1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2 Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

3 What profit has a man of all his labor which he takes under the sun?

4 One generation passes away, and another generation comes: but the earth stays for ever.

5 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to his place where he arose.

6 The wind goes toward the south, and turns about to the north; it whirls about continually, and the wind returns again according to his circuits.

7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; to the place from where the rivers come, thither they return again.

8 All things are full of labor; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

9 The thing that has 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.

10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it has been already of old time, which was before us.

11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail has God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

16 I communed with my own heart, saying, See, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yes, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increases knowledge increases sorrow.

1:1 The words of the {a} Preacher, the son of David, king of Jerusalem.

(a) Solomon is here called a preacher, or one who assembles the people, because he teaches the true knowledge of God, and how men ought to pass their life in this transitory world.

1:2 {b} Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all [is] vanity.

(b) He condemns the opinions of all men who set happiness in anything but in God alone, seeing that in this world all things are as vanity and nothing.

1:3 What profit hath a man of all his {c} labour which he taketh under the sun?

(c) Solomon does not condemn man’s labour or diligence, but shows that there is no full contentment in anything under the heavens, nor in any creature, as all things are transitory.

1:4 [One] generation passeth away, and [another] generation cometh: but the earth abideth for {d} ever.

(d) One man dies after another, and the earth remains longest, even to the last day, which yet is subject to corruption.

1:6 The {e} wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about to the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to its circuits.

(e) By the sun, wind and rivers, he shows that the greatest labour and longest has an end, and therefore there can be no happiness in this world.

1:7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea [is] not full; to the place from {f} which the rivers come, there they return again.

(f) The sea which compasses all the earth, fills the veins of it which pour out springs and rivers into the sea again.

1:9 {g} The 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.

(g) He speaks of times and seasons, and things done in them, which as they have been in times past, so come they to pass again.

1:12 {h} I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

(h) He proves that if any could have attained happiness in this world by labour and study, he should have obtained it, because he had gifts and aids from God to it above all others.

1:13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all [things] that are done under heaven: this grievous labour hath God given to the sons of man {i} to be exercised with it.

(i) Man by nature has a desire to know, and yet is not able to come to the perfection of knowledge, which is the punishment of sin, to humble man, and to teach him to depend only on God.

1:15 [That which is] {k} crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is lacking cannot be numbered.

(k) Man is not able by all his diligence to cause things to go other than they do: neither can he number the faults that are committed, much less remedy them.

1:17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know {l} madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

(l) That is, vain things, which served to pleasure, in which was no convenience, but grief and trouble of conscience.

1:18 For in much wisdom [is] much {m} grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

(m) Wisdom and knowledge cannot be come by without great pain of body and mind: for when a man has attained the highest, yet is his mind never fully content: therefore in this world is no true happiness.