastes 2:22-23 (verbal): Direct continuation of the thought: the question of what a man gains from his labour when he cannot enjoy its fruits—repeats the language of vanity and futility.
- Ecclesiastes 5:13-14 (thematic): Another solomonic example of a man whose wealth and toil yield no lasting benefit to himself because his possessions pass away or are left to others—emphasizes the same ‘evil’ of fruitless labour.
- Psalm 49:7-9 (thematic): Speaks of the inability of wealth to redeem a person’s life or secure ultimate advantage—parallels the idea that toil and riches cannot prevent loss or transfer to one who did not toil.
- Luke 12:20 (thematic): Jesus’ parable of the rich fool: a man’s goods are demanded of him and go to others after his death—echoes the warning about the futility of labour and storing up for oneself when others ultimately receive the reward.
Alternative generated candidates
- For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and yet to a man who has not labored in it they give his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.
- For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, yet to a man who has not labored at it will he give his portion—this also is vanity and a great evil.
Ecc.2.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- מה: PRON,int
- הוה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לאדם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עמלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- וברעיון: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- שהוא: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- עמל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תחת: PREP
- השמש: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 1:3 (verbal): Repeats the root question about the profit/advantage of human toil—same thematic lament about labor 'under the sun.'
- Ecclesiastes 2:21-23 (thematic): Directly continues the thought: a person toils and leaves the fruits to someone who did not labor, leading to sorrow and the verdict 'vanity.'
- Job 7:1-2 (thematic): Job describes human life as drudgery and months of misery, echoing the theme of futile, burdensome toil and suffering.
- Psalm 39:6 (thematic): Speaks of human busyness and labor as ultimately for nothing—'heaps up riches and does not know who will gather them,' paralleling Ecclesiastes' question about the gain of toil.
- Psalm 127:1-2 (thematic): Warns that human effort is vain without the LORD's blessing—construes the futility of anxious labor, resonating with Ecclesiastes' emphasis on the emptiness of toil 'under the sun.'
Alternative generated candidates
- For what has a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart with which he has labored under the sun?
- For what has a man from all his labor and from the striving of his heart with which he has labored under the sun?
Ecc.2.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- כל: DET
- ימיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- מכאבים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וכעס: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ענינו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+pr1pl
- גם: ADV
- בלילה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- שכב: VERB,qal,inf
- לבו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- גם: ADV
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- הבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 7:1-4 (thematic): Both portray human life as hard labor and misery with nights of unrest—Job complains of wearisome days and sleepless nights, echoing the theme of continual sorrow and no rest.
- Psalm 90:9-10 (verbal): Speaks of life as years of trouble and labor ('labour and sorrow'), closely mirroring Ecclesiastes' language about days of pain and travail.
- Psalm 39:4-7 (thematic): Meditates on the brevity and vanity of life and the speaker's distress—'every man at his best state is altogether vanity' resonates with the concluding 'this also is vanity.'
- Lamentations 3:19-20 (thematic): The poet recalls affliction and mental anguish that overwhelm him ('the thought of my affliction... my soul continually thinketh'), paralleling Ecclesiastes' emphasis on persistent sorrow and unrest.
- Ecclesiastes 2:17 (structural): Within the same discourse Qohelet expresses hatred of life because of the grievousness of work under the sun, providing an immediate contextual parallel to 2:23's verdict of vanity.
Alternative generated candidates
- For all his days are sorrow and vexation, and even at night his heart has no rest—this too is vanity.
- For all his days are full of sorrow, and his travail is pain; even at night his heart has no rest—this also is vanity.
Ecc.2.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אין: PART,neg
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- באדם: PREP
- שיאכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ושתה: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- והראה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- נפשו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- בעמלו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- גם: ADV
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- ראיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- כי: CONJ
- מיד: PREP
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 (verbal): Repeats the same idea and language: that it is good for a person to eat and drink and find enjoyment in his work, and explicitly calls this enjoyment a gift/from God.
- Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 (verbal): Affirms that the proper outcome of toil is to eat, drink and enjoy the fruit of one’s labor, attributing that enjoyment to what God gives a person.
- Psalm 104:14-15 (thematic): Portrays God as the provider of food and drink that bring gladness to human hearts, linking human enjoyment to God’s provision.
- James 1:17 (thematic): States that every good and perfect gift comes from above, echoing the Ecclesiastes claim that enjoyment of one’s labor ultimately comes from God’s hand.
Alternative generated candidates
- There is nothing better for a person than that he eat and drink and find enjoyment in his labor; this also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.
- There is nothing better for a man than to eat and to drink and to find enjoyment in his labor; this I have seen, for it is from the hand of God.
Ecc.2.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- יאכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ומי: PRON,interr
- יחוש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- חוץ: ADV
- ממני: PREP,suff,1,m,sg
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 3:13 (verbal): Uses nearly identical language—'to eat and drink and find enjoyment'—and explicitly calls enjoyment a gift from God, echoing the claim that pleasure depends on God.
- Ecclesiastes 5:18 (verbal): Affirms that it is good to 'eat and drink and enjoy oneself' and again attributes enjoyment to God's hand, repeating the same theological point.
- Psalm 104:14-15 (thematic): Describes God providing food and wine 'to gladden the heart,' thematically linking human enjoyment and sustenance to God's provision.
- Acts 14:17 (thematic): Paul's summary that God 'gave you rains... and satisfied your hearts with food and gladness' echoes the idea that blessing and enjoyment come from God, a New Testament parallel to Ecclesiastes' claim.
- Psalm 145:15-16 (verbal): Speaks of God opening his hand and satisfying the desires of every living thing, paralleling the notion that eating and enjoyment depend on God's provision.
Alternative generated candidates
- For who can eat, and who can have enjoyment, apart from Him?
- For who can eat, and who can find enjoyment, apart from me?
Ecc.2.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- לאדם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שטוב: REL+ADJ,m,sg
- לפניו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חכמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ודעת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ושמחה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולחוטא: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ענין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאסוף: VERB,qal,inf
- ולכנוס: CONJ+VERB,qal,inf
- לתת: VERB,qal,inf
- לטוב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לפני: PREP
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- גם: ADV
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- הבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ורעות: CONJ+ADJ,f,pl,abs
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 5:19 (verbal): Both verses describe God as the giver of possessions, enjoyment, and a man's ability to accept his lot; the language of God giving and the theme of enjoyment as a divine gift closely parallel 2:26.
- Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 (thematic): Expresses the same theme that pleasure, satisfaction, and enjoyment of one's labor are gifts from God—linking divine bestowal of well-being to the righteous/those 'good before him.'
- Psalm 73:3-12 (thematic): Contrasts the prosperity of the wicked with the moral complaint that the wicked often succeed; relates to 2:26's observation that sinners may gather wealth while the righteous receive God's favor, yet such success is ultimately vain.
- Luke 12:16-21 (thematic): The parable of the rich fool—who stores up wealth for himself and is called foolish—echoes Ecclesiastes' judgment that hoarding/gathering by the wicked is vanity and 'a chasing after wind.'
Alternative generated candidates
- For to a man who is good in His sight God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and hoarding to give to the one who is good before God—this too is vanity and a vexation of spirit.
- For to the man whom God favors he gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and hoarding, to give to the one who is good before God—this also is vanity and a vexation of spirit.
And I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a vexation of spirit. And I hated all my toil that I had labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will be after me.
Who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my toil in which I have labored and in which I have shown skill under the sun—this too is vanity. So I became despondent in my heart over all the toil I had labored under the sun.
For there is a man whose toil is with wisdom and knowledge and skill, yet to a man who did not labor for it he must give his portion; this also is vanity and a great evil.
For what does a person gain for all his toil and the striving of his heart with which he has labored under the sun?
For all his days are pain and vexation, and even at night his heart does not rest—this too is vanity.
Nothing is better for a person than to eat and to drink and to find enjoyment in his labor; this I have seen, that it is from the hand of God.
For who can eat, and who can find enjoyment, apart from God?
For to the one who is pleasing to God he gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and hoarding, to hand it over to one who is good before God—this too is vanity and a vexation of spirit.