Ecclesiastes 1

Ecclesiastes 1 is the first chapter of Ecclesiastes. Together with the book's superscription, it introduces "vanity," the theme that runs through the entire book.

Outline

• Verse 1 Superscription. It identifies the speaker: "The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem."
• Verses 2–3 Declaration of the theme. The Preacher says that all is vanity and asks, "What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?"
• Verses 4–11 The cycles of nature and history. Generations come and go, and the sun, the wind, and the rivers follow the same courses again and again. There is nothing new under the sun, and neither former nor future generations are remembered.
• Verses 12–15 As king over Israel, the Preacher searches out by wisdom all things done under heaven. He concludes that all is "vexation of spirit" (literally, a chasing after wind) and that "that which is crooked cannot be made straight."
• Verses 16–18 Although he has gained much wisdom and knowledge, he realizes that seeking wisdom is also vexation of spirit. He concludes that with much wisdom comes much grief (sorrow).

Key Verses

• Ecclesiastes 1:2 "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." This is the book's statement of its theme. Nearly the same words are repeated in Ecclesiastes 12:8, framing the main body of the book.
• Ecclesiastes 1:9 "There is no new thing under the sun." This verse distills the Preacher's observation of a world of endless repetition.
• Ecclesiastes 1:18 "For in much wisdom is much grief." This verse shows that even the pursuit of wisdom has its limits.

People and Places

• The Preacher: A rendering of the Hebrew Qoheleth, generally understood to mean "one who gathers the assembly" or "one who speaks to the assembly."
• David: In verse 1 the Preacher is called "the son of David."
• Solomon: He is not named directly in the text, but the Preacher has traditionally been identified as Solomon.
• Jerusalem: The city where the Preacher reigned as king.

Points for Reflection

• Authorship: Jewish and church tradition long regarded Solomon as the author, and some conservative scholars and denominations still hold this view. Since the modern era, however, many scholars have held that a later author wrote in the voice of a king like Solomon.
• The meaning of "vanity": The original Hebrew word hevel refers to something that quickly vanishes, like a breath or vapor. For this reason it is sometimes understood as closer to "transience" than to "meaninglessness."
• Pessimism or preparation?: Some read this chapter as a pessimistic view of life. Others read it as the starting point that leads to the book's conclusion, the call to fear God (Ecclesiastes 12:13–14). Some interpreters also draw attention to the mention of God in verse 13.
• Connection to the New Testament: The Septuagint rendered hevel with the Greek mataiotēs ("vanity"). Paul uses the same word in Romans 8:19–23 when he says that the creation "was made subject to vanity." The saying "there is no new thing under the sun" is also sometimes read in contrast to "Behold, I make all things new" (Revelation 21:5).