Ecclesiastes — Chapter 1

The words of KohelethaKoheleth Probably “the Assembler,” namely of hearers or of sayings; cf. 12.9–11. son of David, king in Jerusalem.

Utter futility!—said Koheleth—Utter futility! All is futile!

What real value is there for humankindIn all the gainsbgains So Rashbam. Heb. ʻamal usually has this sense in Ecclesiastes; cf. Ps. 105.44. they make beneath the sun?

One generation goes, another comes,But the earth remains the same forever.

The sun rises, and the sun sets—And glidescglides So Targum; cf. Bereshith Rabbah on Gen. 1.17. back to where it rises.

Southward blowing,Turning northward,Ever turning blows the wind;On its rounds the wind returns.

All streams flow into the sea,Yet the sea is never full;To the place [from] which they flowThe streams flow back again.dflow back again According to popular belief, through tunnels; so Targum and Rashi.

All such things are wearisome:No one can ever state them;The eye never has enough of seeing,Nor the ear enough of hearing.

Only that shall happenThat has happened,Only that occurThat has occurred;There is nothing newBeneath the sun!

Sometimes there is a phenomenon of which they say, “Look, this one is new!”—it occurred long since, in ages that went by before us.

The earlier ones are not remembered; so too those that will occur later will no more be remembered thanewill no more be remembered than Lit. “will not be remembered like…” For ʻim meaning “like,” cf. 2.16; 7.11; Job 9.26. those that will occur at the very end.

I, Koheleth, was king in Jerusalem over Israel.

I set my mind to study and to probe with wisdom all that happens under the sun.—An unhappy business, that, which God gave mortals to be concerned with!

I observed all the happenings beneath the sun, and I found that all is futile and pursuitfpursuit Lit. “tending,” from root rʻh, “to shepherd.” of wind:

A twisted thing that cannot be made straight,A lack that cannot be made good.

I said to myself: “Here I have grown richer and wiser than any who ruled before me over Jerusalem, and my mind has zealously absorbed wisdom and learning.”

And so I set my mind to appraise wisdom and to appraise madness and folly. And I learned—that this too was pursuit of wind:

For as wisdom grows, vexation grows;To increase learning is to increase heartache.