TRV
Translation
King James Version
¶ And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.
Complete Jewish Bible
So I decided to look more carefully at wisdom, stupidity and foolishness; for what can the man who succeeds the king do, except what has already been done?
Berean Standard Bible
Then I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what more can the king’s successor do than what has already been accomplished?
American Standard Version
And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for whatcanthe mandothat cometh after the king? even that which hath been done long ago.
World English Bible Messianic
I turned myself to consider wisdom, madness, and folly: for what can the king’s successor do? Just that which has been done long ago.
Geneva Bible (1599)
And I turned to beholde wisedome, and madnes and follie: (for who is the man that will come after the King in things, which men nowe haue done?)
Young's Literal Translation
And I turned to see wisdom, and madness, and folly, but what is the man who cometh after the king? that which is already--they have done it!
In the KJVVerse 17,346 of 31,102
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Commentary on Ecclesiastes 2 verses 12–16
12 ¶ And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.
13 Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.
14 The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.
15 Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.
16 For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.
Solomon having tried what satisfaction was to be had in learning first, and then in the pleasures of sense, and having also put both together, here compares them one with another and passes a judgment upon them.
I. He sets himself to consider both wisdom and folly. He had considered these before (Ecc 1:17); but lest it should be thought he was then too quick in passing a judgment upon them, he here turns himself again to behold them, to see if, upon a second view and second thoughts, he could gain more satisfaction in the search than he had done upon the first. He was sick of his pleasures, and, as nauseating them, he turned from them, that he might again apply himself to speculation; and if, upon this rehearing of the cause, the verdict be still the same, the judgment will surely be decisive; for what can the man do that comes after the king? especially such a king, who had so much of this world to make the experiment upon and so much wisdom to make it with. The baffled trial needs not be repeated. No man can expect to find more satisfaction in the world than Solomon did, nor to gain a greater insight into the principles of morality; when a man has done what he can still it is that which has been already done. Let us learn, 1. Not to indulge ourselves in a fond conceit that we can mend that which has been well done before us. Let us esteem others better than ourselves, and think how unfit we are to attempt the improvement of the performances of better heads and hands than ours, and rather own how much we are beholden to them, Joh 4:37, Joh 4:38. 2. To acquiesce in Solomon's judgment of the things of this world, and not to think of repeating the trial; for we can never think of having such advantages as he had to make the experiment nor of being able to make it with equal application of mind and so little danger to ourselves.
II. He gives the preference to wisdom far before folly. Let none mistake him, as if, when he speaks of the vanity of human literature, he designed only to amuse men with a paradox, or were about to write (as a great wit once did) Encomium moriae - A panegyric in praise of folly. No, he is maintaining sacred truths, and therefore is careful to guard against being misunderstood. I soon saw (says he) that there is an excellency in wisdom more than in folly, as much as there is in light above darkness. The pleasures of wisdom, though they suffice not to make men happy, yet vastly transcend the pleasures of wine. Wisdom enlightens the soul with surprising discoveries and necessary directions for the right government of itself; but sensuality (for that seems to be especially the folly here meant) clouds and eclipses the mind, and is as darkness to it; it puts out men's eyes, makes them to stumble in the way and wander out of it. Or, though wisdom and knowledge will not make a man happy (St Paul shows a more excellent way than gifts, and that is grace), yet it is much better to have them than to be without them, in respect of our present safety, comfort, and usefulness; for the wise man's eyes are in his head (Ecc 2:14), where they should be, ready to discover both the dangers that are to be avoided and the advantages that are to be improved; a wise man has not his reason to seek when he should use it, but looks about him and is quick-sighted, knows both where to step and where to stop; whereas the fool walks in darkness, and is ever and anon either at a loss, or at a plunge, either bewildered, that he knows not which way to go, or embarrassed, that he cannot go forward. A man that is discreet and considerate has the command of his business, and acts decently and safely, as those that walk in the day; but he that is rash, and ignorant, and sottish, is continually making blunders, running upon one precipice or other; his projects, his bargains, are all foolish, and ruin his affairs. Therefore get wisdom, get understanding.
III. Yet he maintains that, in respect of lasting happiness and satisfaction, the wisdom of this world gives a man very little advantage; for, 1. Wise men and fools fare alike. "It is true the wise man has very much the advantage of the fool in respect of foresight and insight, and yet the greatest probabilities do so often come short of success that I myself perceived, by my own experience, that one event happens to them all (Ecc 2:14); those that are most cautious of their health are as soon sick as those that are most careless of it, and the most suspicious are imposed upon." David had observed that wise men die, and are involved in the same common calamity with the fool and the brutish person, Psa 49:12. See Ecc 9:11. Nay, it has of old been observed that Fortune favours fools, and that half-witted men often thrive most, while the greatest projectors forecast worst for themselves. The same sickness, the same sword, devours wise men and fools. Solomon applies this mortifying observation to himself (Ecc 2:15), that though he was a wise man, he might not glory in his wisdom; I said to my heart, when it began to be proud or secure, As it happens to the fool, so it happens to me, even to me; for thus emphatically it is expressed in the original: "So, as for me, it happens to me. Am I rich? So is many a Nabal that fares as sumptuously as I do. Is a foolish man sick, does he get a fall? So do I, even I; and neither my wealth nor my wisdom will be my security. And why was I then more wise? Why should I take so much pains to get wisdom, when, as to this life, it will stand me in so little stead? Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity." Some make this a correction of what was said before, like that (Psa 77:10), "I said, This is my infirmity; it is my folly to think that wise men and fools are upon a level;" but really they seem to be so, in respect of the event, and therefore it is rather a confirmation of what he had before said, That a man may be a profound philosopher and politician and yet not be a happy man. 2. Wise men and fools are forgotten alike (Ecc 2:16): There is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool. It is promised to the righteous that they shall be had in everlasting remembrance, and their memory shall be blessed, and they shall shortly shine as the stars; but there is no such promise made concerning the wisdom of this world, that that shall perpetuate men's names, for those names only are perpetuated that are written in heaven, and otherwise the names of this world's wise men are written with those of its fools in the dust. That which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. What was much talked of in one generation is, in the next, as if it had never been. New persons and new things jostle out the very remembrance of the old, which in a little time are looked upon with contempt and at length quite buried in oblivion. Where is the wise? Where is the disputer of this world? Co1 1:20. And it is upon this account that he asks, How dies the wise man? As the fool. Between the death of a godly and a wicked man there is a great difference, but not between the death of a wise man and a fool; the fool is buried and forgotten (Ecc 8:10), and no one remembered the poor man that by his wisdom delivered the city (Ecc 9:15); so that to both the grave is a land of forgetfulness; and wise and learned men, when they have been awhile there out of sight, grow out of mind, a new generation arises that knew them not.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 12–16. Public domain.
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Gregory of NyssaAD 395
HOMILIES ON ECCLESIASTES 5
He teaches human wisdom, namely, the following of true wisdom and presents those things which have substance and are not subject to vanity. Indeed, this is the summit of human wisdom. In my opinion true wisdom and counsel are simply another kind of wisdom which provides for creation by which God makes all things. As the prophet says, “You have made all things in wisdom.” However, Christ is the power wisdom of God in whom all things are made and ordained. … “After I have seen these things,” Ecclesiastes says, “and judged in a scale being with non-being, I discovered the difference between wisdom and foolishness as when I had compared light with darkness. It seems to me that this example is a favorable judgment for that which is beautiful.” Because darkness has no substance while light does (if nothing obstructs the sun’s rays, we have no darkness), this example shows that evil does not exist by itself but is a deprivation of the good, while the good always remains fully itself and is not preceded by deprivation. However, anything contrary to the good lacks substance; it cannot exist by itself nor be complete because evil is a deprivation, not a substance. Therefore the difference between light and darkness, wisdom and foolishness, is similar.
Gregory of NyssaAD 395
He therefore teaches what human wisdom is, that to follow the real wisdom—which he also calls counsel, which brings about what truly is and has substance, and is not thought of as among futile things—to follow that is the sum of human wisdom. But real wisdom and counsel, on my reckoning, is none other than the Wisdom that is conceived of as before the universe. It is that wisdom by which God made all things, as the prophet says, “by wisdom you made all things” and “Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God,” by which all things came to be and were set in order.… When I saw these things, he says, and weighed, as in a balance, what is against what is not, I found that the difference between wisdom and folly was the same as one would find if light wer.e measured ag.ainst the dark. I think it is appropriate that he uses the analogy of light in the discernment of the good. Since darkness is in its own nature unreal (for if there were nothing to obstruct the sun’s rays, there would be no darkness), whereas light is of itself, perceived in its own essence, he shows by this analogy that evil does not exist by itself. [Instead evil] arises from deprivation of the good, whereas good is always as it is, stable and steadfast, and does not arise from the deprivation of anything which is prior to it. What is perceived as essentially opposed to good, is not; for what in itself is not, does not exist at all; for evil is the deprivation of being, and not something that exists. Thus the difference is the same between light and darkness and between wisdom and folly.
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ecclesiastes
" Then I turned my attention to
appraising wisdom with madness and folly - for what can man who comes after the
king do?" This seems to discuss heavenly matters until
the place where he says, "the eyes of a wise man are in his
head". I had summed up all things
in one explanation, intending to show the meaning briefly, and because of that,
again according to "anagoge [Allegorical interpretation bearing out a deeper sense of the
Scriptures.],"
I had only touched lightly on some things, but now I ought to explain in a
manner similar to that in which I began.
For the meaning is quite different here from the interpretation found in
the Septuagint. But he says he had
returned to seeking wisdom after pleasures and those desires he had condemned,
in which he found more foolishness and stupidity than true and recognised
knowledge. For man, he said, is not able
to know so clearly and truly the wisdom of his creator and of his king, as his
creator knows it himself. And so he says
that those things that we know, we only think we have grasped and value more
than know what is true.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Ecclesiastes 2:12 marks a pivotal turn in Qoheleth's exhaustive "experiment" to find meaning "under the sun." Having explored the vanity of pleasure and material achievements, the Preacher now methodically investigates intellectual and moral states: wisdom, madness, and folly. This verse highlights his comprehensive search by contrasting the highest human intellectual pursuit with its irrational counterparts, culminating in a rhetorical question that profoundly underscores the inherent limitations of human action and the cyclical, repetitive nature of all earthly endeavors, suggesting a deep weariness with the lack of true novelty or lasting impact in life apart from God.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ecclesiastes 2:12 employs several potent literary devices. The most prominent is the Rhetorical Question, "for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done." This question is not meant to be answered directly but to provoke thought and emphasize the Preacher's conclusion about the repetitive and ultimately futile nature of human endeavors "under the sun." It serves to highlight the inherent limitations of human agency. The verse also utilizes Juxtaposition by placing "wisdom," "madness," and "folly" side by side. This stark contrast emphasizes the Preacher's comprehensive and systematic approach to evaluating all possible life paths, from the most enlightened to the most misguided. Finally, the verse reinforces the Cyclical Motif prevalent throughout Ecclesiastes, particularly through the phrase "that which hath been already done." This imagery suggests an unending loop of human activity, where new generations merely repeat the patterns of the old, reinforcing the book's central theme of vanity and the lack of true progress or lasting novelty in the earthly realm.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ecclesiastes 2:12 profoundly contributes to the biblical understanding of human limitation and the search for ultimate meaning. It challenges the notion that wisdom, intellect, or even the most powerful human endeavors can provide lasting satisfaction or escape the cyclical nature of life "under the sun." The Preacher's conclusion that "what hath been already done" applies even to the actions of a king's successor underscores a theological truth: true novelty and ultimate purpose do not originate from human ingenuity or power but from outside the created order. This sets the stage for the book's ultimate resolution, which points to fearing God and keeping His commandments as the "whole duty of man," the only enduring reality in a world otherwise marked by vanity. The verse implicitly critiques a purely humanistic worldview, suggesting that without a transcendent reference point, all human striving, even for wisdom, leads to a sense of weariness and futility.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ecclesiastes 2:12 offers a sobering yet liberating perspective for contemporary life. In a world that often glorifies innovation, individual achievement, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge and success, this verse serves as a powerful corrective. It challenges us to critically examine where we place our hope for meaning and lasting impact. While the pursuit of wisdom is commendable and God-given, Qoheleth reminds us that even the highest intellectual pursuits, divorced from a transcendent purpose, can lead to weariness and a sense of futility. This verse encourages a humble recognition of our human limitations and the repetitive patterns of history. It prompts us to consider that true significance is not found in merely doing "that which hath been already done" in a slightly different way, but in aligning our lives with eternal truths. This frees us from the exhausting pressure to constantly innovate or leave an unparalleled legacy, instead inviting us to seek purpose in something beyond the cycles of earthly existence.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does Ecclesiastes 2:12 suggest that wisdom is useless?
Answer: Not at all. While the Preacher includes wisdom in his examination of pursuits that ultimately lead to a sense of vanity "under the sun," he does not dismiss its value entirely. In fact, later in Ecclesiastes 7:12, he states that "wisdom is a defense, and money is a defense: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom gives life to those who have it." The point of Ecclesiastes 2:12 is that even wisdom, when pursued as an ultimate end in itself and apart from a transcendent God, cannot provide ultimate meaning or escape the cyclical nature of earthly existence. It is not wisdom itself that is useless, but the expectation that it can deliver ultimate satisfaction or break the pattern of "what hath been already done" when viewed purely from an earthly perspective.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ecclesiastes 2:12, with its lament over the repetitive and ultimately unfulfilling nature of human endeavors, finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Preacher's exhaustive search for wisdom, madness, and folly, only to conclude that "what hath been already done" is the ultimate outcome, highlights the deep human longing for something truly new and eternally significant. This longing is met in Christ, who is the very Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). Unlike the earthly wisdom that Qoheleth examines, Christ offers a wisdom that leads to life and breaks the cycle of vanity. Furthermore, while human kings and their successors are bound by the limitations of history, Jesus Christ is the King of Kings, whose reign is eternal and whose actions are not merely repetitions of the past but bring about a truly new creation (Revelation 21:5). His sacrifice on the cross and resurrection represent an unprecedented act that fundamentally alters the human condition, offering redemption and eternal life—something that had never "been already done" in the same redemptive and ultimate sense. In Christ, the weary cycle of "under the sun" futility is broken, and true, lasting purpose is found, for He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of all things (Revelation 1:8).