Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:1-3

Here is, I. An account of the penman of this book; it was Solomon, for no other son of David was king of Jerusalem; but he conceals his name Solomon, peaceable, because by his sin he had brought trouble upon himself and his kingdom, had broken his peace with God and lost the peace of his conscience, and therefore was no more worthy of that name. Call me not Solomon, call me Marah, for, behold, for peace I had great bitterness. But he calls himself, 1. The preacher, which intimates his present... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:4-8

To prove the vanity of all things under the sun, and their insufficiency to make us happy, Solomon here shows, 1. That the time of our enjoyment of these things is very short, and only while we accomplish as a hireling his day. We continue in the world but for one generation, which is continually passing away to make room for another, and we are passing with it. Our worldly possessions we very lately had from others, and must very shortly leave to others, and therefore to us they are vanity;... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:9-11

Two things we are apt to take a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction in, and value ourselves upon, with reference to our business and enjoyments in the world, as if they helped to save them from vanity. Solomon shows us our mistake in both. 1. The novelty of the invention, that it is such as was never known before. How grateful is it to think that none ever made such advances in knowledge, and such discoveries by it, as we, that none ever made such improvements of an estate or trade, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:1

The words of the preacher ,.... Or the preacher's sermon. The whole book is one continued discourse, and an excellent one it is; consisting not of mere words, but of solid matter; of things of the greatest importance, clothed with words apt and acceptable, which the preacher sought out, Ecclesiastes 12:10 . The Targum is, "the words of the prophecy, which the preacher, who is Solomon, prophesied.' According to which this book is prophetic; and so it interprets it, and owns it to be... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:2

Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher ,.... This is the preacher's text; the theme and subject he after enlarges upon, and proves by an induction of particulars; it is the sum of the whole book; vanity of vanities, all is vanity ; most extremely vain, exceedingly so, the height of vanity: this is repeated, both for the confirmation of it, men being hard of belief of it; and to show how much the preacher was affected with it himself, and to affect others with the same. The Targum... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:3

What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? This is a general proof of the vanity of all things, since there is no profit arises to a man of all his labour; for, though it is put by way of question, it carries in it a strong negative. All things a man enjoys he gets by labour; for man, through sin, is doomed and born unto it, Job 5:7 ; he gets his bread by the sweat of his brow, which is a part of the curse for sin; and the wealth and riches got by a diligent... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:4

One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh ,.... This shows that a man can have no profit of all his labour under the sun, because of his short continuance; as soon almost as he has got anything by his labour, he must leave it: not only particular persons, but families, nations, and kingdoms; even all the inhabitants of the world, that are contemporaries, live together in the same age, in a certain period of time; these gradually go off by death, till the whole generation... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:5

The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. The sun rises in the morning and sets at evening in our hemisphere, according to the appearance of things; and then it makes haste to go round the other hemisphere in the night: it "pants", as the word F20 שואפ "anhelus", Montanus, Tigurine version; "anhelat", Drusius, Piscator, Cocceius, Amama; "anhelaus est", Rambachius; "doth he breathe", Broughton. signifies; the same figure is used by other... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:6

The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north ,.... The word "wind" is not in this clause in the original text, but is taken from the next, and so may be rendered, "it goeth towards the south", &c.; that is, the sun F24 Jarchi, Alshech, and Titatzak, interpret it of the sun; so Mercerus, Varenius, Gejerus; accordingly Mr. Broughton renders it "he walketh to the south." before mentioned, which as to its diurnal and nocturnal course in the daytime goes towards the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:7

All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full ,.... Which flow from fountains or an formed by hasty rains; these make their way to the sea, yet the sea is not filled therewith, and made to abound and overflow the earth, as it might be expected it would. So Seneca says F26 Nat. Quaest. l. 3. c. 4. we wonder that the accession of rivers is not perceived in the sea; and Lucretius F1 De Rerum Natura, l. 6. observes the same, that it is wondered at that the sea should not... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:1-3

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:4-8

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:9-11

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:1

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:2

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:3

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:4

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:5

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:6

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:7

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