(KJV) Ecclesiastes 11

<< Proverbs 31 Ecclesiastes 2 >>

⥃Everything Is Futile

[1] The words of the Preacher2, the son of David, king3 in Jerusalem. [2] Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all [is] vanity.4 [3] What profit5 hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under6 the sun? [4] [One] generation7 passeth away, and [another] generation cometh: but8 the earth abideth for ever. [5] The sun9 also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth10 to his place where he arose. [6] The wind11 goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. [7] All the rivers run12 into the sea; yet the sea [is] not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again13. [8] All things [are] full14 of labour; man15 cannot utter [it]: the eye16 is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. [9] The thing that hath17 been, it [is that] which shall be; and that which is done [is] that which shall be done: and [there18 is] no new [thing] under the sun. [10] Is there [any] thing whereof it may be said, See, this [is] new? it hath19 been already of old time, which was before us. [11] [There is20] no remembrance of former [things]; neither shall there be [any] remembrance of [things] that are to come with [those] that shall come after.

⥃With Wisdom Comes Sorrow

[12] I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.21 [13] And I gave22 my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all [things] that are done under heaven: this sore23 travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised24 therewith. [14] I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.25 [15] [That which is] crooked26 cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting27 cannot be numbered. [16] I communed28 with mine own heart, saying, Lo29, 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 of30 wisdom and knowledge. [17] And I gave31 my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived32 that this also is vexation of spirit. [18] For in33 much wisdom [is] much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

<< Proverbs 31 Ecclesiastes 2 >>

  1. Eccl 1:1, The preacher shews that all human courses are vain; Eccl 1:4, because the creatures are restless in their courses, Eccl 1:9, they bring forth nothing new, and all old things are forgotten; Eccl 1:12, and because he has found it so in the studies of wisdom. ↩

  2. Eccl 1:12, Eccl 7:27, Eccl 12:8-10; Neh 6:7; Ps 40:9; Isa 61:1; Jonah 3:2; 2Pet 2:5 ↩

  3. Eccl 1:12; 1Kgs 11:42-43; 2Chr 9:30, 2Chr 10:17-19 ↩

  4. Eccl 2:11, Eccl 2:15, Eccl 2:17, Eccl 2:19, Eccl 2:21, Eccl 2:23, Eccl 2:26, Eccl 3:19, Eccl 4:4, Eccl 4:8, Eccl 4:16, Eccl 5:10, Eccl 6:11, Eccl 11:8, Eccl 11:10, Eccl 12:8; Ps 39:5-6, Ps 62:9-10, Ps 144:4; Rom 8:20 ↩

  5. Eccl 2:22, Eccl 3:9, Eccl 5:16; Prov 23:4-5; Isa 55:2; Hab 2:13, Hab 2:18; Matt 16:26; Mark 8:36-37; John 6:27 ↩

  6. Eccl 2:11, Eccl 2:19, Eccl 4:3, Eccl 4:7, Eccl 5:18, Eccl 6:12, Eccl 7:11, Eccl 8:15-17, Eccl 9:3, Eccl 9:6, Eccl 9:13 ↩

  7. Eccl 6:12; Gen 5:3-31, Gen 11:20-32, Gen 36:9-19, Gen 47:9; Exod 1:6-7, Exod 6:16-27; Ps 89:47-48, Ps 90:9-10; Zech 1:5 ↩

  8. Ps 102:24-28, Ps 104:5, Ps 119:90-91; Matt 24:35; 2Pet 3:10-13 ↩

  9. Gen 8:22; Ps 19:4-6, Ps 89:36-37, Ps 104:19-23; Jer 33:20 ↩

  10. Heb. panteth, Josh 10:13-14; Ps 42:1; Hab 3:11 ↩

  11. This verse should be connected with the preceding, and rendered, "The sun also riseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose; going toward the south, and turning about unto the north. The wind whirleth about continually," etc. Alluding, in the former part, to the apparent daily motion of the sun from east to west, and to his annual course through the signs of the zodiac. Job 37:9, Job 37:17; Ps 107:25, Ps 107:29; Jonah 1:4; Matt 7:24, Matt 7:27; John 3:8; Acts 27:13-15 ↩

  12. Job 38:10-11; Ps 104:6-9 ↩

  13. Heb. return to go ↩

  14. Eccl 2:11, Eccl 2:26; Matt 11:28; Rom 8:22-23 ↩

  15. Eccl 4:1-4, Eccl 7:24-26 ↩

  16. Eccl 4:8, Eccl 5:10-11; Ps 63:5; Prov 27:20, Prov 30:15-16; Matt 5:6; Rev 7:16-17 ↩

  17. Eccl 3:15, Eccl 7:10; 2Pet 2:1 ↩

  18. Isa 43:19; Jer 31:22; Rev 21:1, Rev 21:5 ↩

  19. Matt 5:12, Matt 23:30-32; Luke 17:26-30; Acts 7:51; 1Thess 2:14-16; 2Tim 3:8 ↩

  20. Eccl 2:16; Ps 9:6; Isa 41:22-26, Isa 42:9 ↩

  21. Eccl 1:1; 1Kgs 4:1-19 ↩

  22. Eccl 1:17, Eccl 7:25, Eccl 8:9, Eccl 8:16-17; Ps 111:2; Prov 2:2-4, Prov 4:7, Prov 18:1, Prov 18:15, Prov 23:26; 1Tim 4:15 ↩

  23. Eccl 3:10, Eccl 4:4, Eccl 12:12; Gen 3:19 ↩

  24. or, to afflict them ↩

  25. Eccl 1:17-18, Eccl 2:11, Eccl 2:17, Eccl 2:26; 1Kgs 4:30-32; Ps 39:5-6 ↩

  26. Eccl 3:14, Eccl 7:12-13; Job 11:6, Job 34:29; Isa 40:4; Lam 3:37; Dan 4:35; Matt 6:27 ↩

  27. Heb. defect ↩

  28. 2Kgs 5:20; Ps 4:4, Ps 77:6; Isa 10:7-14; Jer 22:14; Ezek 38:10-11; Dan 4:30 ↩

  29. Eccl 2:9; 1Kgs 3:12-13, 1Kgs 4:30, 1Kgs 10:7, 1Kgs 10:23-24; 2Chr 1:10-12, 2Chr 2:12, 2Chr 9:22-23 ↩

  30. Heb. seen much, Heb 5:14 ↩

  31. Eccl 1:13, Eccl 2:3, Eccl 2:12, Eccl 7:23-25; 1Thess 5:21 ↩

  32. Eccl 2:10-11 ↩

  33. Eccl 2:15, Eccl 7:16, Eccl 12:12-13; Job 28:28; 1Cor 3:18-20; Jas 3:13-17 ↩