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Wednesday, October 9th, 2024
the Week of Proper 22 / Ordinary 27
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Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Ecclesiastes 2:22

So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Industry;   Wisdom;   The Topic Concordance - Vanity;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Man;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Time;   Wisdom literature;   Work;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Winter ;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for October 24;   Every Day Light - Devotion for September 29;  

Parallel Translations

Legacy Standard Bible
For what does a man get in all his labor and in the striving of his heart with which he labors under the sun?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For what does a man get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For what getteth a man of all the labour and trauayle of his mynde that he taketh vnder the sunne?
Darby Translation
For what will man have of all his labour and of the striving of his heart, wherewith he hath wearied himself under the sun?
New King James Version
For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun?
Literal Translation
For what is there for man in all his labor, and in striving of his heart, which he did as a laborer under the sun?
Easy-to-Read Version
What do people really have after all their work and struggling in this life?
World English Bible
For what has a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, in which he labors under the sun?
King James Version (1611)
For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart wherein hee hath laboured vnder the Sunne?
King James Version
For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For what getteth a ma of all ye labor & trauayle of his mynde, yt he taketh vnder the Sonne,
Amplified Bible
For what does a man get from all his labor and from the striving and sorrow of his heart with which he labors under the sun?
American Standard Version
For what hath a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he laboreth under the sun?
Bible in Basic English
What does a man get for all his work, and for the weight of care with which he has done his work under the sun?
Update Bible Version
For what has man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he labors under the sun?
Webster's Bible Translation
For what hath man of all his labor, and of the vexation of his heart, in which he hath labored under the sun?
New English Translation
What does a man acquire from all his labor and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth?
Contemporary English Version
What do we really gain from all of our hard work?
Complete Jewish Bible
For what does a person get from all his efforts and ambitions permeating the work he does under the sun?
Geneva Bible (1587)
For what hath man of all his trauaile and griefe of his heart, wherein he hath trauailed vnder the sunne?
George Lamsa Translation
For what profit shall a man have of all his labor and of the desire of his heart wherein he has labored under the sun?
Hebrew Names Version
For what has a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, in which he labors under the sun?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
For what hath a man of all his labour, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he laboureth under the sun?
New Life Bible
For what does a man get from all his work and trouble under the sun?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For it happens to a man in all his labour, and in the purpose of his heart wherein he labours under the sun.
English Revised Version
For what hath a man of all his labour, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he laboureth under the sun?
Berean Standard Bible
For what does a man get for all the labor and endeavors at which he toils under the sun?
New Revised Standard
What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For what hath the man for all his toil, and for the striving of his heart, - wherein, he himself, toiled under the sun?
Douay-Rheims Bible
For what profit shall a man have of all his labour, and vexation of spirit, with which he hath been tormented under the sun?
Lexham English Bible
For what does a person receive for all his toil and in the longing of his heart with which he toils under the sun?
English Standard Version
What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun?
New American Standard Bible
For what does a person get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun?
New Century Version
What do people get for all their work and struggling here on earth?
Good News Translation
You work and worry your way through life, and what do you have to show for it?
Christian Standard Bible®
For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts that he labors at under the sun?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For whi what schal it profite to a man of al his trauel, and turment of spirit, bi which he was turmentid vndur sunne?
Revised Standard Version
What has a man from all the toil and strain with which he toils beneath the sun?
Young's Literal Translation
For what hath been to a man by all his labour, and by the thought of his heart that he laboured at under the sun?

Contextual Overview

17 So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasing the wind. 18 I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. 19 And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! 20 So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world. 21 Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn't worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. 22 So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? 23 Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless. 24 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? 26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

hath man: Ecclesiastes 1:3, Ecclesiastes 3:9, Ecclesiastes 5:10, Ecclesiastes 5:11, Ecclesiastes 5:17, Ecclesiastes 6:7, Ecclesiastes 6:8, Ecclesiastes 8:15, Proverbs 16:26, 1 Timothy 6:8

and of the: Ecclesiastes 4:6, Ecclesiastes 4:8, Psalms 127:2, Matthew 6:11, Matthew 6:25, Matthew 6:34, Matthew 16:26, Luke 12:22, Luke 12:29, Philippians 4:6, 1 Peter 5:7

Reciprocal: Genesis 3:17 - in sorrow Job 5:7 - trouble Ecclesiastes 2:10 - my heart rejoiced Ecclesiastes 2:17 - for Ecclesiastes 5:16 - a sore Ecclesiastes 6:9 - this Matthew 11:28 - all

Cross-References

Genesis 2:8
Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made.
Genesis 2:9
The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:19
So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one.
Psalms 127:1

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of Solomon.

Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.
Proverbs 18:22
The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord .
Proverbs 19:14
Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the Lord can give an understanding wife.
1 Timothy 2:13
For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve.
Hebrews 13:4
Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart?.... What profit has he by it, when there is so much vexation in it, both in getting it, and in the thought of leaving it to others? What advantage is it to him, when it is all acquired for and possessed by another; and especially of what use is it to him after his death? Even of all

wherein he hath laboured under the sun? the Targum adds, "in this world"; though he has been labouring all his days, yet there is not one thing he has got by his labour that is of any real advantage to him, or can yield him any solid comfort and satisfaction, or bring him true happiness, or lead him to it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Solomon having found that wisdom and folly agree in being subject to vanity, now contrasts one with the other Ecclesiastes 2:13. Both are brought under vanity by events Ecclesiastes 2:14 which come on the wise man and the feel alike from without - death and oblivion Ecclesiastes 2:16, uncertainty Ecclesiastes 2:19, disappointment Ecclesiastes 2:21 - all happening by an external law beyond human control. Amidst this vanity, the good (see Ecclesiastes 2:10 note) that accrues to man, is the pleasure felt Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 in receiving God’s gifts, and in working with and for them.

Ecclesiastes 2:12

What can the man do ... - i. e., “What is any man - in this study of wisdom and folly - after one like me, who, from my position, have had such special advantages (see Ecclesiastes 1:16, and compare Ecclesiastes 2:25) for carrying it on? That which man did of old he can but do again: he is not likely to add to the result of my researches, nor even to equal them.” Some hold that the “man” is a reference to Solomon’s successor - not in his inquiries, but in his kingdom, i. e., Jeroboam.

Ecclesiastes 2:14

Event - Or, “hap” Ruth 2:3. The verb from which it is derived seems in this book to refer especially to death. The word does not mean chance (compare Ecclesiastes 9:1-2), independent of the ordering of Divine Providence: the Gentile notion of “mere chance,” or “blind fate,” is never once contemplated by the writer of this book, and it would be inconsistent with his tenets of the unlimited power and activity of God.

Ecclesiastes 2:16

Seeing that ... - Compare Ecclesiastes 1:11. Some render, “as in time past, so in days to come, all will be forgotten;” others, “because in the days to come all will have been long before forgotten.”

Ecclesiastes 2:17

I hated life - Compare this expression, extorted from Solomon by the perception of the vanity of his wisdom and greatness, with Romans 8:22-23. The words of Moses Numbers 11:15, and of Job Job 3:21; Job 6:9, are scarcely less forcible. With some people, this feeling is a powerful motive to conversion Luke 14:26.

Ecclesiastes 2:19

Labour - Compare Ecclesiastes 2:4-8.

Ecclesiastes 2:20

I went about - i. e., I turned from one course of action to another.

Ecclesiastes 2:23

Are sorrows ... grief - Rather, sorrows and grief are his toil. See Ecclesiastes 1:13.

Ecclesiastes 2:24

Nothing better for a man, than that ... - literally, no good in man that etc. The one joy of working or receiving, which, though it be transitory, a man recognizes as a real good, even that is not in the power of man to secure for himself: that good is the gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 2:26

The doctrine of retribution, or, the revealed fact that God is the moral Governor of the world, is here stated for the first time (compare Ecclesiastes 3:15, Ecclesiastes 3:17 ff) in this book.

This also is vanity - Not only the travail of the sinner. Even the best gifts of God, wisdom, knowledge, and joy, so far as they are given in this life, are not permanent, and are not always (see Ecclesiastes 9:11) efficacious for the purpose for which they appear to be given.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 22. For what hath man of all his laborerLabour of body, disappointment of hope, and vexation of heart, have been all my portion.


 
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