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Ecclesiastes 1

The Preacher examines recurring human toil and finds that even wisdom cannot secure lasting gain or remove life's burdens.

The Preacher, introduced as a son of David and king in Jerusalem, asks what people gain from their labor. His royal identity points toward Solomon, though the chapter does not name him. He watches generations pass while the sun, wind, and rivers repeat their courses. Human desire remains unsatisfied, and memory fades. He then describes his search through wisdom, madness, and folly, finding that even great knowledge cannot straighten what is crooked and brings added sorrow.

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1The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”
3What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?
4One generation goes, and another generation comes; but the earth remains forever.
5The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hurries to its place where it rises.
6The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north. It turns around continually as it goes, and the wind returns again to its courses.
8All things are full of weariness beyond uttering. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9That which has been is that which shall be, and that which has been done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun.
10Is there a thing of which it may be said, “Behold, this is new”? It has been long ago, in the ages which were before us.
11There is no memory of the former; neither shall there be any memory of the latter that are to come, among those that shall come after.
12I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the sky. It is a heavy burden that God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.
14I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.
15That which is crooked can’t be made straight; and that which is lacking can’t be counted.
16I said to myself, “Behold, I have obtained for myself great wisdom above all who were before me in Jerusalem. Yes, my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”
17I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind.
18For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Ecclesiastes 1:14The image of chasing wind gathers the Preacher's observations into a verdict on the elusive gain of human work.
Ecclesiastes 1:13The Preacher undertakes a searching inquiry through wisdom and identifies the burden of human life as given by God.
Ecclesiastes 1:8Unsatisfied eyes and ears bring the cycles of nature into human experience, where constant activity leaves desire unfilled.
Where this chapter reaches

The royal speaker's claim to great wisdom shares the portrait of Solomon in 1 Kings, where wisdom marks his reign in Jerusalem. Psalm and Job share this chapter's concern with passing human life and burdens that exceed human understanding.

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After reading the whole chapter

Which image of repetition best captures how you experience your work, and why?

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When has greater understanding brought you sorrow, and how does the Preacher describe that cost?

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Questions people ask about Ecclesiastes 1

Who wrote Ecclesiastes 1?

The chapter identifies its speaker as the Preacher, a son of David and king over Israel in Jerusalem. These details point toward Solomon, which explains the traditional attribution. Yet Solomon's name does not appear here, and the chapter alone does not settle whether Solomon wrote it or another writer presents a Solomonic royal voice.

What does vanity mean in Ecclesiastes 1?

Vanity describes the fleeting, elusive character of human effort and its results. The chapter develops this through repeated natural cycles, unsatisfied senses, fading memory, and the image of chasing wind. The central question concerns what lasting gain labor produces. Here, vanity has little to do with pride in appearance.

Why does Ecclesiastes 1 say knowledge increases sorrow?

The Preacher has searched human activity with great wisdom and found burdens he cannot remove. Verse 15 describes crookedness that cannot be straightened and lack that cannot be counted. Greater knowledge exposes more of these limits. The chapter describes wisdom's cost without issuing a command to remain ignorant.

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Ecclesiastes · 12 chapters
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).