Koheleth’s Attempts to Find Meaning in Life

Ecclesiastes 1–2 (selections)

4th–3rd Century BCE

Chapter 1

¹²I, Koheleth, was king in Jerusalem over Israel. ¹³I set my mind to study and to probe with wisdom all that happens under the sun.—An unhappy business, that, which God gave men to be concerned with! ¹⁴I observed all the happenings beneath the sun, and I found that all is futile and pursuit of wind: [ . . . ].

¹⁷I set my mind to appraise wisdom and to appraise madness and folly. And I learned—that this too was pursuit of wind:

¹⁸For as wisdom grows, vexation grows;

To increase learning is to increase heartache.

Chapter 2

¹I said to myself, “Come, I will treat you to merriment. Taste mirth!” That too, I found, was futile. [ . . . ]

³I ventured to tempt my flesh with wine, and to grasp folly, while letting my mind direct with wisdom, to the end that I might learn which of the two was better for men to practice in their few days of life under heaven. ⁴I multiplied my possessions. I built myself houses and I planted vineyards. ⁵I laid out gardens and groves, in which I planted every kind of fruit tree. ⁶I constructed pools of water, enough to irrigate a forest shooting up with trees. ⁷I bought male and female slaves, and I acquired stewards. I also acquired more cattle, both herds and flocks, than all who were before me in Jerusalem. ⁸I further amassed silver and gold and treasures of kings and provinces; and I got myself male and female singers, as well as the luxuries of commoners—coffers and coffers of them. ⁹Thus, I gained more wealth than anyone before me in Jerusalem. In addition, my wisdom remained with me: [ . . . ].

Relief of figure on chair and figure reclining on sofa, surrounded by foliage, as several smaller figures wave fans, carry platters, and play instruments.

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¹¹Then my thoughts turned to all the fortune my hands had built up, to the wealth I had acquired and won—and oh, it was all futile and pursuit of wind; there was no real value under the sun!

¹²[ . . . ] My thoughts also turned to appraising wisdom and madness and folly. ¹³I found that

Wisdom is superior to folly

As light is superior to darkness;

¹⁴A wise man has his eyes in his head,

Whereas a fool walks in darkness.

But I also realized that the same fate awaits them both. ¹⁵So I reflected: “The fate of the fool is also destined for me; to what advantage, then, have I been wise?” And I came to the conclusion that that too was futile, ¹⁶because the wise man, just like the fool, is not remembered forever; for, as the succeeding days roll by, both are forgotten. Alas, the wise man dies, just like the fool!

¹⁷And so I loathed life. For I was distressed by all that goes on under the sun, because everything is futile and pursuit of wind.

¹⁸So, too, I loathed all the wealth that I was gaining under the sun. For I shall leave it to the man who will succeed me—¹⁹and who knows whether he will be wise or foolish?—and he will control all the wealth that I gained by toil and wisdom under the sun. That too is futile. [ . . . ] ²²For what does a man get for all the toiling and worrying he does under the sun? ²³All his days his thoughts are grief and heartache, and even at night his mind has no respite. That too is futile!

²⁴There is nothing worthwhile for a man but to eat and drink and afford himself enjoyment with his means. And even that, I noted, comes from God.

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