Ecclesiastes The Title

1:1 The words of the Teacher,¹ the son² of David, king³ in Jerusalem:⁴

Introduction: The Utter Futility of Secular Accomplishment

1:2 “Futile! Futile!” laments⁵ the Teacher,⁶
“Absolutely futile!⁷ Everything⁸ is futile!”⁹

Futility of Human Secular Endeavor Illustrated from Nature

1:3 What gain¹⁰ does anyone have in all his work
in which¹¹ he labors¹² under the sun?¹³
1:4 A generation comes¹⁴ and a generation goes,¹⁵
but the earth remains¹⁶ the same.¹⁷
1:5 The sun rises¹⁸ and the sun sets,¹⁹
and to the place to which it hastens,²⁰ from there it rises again.²¹
1:6 The wind travels to the south and circles around to the north,
round and round²² the wind goes and on its circuits it returns.²³
1:7 All the streams run²⁴ into the sea, but the sea is not full;
and to the place where the streams flow, there they will return to flow again.²⁵
1:8 All these events²⁶ are wearisome; no one could bear to describe them all:²⁷
The eye is never satisfied²⁸ with seeing, nor is the ear ever filled with hearing.
1:9 What has been in the present is what will be in the future,
and what has been done in the past is what will be done in the future;
so, there is nothing really new on earth.²⁹
1:10 “Is there anything of which it can be said, “Look at this! It is new!”?³⁰
It was already³¹ done long ago³² before our time.³³
1:11 No one remembers the former events,³⁴
nor will anyone remember the future events that are yet to happen;³⁵
they will not be remembered by the future generations.³⁶

Personal Observations about the Futility of Secular Human Accomplishment

1:12 I, Qoheleth have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
1:13 I applied myself³⁷ to use my wisdom to thoroughly examine³⁸ everything
that has been accomplished on the earth.³⁹
I concluded: God has burdened⁴⁰ men⁴¹ with a grievous task⁴² that keeps them⁴³ occupied.⁴⁴
1:14 I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth,⁴⁵
and I concluded: Everything man has accomplishment⁴⁶ is futile⁴⁷—like striving to grasp wind!
1:15 “What is crooked⁴⁸ cannot be straightened,⁴⁹
and what is missing⁵⁰ cannot be supplied.⁵¹”

Personal Reflections on the Futility of Secular Human Wisdom

1:16 I thought to myself,⁵²
“I have become much wiser⁵³ than any of my predecessors who ruled over Jerusalem;
I⁵⁴ have acquired⁵⁵ much wisdom and knowledge.”
1:17 So I set my mind⁵⁶ to discern the benefit of wisdom and knowledge over foolishness and folly;⁵⁷
however, I concluded that even⁵⁸ this endeavor is like trying to chase the wind!
1:18 Because with great wisdom comes great frustration;
whoever increases his knowledge merely increases his heartache.⁵⁹