Ecclesiastes 1

KJ3 Literal Translation — Chapter 1 of 12

¹ The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:

² Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity!

³ What is the profit to a man in all his labor which he labors under the sun?

⁴ A generation goes away, and another generation comes; but the earth stands forever.

Chapter Summary

The preacher shows that all human courses are vain: they bring forth nothing new.

הֶ֫בֶל vanity, vapor H1892 · TWOT 463a

יִתְרוֹן profit, advantage H3504 · TWOT 936f

עָמָל labor, toil H5999 · TWOT 1639a

חׇכְמָה wisdom H2451 · TWOT 647a

רְעוּת striving, longing H7469 · TWOT 2187b

דַּ֫עַת knowledge H1847 · TWOT 848c

The Preacher

Qoheleth, son of David and king in Jerusalem, who gives his heart to seek out all done under heaven

David

Israel's king named as the Preacher's father, establishing his royal lineage

God

the One who gave the sons of men the grievous task of seeking wisdom under the heavens

Introduction of the Preacher

The author identifies as the Preacher, the son of David and king in Jerusalem.

Ecclesiastes 1:1

The Thesis of Vanity

The Preacher declares that all is vanity and questions what profit a man has from his labor under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 1:2-3

The Cycles of Nature

Generations pass while the earth remains, the sun rises and sets, the wind circles continually, and rivers perpetually flow into the unfillable sea.

Ecclesiastes 1:4-7

Word-for-word literal translation with Hebrew interlinear, Strong's numbers, and audio.