Ecclesiastes 1King James Version
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, all is vanity. One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh, but the earth abideth forever. The sun also riseth, and the sun goeth down. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. There is no new thing under the sun.
Qoheleth opens with the thesis that drives the entire book: vanity of vanities, all is vanity. The sun rises and sets, rivers run to a sea that never fills, generations come and go, and nothing is remembered. He identifies as the king in Jerusalem, applies himself to wisdom, and finds it is also vexation of spirit. In much wisdom is much grief.
The world is a closed loop: nothing accumulates, nothing lasts, and wisdom sharp enough to see that clearly brings its own particular suffering.
2: "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." The thesis stated twice for weight, then immediately demonstrated with sun, wind, and river, because the world itself is the proof.
A king in Jerusalem, late in life, who has had everything a man could want. Scholars debate the date: traditional attribution to Solomon places it around 935 BC, but the vocabulary and style suggest post-exilic composition closer to 400 BC. Either way the voice is someone who has reached the end of acquisition and found it hollow.
Qoheleth, the Preacher, son of David and king in Jerusalem. Traditionally identified as Solomon, though many scholars read this as a literary frame. He speaks as a man who has seen everything and reached the end of what seeing can give you.
No other book in the Bible opens this way. Ecclesiastes refuses the comfort of easy answers from verse two. It sits in the canon as the honest voice, the one that says what people think at 2 AM and never say in church. Its honesty is precisely why it belongs.
For the moments when effort feels pointless and life feels like it's running on a loop you never agreed to join. Qoheleth has already been there, looked hard at it, and decided to keep talking anyway.
1The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
3What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
4One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
5The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
6The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
7All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
8All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
10Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
11There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.
12I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.
14I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
15That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
16I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
17And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
18For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.