Ecclesiastes 1:3 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

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

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 1:3

What profit hath a man - What is the sum of the real good he has gained by all his toils in life? They, in themselves, have neither made him contented nor happy. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:2-11

PROLOGUE . The vanity of all human and mundane things, and the oppressive monotony of their continued recurrence. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:3

What profit hath a man of all his labor which he taketh under the sun? Here begins the elucidation of the fruitlessness of man's ceaseless activity. The word rendered "profit" ( yithron ) is found only in this book, where it occurs frequently. It means "that which remains over, advantage," περισσεία , as the LXX . translates it. As the verb and the substantive are cognate in the following words, they are better rendered, in all his labor wherein he laboreth . So Euripides has, ... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Ecclesiastes 1:3

What profit ... - The question often repeated is the great practical inquiry of the book; it receives its final answer in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. When this question was asked, the Lord had not yet spoken Matthew 11:28. The word “profit” (or pre-eminence) is opposed to “vanity.”Hath a man - Rather, hath man. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Ecclesiastes 1:3

Ecclesiastes 1:3 . What profit What real and abiding benefit? None at all. All is unprofitable as to the attainment of that happiness which all men are inquiring after. Of all his labour Hebrew, his toilsome labour, both of body and mind, in the pursuit of riches, or pleasures, or other earthly things; under the sun In all worldly matters, which are usually transacted in the day-time, or by the light of the sun. By this restriction he implies, that the happiness which in vain is... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

1:1-4:16 ACCEPT THE LIFE GOD GIVES AND ENJOY ITIs there a purpose to life? (1:1-11)At times life does not appear to have much meaning. People have to work to keep themselves alive, but in the end they lose everything they have worked for. Generation after generation passes, but the same things still happen (1:1-4). The sun rises and sets, then the next day the cycle is repeated. The wind blows and circles around, coming back to begin its course all over again. Rivers flow unceasingly into the... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Ecclesiastes 1:3

man. Hebrew. 'adam = the natural man. App-14 . labour = toil. under the sun. This expression is peculiar to this book, and occurs twenty-nine times: (Ecclesiastes 1:3 , Ecclesiastes 1:9 , Ecclesiastes 1:14 ; Ecclesiastes 2:11 , Ecclesiastes 2:17 , Ecclesiastes 2:18 , Ecclesiastes 2:19 , Ecclesiastes 2:20 , Ecclesiastes 2:22 ; Ecclesiastes 3:16 ; Ecclesiastes 4:1 , Ecclesiastes 4:3 , Ecclesiastes 4:7 , Ecclesiastes 4:15 ; Ecclesiastes 5:13 , Ecclesiastes 5:18 ; Ecclesiastes 6:1 ,... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Ecclesiastes 1:2-3

Ecclesiastes 1:2-3. Vanity of vanities— Vanity of vanities, according to the Hebrew idiom, signifies, the greatest vanity. The original word הבל hebel, signifies, properly, steam or vapour, and is used to denote any thing which is transient and empty, in apparition to what is solid, substantial, and permanent. These verses contain the first proposition, "That no labour or trouble of men," &c. The proofs of which we here subjoin analytically: Ecclesiastes 1:2-3. I. Proposition. Ecc 1:4 to... read more