Ecclesiastes 1:2
1 These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”
3 What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?
4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- “Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”
- KJV
- Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
- WEB
- “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”
- ASV
- Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
- DARBY
- Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities! all is vanity.
- BLB
- “Vapor of vapors,” says Qoheleth, “Vapor of vapors—the whole [of it] [is] vapor!”
- ÅB
- Bare tomhet, sier predikeren, bare idelig tomhet! Alt er tomhet.
- OTB
- "Forgjeves, forgjeves," sier Forkynneren, "forgjeves! Alt er meningsløst."
- B1930
- Bare tomhet, sier predikeren, bare idelig tomhet! Alt er tomhet.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Psalms 144:4
Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.
Read in contextRomans 8:20
For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope
Read in contextEcclesiastes 5:10
He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile.
Read in contextPsalms 39:5–6
You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah
Read in contextEcclesiastes 12:8
“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher. “Everything is futile!”
Read in contextEcclesiastes 2:26
To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
Read in contextEcclesiastes 2:17
So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
Read in contextEcclesiastes 2:11
Yet when I considered all the works that my hands had accomplished and what I had toiled to achieve, I found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind; there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
Read in context