Ecclesiastes opens with a man who had everything a person could want, and his first words about it are Vanity of vanities; all is vanity. It is one of the most honest books in the Bible.
The speaker calls himself the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Jewish and Christian tradition has long identified him with King Solomon. He sets out to find what really gives life meaning, tries everything within his reach, and reports back what he found.
The Story of Ecclesiastes
The book begins with its speaker and its theme: The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. Then he asks the question that runs through the whole book: What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
He looks at the world and sees it going in circles. One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh. The sun rises and sets, the wind turns about, and all the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing, and there is no new thing under the sun.
So the king sets out to search by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven. He gathers more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem, but finds that in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
In chapter 2 he tests everything else. He tries mirth and pleasure. He builds: I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards, along with gardens, orchards and pools of water. He gathers servants, cattle, silver and gold, and singers. Whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them. Then he looks back over it all: behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. He sees that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness, yet the wise man dies as the fool does, and his work is left to someone after him.
Chapter 3 steps back to look at time itself: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die, a time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to keep silence, and a time to speak. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time, and whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever.
Through the middle of the book the Preacher keeps returning to the same point: enjoying food, drink and good work is from the hand of God, but none of it can carry the weight of a whole life on its own.
In the last chapter he speaks to the young: Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not. He describes old age and death, when the dust shall return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Then he gives the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment.
Key Verses
“Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity” Ecclesiastes 1:2
“All was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun” Ecclesiastes 2:11
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1
“Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth” Ecclesiastes 12:1
“Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” Ecclesiastes 12:13
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), a public-domain translation.
What the Story of Ecclesiastes Teaches Us
Ecclesiastes is honest about how empty life feels when it is lived under the sun. Wisdom, pleasure, great building projects and great wealth were all tried by a man who could afford every one of them, and he called each one vanity and vexation of spirit.
The book does not say the good things of life are evil. Eating, drinking and enjoying good in his labour are called the gift of God. They are good when they are received from God, and empty when they are chased as the meaning of life itself.
The answer comes at the end, not the beginning. After testing everything, the Preacher says to remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, and he sums up the whole matter in one line: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Ecclesiastes?
Ecclesiastes 1:1 calls the speaker the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. The book does not give his personal name, but Jewish and Christian tradition has long identified him with King Solomon.
What does vanity of vanities mean?
In Ecclesiastes 1:2, vanity means something empty or fleeting, like a breath. The Preacher uses it to say that what is pursued under the sun cannot satisfy or last. ‘Under the sun’ describes earthly life, including gifts received from God (Ecclesiastes 5:18-19).
Where is to every thing there is a season in the Bible?
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 begins, To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven, followed by a list such as a time to be born, and a time to die.
What did the Preacher try in Ecclesiastes 2?
He tried pleasure and mirth, built houses, planted vineyards, gardens and orchards, and gathered servants, silver and gold. Ecclesiastes 2:11 says all was vanity and vexation of spirit.
What is the conclusion of Ecclesiastes?
Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.