World English Bible
- The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
- “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”
- What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?
- One generation goes, and another generation comes; but the earth remains forever.
- The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hurries to its place where it rises.
- The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north. It turns around continually as it goes, and the wind returns again to its courses.
- All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.
- All things are full of weariness beyond uttering. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
- That which has been is that which shall be, and that which has been done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun.
- Is there a thing of which it may be said, “Behold, this is new”? It has been long ago, in the ages which were before us.
- There is no memory of the former; neither shall there be any memory of the latter that are to come, among those that shall come after.
- I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
- I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the sky. It is a heavy burden that God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.
- I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.
- That which is crooked can’t be made straight; and that which is lacking can’t be counted.
- I said to myself, “Behold, I have obtained for myself great wisdom above all who were before me in Jerusalem. Yes, my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”
- I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind.
- For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
“Vanity of vanities… all is vanity.” — Ecclesiastes 1:2, World English Bible
The Hebrew word translated vanity is hevel—breath, mist, vapor. It does not mean that nothing matters. It means that life cannot be held still. Like breath on a cold morning, it is real, visible, and gone before we can possess it.
“Vanity of vanities” is a Hebrew superlative, like “holy of holies.” Qoheleth—the “Preacher,” or more literally, the one who gathers an assembly—is declaring life to be the vapor of vapors: fleeting beyond our ability to master.
His question is not merely, “Does life have meaning?” It is, “What lasting gain remains?” The Hebrew word yitron suggests profit or surplus. After all our effort, what can be carried beyond death?
Ancient kings answered with monuments, inscriptions, dynasties, and cities. Archaeologists still uncover royal texts intended to preserve a ruler’s name forever—often shattered, buried, or separated from the king they praised. Qoheleth saw through the boast long before the stones fell: even memory has a grave.
The repeated phrase “under the sun” marks the boundaries of Qoheleth’s investigation. He studies life as it appears within the closed circle of birth, labor, repetition, and death. The sun runs its course; winds circle; rivers pour endlessly into an unfilled sea. Creation seems busy without arriving anywhere.
This is not atheism. It is the painful honesty of faith refusing cheap answers. Wisdom increases sorrow because clear sight reveals what optimism hides: knowledge can diagnose the crookedness of the world, but cannot straighten it.
Yet Ecclesiastes is not God’s final word. Its circles create a longing for an act that comes from beyond the circle.
The resurrection of Jesus is precisely such an act. It is not merely another spring after winter, another generation replacing the last. It is the invasion of new creation into the old. Qoheleth asks what gain remains from labor “under the sun”; Paul answers that labor “in the Lord” is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). The location has changed. Work cannot save us from vapor, but work received into the risen Christ is gathered into eternity.
Ecclesiastes therefore performs a severe mercy. It loosens our grip on achievement, novelty, reputation, and control—not to leave our hands empty, but to make them ready for God. As Augustine taught, our hearts remain restless until they rest in him. We cannot capture the wind, but we may entrust ourselves to the One who commands it.
Suggested readings: Psalm 90:1–12; Romans 8:18–25; 1
Corinthians 15:50–58; James 4:13–15; Revelation 21:1–5
Suggested hymn: “O God, Our Help in Ages Past”
Eternal God, free me from building my life upon mist. Give me courage to see the world truthfully, humility to release what I cannot keep, and faith to labor in the risen Christ. Gather my brief days into your everlasting purpose. Amen.
Narrated version of this devotional on Ecclesiastes Chapter 1