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Monday, October 7th, 2024
the Week of Proper 22 / Ordinary 27
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Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Ecclesiastes 1:14

I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Instruction;   Investigation;   Science;   Works;   Thompson Chain Reference - Business Life;   Capital and Labour;   Fruitless Labour;   Labour;   Toil;   Worldly;   The Topic Concordance - Vanity;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Vanity;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes, Book of;   Spirit;   Wind;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Winter ;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Astrology;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for October 2;  

Parallel Translations

Legacy Standard Bible
I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thus haue I considered all these thynges that come to passe vnder the sunne: and lo, they are all but vanitie and vexation of mynde.
Darby Translation
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and pursuit of the wind.
New King James Version
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.
Literal Translation
I have seen all the works which are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and striving after wind!
Easy-to-Read Version
I looked at everything done on earth, and I saw that it is all a waste of time. It is like trying to catch the wind.
World English Bible
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.
King James Version (1611)
I haue seene all the workes that are done vnder the Sunne, and behold, all is vanitie, and vexation of spirit.
King James Version
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thus I haue considered all the thinges that come to passe vnder the Sone, & lo, they are all but vanite & vexacion of mynde.
Amplified Bible
I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a futile grasping and chasing after the wind.
American Standard Version
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
Bible in Basic English
I have seen all the works which are done under the sun; all is to no purpose, and desire for wind.
Update Bible Version
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, look, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
Webster's Bible Translation
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.
New English Translation
I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile—like chasing the wind!
Contemporary English Version
I have seen it all, and everything is just as senseless as chasing the wind.
Complete Jewish Bible
I have seen all the activities that are done under the sun, and it's all pointless, feeding on wind.
Geneva Bible (1587)
I haue considered all the workes that are done vnder the sunne, and beholde, all is vanitie, and vexation of the spirit.
George Lamsa Translation
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Hebrew Names Version
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
New Life Bible
I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun. And see, it is all for nothing. It is like trying to catch the wind.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I beheld all the works that were wrought under the sun; and, beheld, all were vanity and waywardness of spirit.
English Revised Version
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
Berean Standard Bible
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
New Revised Standard
I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
I saw all the works which were done under the sun, - and lo! all, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
Douay-Rheims Bible
I have seen all things that are done under the sun, and behold all is vanity, and vexation of spirit.
Lexham English Bible
I saw all the works that are done under the sun. Look! Everything is vanity and chasing wind.
English Standard Version
I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
New American Standard Bible
I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is futility and striving after wind.
New Century Version
I looked at everything done on earth and saw that it is all useless, like chasing the wind.
Good News Translation
I have seen everything done in this world, and I tell you, it is all useless. It is like chasing the wind.
Christian Standard Bible®
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
I siy alle thingis that ben maad vndur the sunne, and lo! alle thingis ben vanyte and turment of spirit.
Revised Standard Version
I have seen everything that is done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
Young's Literal Translation
I have seen all the works that have been done under the sun, and lo, the whole [is] vanity and vexation of spirit!

Contextual Overview

12 I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem. 13 I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done under heaven. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race. 14 I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind. 15 What is wrong cannot be made right. What is missing cannot be recovered. 16 I said to myself, "Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them." 17 So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind. 18 The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Ecclesiastes 1:17, Ecclesiastes 1:18, Ecclesiastes 2:11, Ecclesiastes 2:17, Ecclesiastes 2:26, 1 Kings 4:30-32, Psalms 39:5, Psalms 39:6

Reciprocal: Genesis 3:17 - cursed Genesis 42:38 - bring Esther 5:13 - Yet all this Job 7:3 - months of Psalms 78:33 - years Psalms 127:2 - vain Psalms 144:4 - Man Ecclesiastes 2:15 - Then I Ecclesiastes 3:10 - General Ecclesiastes 4:3 - who Ecclesiastes 4:4 - This is Ecclesiastes 4:16 - this Ecclesiastes 6:9 - this Ecclesiastes 8:9 - this Ecclesiastes 11:10 - for Ecclesiastes 12:8 - General Jeremiah 2:13 - broken cisterns Matthew 11:28 - all

Cross-References

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:2
The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
Genesis 1:3
Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
Genesis 1:4
And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness.
Genesis 1:6
Then God said, "Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth."
Genesis 1:7
And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens.
Genesis 1:8
God called the space "sky." And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.
Genesis 1:9
Then God said, "Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear." And that is what happened.
Genesis 1:12
The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:14
Then God said, "Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun,.... All things done by the Lord, that were on the earth, and in it, and in the sea; he considered them, and endeavoured to search into the nature of them; and did attain to a very great knowledge of them, so that he could speak of them to the instruction of others; see 1 Kings 4:33; and all that were done by men, by their head, or by their hands; all that were written or wrought by them; all their philosophical works and experiments, and all their mechanic operations; as well as all their good and bad works, in a moral sense; so the Targum,

"I saw all the deeds of the children of men, which are done under the sun in this world;''

and, behold, all [is] vanity and vexation of spirit; not only the things known, but the knowledge of them; it is mere vanity, there is nothing solid and substantial in it, or that can make a man happy; yea, on the contrary, it is vexatious and distressing; it is not only a weariness to the flesh to obtain it, but, in the reflection of it, gives pain and uneasiness to the mind: it is a "breaking of the spirit" n of the man, as the Targum, Jarchi, and Alshech, interpret the phrase; it wastes and consumes his spirit, as well as his time, and all to no purpose; it is, as some ancient Greek versions and others render it, and not amiss, a "feeding on wind" o; what is useless and unprofitable, and like labouring for that; see Hosea 12:1 Ecclesiastes 5:16; and so Aben Ezra.

n רעות רוח "affiictio spiritus", V. L. Junius Tremellius "contritio spiritus", so some in Vatablus. o νομη ανεμου, Aquila; "pastio venti", Mercerus, Piscator, Gejerus, Amama.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Vexation of spirit - A phrase which occurs 7 times, and may be otherwise translated, “feeding on wind.” Modern Hebrew grammarians assert that the word rendered “vexation” must be derived from a root signifying “to feed,” “follow,” “strive after.” This being admitted, it remains to choose between two translations:

(1) “striving after wind,” or “windy effort;” adopted by the Septuagint and the majority of modern interpreters; or

(2) feeding on wind. Compare Hosea 12:1 : and similar phrases in Proverbs 15:14; Isaiah 44:20; Psalms 37:3.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 14. Behold, all is vanity — After all these discussions and experiments, when even the results have been the most successful, I have found only rational satisfaction; but not that supreme good by which alone the soul can be made happy.

O curas hominum! O quantum est in rebus inane!

"How anxious are our cares, and yet how vain

The bent of our desires!"

PERS. Sat. i., v. 1.


 
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