TRV
Study This Verse
Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Ecclesiastes 2:17–26. His four-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Business is a thing that wise men have pleasure in. They are in their element when they are in their business, and complain if they be out of business. They may sometimes be tired with their business, but they are not weary of it, nor willing to leave it off. Here therefore one would expect to have found the good that men should do, but Solomon tried this too; after a contemplative life and a voluptuous life, he betook himself to an active life, and found no more satisfaction in it than in the other; still it is all vanity and vexation of spirit, of which he gives an account in these verses, where observe,
I.What the business was which he made trial of; it was business under the sun (Ecc 2:17-20), about the things of this world, sublunary things, the riches, honours, and pleasures of this present time; it was the business of a king. There is business above the sun, perpetual business, which is perpetual blessedness; what we do in conformity to that business (doing God's will as it is done in heaven) and in pursuance of that blessedness, will turn to a good account; we shall have no reason to hate that labour, nor to despair of it. But it is labour under the sun, labour for the meat that perishes (Joh 6:27; Isa 55:2), that Solomon here speaks of with so little satisfaction. It was the better sort of business, not that of the hewers of wood and drawers of water (it is not so strange if men hate all that labour), but it was in wisdom, and knowledge, and equity, Ecc 2:21. It was rational business, which related to the government of his kingdom and the advancement of its interests. It was labour managed by the dictates of wisdom, of natural and acquired knowledge, and the directions of justice. It was labour at the council-board and in the courts of justice. It was labour wherein he showed himself wise (Ecc 2:19), which as much excels the labour wherein men only show themselves strong as the endowments of the mind, by which we are allied to angels, do those of the body, which we have in common with the brutes. That which many people have in their eye more than any thing else, in the prosecution of their worldly business, is to show themselves wise, to get the reputation of ingenious men and men of sense and application.
II.His falling out with this business. He soon grew weary of it.
1.He hated all his labour, because he did not meet with that satisfaction in which he expected. After he had had his fine houses, and gardens, and water-works, awhile, he began to nauseate them, and look upon them with contempt, as children, who are eager for a toy and fond of it at first, but, when they have played with it awhile, are weary of it, and throw it away, and must have another. This expresses not a gracious hatred of these things, which is our duty, to love them less than God and religion (Luk 14:26), nor a sinful hatred of them, which is our folly, to be weary of the place God has assigned us and the work of it, but a natural hatred of them, arising from a surfeit upon them and a sense of disappointment in them.
2.He caused his heart to despair of all his labour (Ecc 2:20); he took pains to possess himself with a deep sense of the vanity of worldly business, that it would not bring in the advantage and satisfaction he had formerly flattered himself with the hopes of. Our hearts are very loth to quit their expectations of great things from the creature; we must go about, must fetch a compass, in arguing with them, to convince them that there is not that in the things of this world which we are apt to promise ourselves from them. Have we so often bored and sunk into this earth for some rich mine of satisfaction, and found not the least sign or token of it, but been always frustrated in the search, and shall we not at length set our hearts at rest and despair of ever finding it?
3.He came to that, at length, that he hated life itself (Ecc 2:17), because it is subject to so many toils and troubles, and a constant series of disappointments. God had given Solomon such largeness of heart, and such vast capacities of mind, that he experienced more than other men of the unsatisfying nature of all the things of this life and their insufficiency to make him happy. Life itself, that is so precious to a man, and such a blessing to a good man, may become a burden to a man of business.
III.The reasons of this quarrel with his life and labours. Two things made him weary of them: -
1.That his business was so great a toil to himself: The work that he had wrought under the sun was grievous unto him, Ecc 2:17. His thoughts and cares about it, and that close and constant application of mind which was requisite to it, were a burden and fatigue to him, especially when he grew old. It is the effect of a curse on that we are to work upon. Our business is said to be the work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord had cursed (Gen 5:29) and of the weakening of the faculties we are to work with, and of the sentence pronounced on us, that in the sweat of our face we must eat bread. Our labour is called the vexation of our heart (Ecc 2:22); it is to most a force upon themselves, so natural is it to us to love our ease. A man of business is described to be uneasy both in his going out and his coming in, Ecc 2:23.
(1.)He is deprived of his pleasure by day, for all his days are sorrow, not only sorrowful, but sorrow itself, nay, many sorrows and various; his travail, or labour, all day, is grief. Men of business ever and anon meet with that which vexes them, and is an occasion of anger or sorrow to them. Those that are apt to fret find that the more dealings they have in the world the oftener they are made to fret. The world is a vale of tears, even to those that have much of it. Those that labour are said to be heavy-laden, and are therefore called to come to Christ for rest, Mat 11:28.
(2.)He is disturbed in his repose by night. When he is overcome with the hurries of the day, and hopes to find relief when he lays his head on his pillow, he is disappointed there; cares hold his eyes waking, or, if he sleep, yet his heart wakes, and that takes no rest in the night. See what fools those are that make themselves drudges to the world, and do not make God their rest; night and day they cannot but be uneasy. So that, upon the whole matter, it is all vanity, Ecc 2:17. This is vanity in particular (Ecc 2:19, Ecc 2:23), nay, it is vanity and a great evil, Ecc 2:21. It is a great affront to God and a great injury to themselves, therefore a great evil; it is a vain thing to rise up early and sit up late in pursuit of this world's goods, which were never designed to be our chief good.
2.That the gains of his business must all be left to others. Prospect of advantage is the spring of action and the spur of industry; therefore men labour, because they hope to get by it; if the hope fail, the labour flags; and therefore Solomon quarrelled with all the works, the great works, he had made, because they would not be of any lasting advantage to himself.
(1.)He must leave them. He could not at death take them away with him, nor any share of them, nor should he return any more to them (Job 7:10), nor would the remembrance of them do him any good, Luk 16:25. But I must leave all to the man that shall be after me, to the generation that comes up in the room of that which is passing away. As there were many before us, who built the houses that we live in, and into whose purchases and labours we have entered, so there shall be many after us, who shall live in the houses that we build, and enjoy the fruit of our purchases and labours. Never was land lost for want of an heir. To a gracious soul this is no uneasiness at all; why should we grudge others their turn in the enjoyments of this world, and not rather be pleased that, when we are gone, those that come after us shall fare the better for our wisdom and industry? But to a worldly mind, that seeks for its own happiness in the creature, it is a great vexation to think of leaving the beloved pelf behind, at this uncertainty.
(2.)He must leave them to those that would never have taken so much pains for them, and will thereby excuse himself from taking any pains. He that raised the estate did it by labouring in wisdom, and knowledge, and equity; but he that enjoys it and spends it (it may be) has not laboured therein (Ecc 2:21), and, more than that, never will. The bee toils to maintain the drone. Nay, it proves a snare to him: it is left him for his portion, which he rests in, and takes up with; and miserable he is in being put off with it for a portion. Whereas, if an estate had not come to him thus easily, who knows but he might have been both industrious and religious? Yet we ought not to perplex ourselves about this, since it may prove otherwise, that what is well got may come to one that will use it well and do good with it.
(3.)He knows not whom he must leave it to (for God makes heirs), or at least what he will prove to whom he leaves it, whether a wise man or a fool, a wise man that will make it more or a fool that will bring it to nothing; yet he shall have rule over all my labour, and foolishly undo that which his father wisely did. It is probable that Solomon wrote this very feelingly, being afraid what Rehoboam would prove. St Jerome, in his commentary on this passage, applies this to the good books which Solomon wrote, in which he had shown himself wise, but he knew not into whose hands they would fall, perhaps into the hands of a fool, who, according to the perverseness of his heart, makes a bad use of what was well written. So that, upon the whole matter, he asks (Ecc 2:22), What has man of all his labour? What has he to himself and to his own use? What has he that will go with him into another world?
IV.The best use which is therefore to be made of the wealth of this world, and that is to use it cheerfully, to take the comfort of it, and do good with it. With this he concludes the chapter, Ecc 2:24-26. There is no true happiness to be found in these things. They are vanity, and, if happiness be expected from them, the disappointment will be vexation of spirit. But he will put us in a way to make the best of them, and to avoid the inconveniences he had observed. We must neither over-toil ourselves, so as, in pursuit of more, to rob ourselves of the comfort of what we have, nor must we over-hoard for hereafter, nor lose our own enjoyment of what we have to lay it up for those that shall come after us, but serve ourselves out of it first. Observe,
1.What that good is which is here recommended to us; and which is the utmost pleasure and profit we can expect or extract from the business and profit of this world, and the furthest we can go to rescue it from its vanity and the vexation that is in it.
(1.)We must do our duty with them, and be more in care how to use an estate well, for the ends for which we were entrusted with it, than how to raise or increase an estate. This is intimated Ecc 2:26, where those only are said to have the comfort of this life who are good in God's sight, and again, good before God, truly good, as Noah, whom God saw righteous before him. We must set God always before us, and give diligence in every thing to approve ourselves to him. The Chaldee-paraphrase says, A man should make his soul to enjoy good by keeping the commandments of God and walking in the ways that are right before him, and (Ecc 2:25) by studying the words of the law, and being in care about the day of the great judgment that is to come.
(2.)We must take the comfort of them. These things will not make a happiness for the soul; all the good we can have out of them is for the body, and if we make use of them for the comfortable support of that, so that it may be fit to serve the soul and able to keep pace with it in the service of God, then they turn to a good account. There is therefore nothing better for a man, as to these things, than to allow himself a sober cheerful use of them, according as his rank and condition are, to have meat and drink out of them for himself, his family, his friends, and so delight his senses and make his soul enjoy good, all the good that is to be had out of them; do not lose that, in pursuit of that good which is not to be had out of them. But observe, He would not have us to give up business, and take our ease, that we may eat and drink; no, we must enjoy good in our labour; we must use these things, not to excuse us from, but to make us diligent and cheerful in, our worldly business.
(3.)We must herein acknowledge God; we must see that it is from the hand of God, that is,
[1.]The good things themselves that we enjoy are so, not only the products of his creating power, but the gifts of his providential bounty to us. And then they are truly pleasant to us when we take them from the hand of God as a Father, when we eye his wisdom giving us that which is fittest for us, and acquiesce in it, and taste his love and goodness, relish them, and are thankful for them.
[2.]A heart to enjoy them is so; this is the gift of God's grace. Unless he give us wisdom to make a right use of what he has, in his providence, bestowed upon us, and withal peace of conscience, that we may discern God's favour in the world's smiles, we cannot make our souls enjoy any good in them.
2.Why we should have this in our eye, in the management of ourselves as to this world, and look up to God for it.
(1.)Because Solomon himself, with all his possessions, could aim at no more and desire no better (Ecc 2:25): "Who can hasten to this more than I? This is that which I was ambitious of: I wished for no more; and those that have but little, in comparison with what I have, may attain to this, to be content with what they have and enjoy the good of it." Yet Solomon could not obtain it by his own wisdom, without the special grace of God, and therefore directs us to expect it from the hand of God and pray to him for it.
(2.)Because riches are a blessing or a curse to a man according as he has or has not a heart to make good use of them.
[1.]God makes them a reward to a good man, if with them he give him wisdom, and knowledge, and joy, to enjoy them cheerfully himself and to communicate them charitably to others. To those who are good in God's sight, who are of a good spirit, honest and sincere, pay a deference to their God and have a tender concern for all mankind, God will give wisdom and knowledge in this world, and joy with the righteous in the world to come; so the Chaldee. Or he will give that wisdom and knowledge in things natural, moral, political, and divine, which will be a constant joy and pleasure to them.
[2.]He makes them a punishment to a bad man if he denies him a heart to take the comfort of them, for they do but tantalize him and tyrannize over him: To the sinner God gives by travail, by leaving him to himself and his own foolish counsels, to gather and to heap up that, which, as to himself, will not only burden him like thick clay (Hab 2:6), but be a witness against him and eat his flesh as it were fire (Jam 5:3); while God designs, by an overruling providence, to give it to him that is good before him; for the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just, and gathered for him that will pity the poor. Note, First, Godliness, with contentment, is great gain; and those only have true joy that are good in God's sight, and that have it from him and in him. Secondly, Ungodliness is commonly punished with discontent and an insatiable covetousness, which are sins that are their own punishment. Thirdly, When God gives abundance to wicked men it is with design to force them to a resignation in favour of his own children, when they are of age and ready for it, as the Canaanites kept possession of the good land till the time appointed for Israel's entering upon it.
[3.]The burden of the song is still the same: This is also vanity and vexation of spirit. It is vanity, at the best, even to the good man; when he has all that the sinner has scraped together it will not make him happy without something else; but it is vexation of spirit to the sinner to see what he had laid up enjoyed by him that is good in God's sight, and therefore evil in his. So that, take it which way you will, the conclusion is firm, All is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
2 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
If the whole earth is not worth the kingdom of heaven, surely he who has left a few fields leaves nothing, as it were; even if he has given up a house or much gold, he ought not to boast nor grow weary. Moreover, we should consider that if we do not relinquish these things for virtue’s sake, we leave them behind later when we die and often, as Ecclesiastes reminds us, to those to whom we do not wish to leave them. Why, then, do we not relinquish them for the sake of virtue, so that we may inherit a kingdom? LIFE OF ST.
"Thus I
hated all my achievements labouring under the sun, for I must leave it to the
man who succeeds me. And who knows
whether he will be wise or foolish? - And he will control all my possessions
which I toiled and have shown myself wise under the sun. This, too, is vanity. "He seems to be reconsidering wealth and riches, because
according to the Gospel, being snatched by sudden death, we do not know with
which kind of heir we die - whether he will be a fool or wise who will enjoy
the fruits of our toil. This was also
the case with Solomon: for he did not regard his son Roboam as similar to himself. We learn from this that a son is not worthy
of his father's heredity if he is foolish.
But to me studying the work it seems that he is speaking more about
spiritual labour, because a wise man will work on the Scriptures for days and
nights, and will compose books and will hand down his memory to his
descendants, and nonetheless all this will come into the hands of fools, who
repeatedly find in them the seeds of heresy, according to the perversity of
their own mind, and waste other men's efforts.
For if the text now refers to Ecclesiastes' personal wealth, it was
necessary to say about toil and wealth: "and he will control all my
possessions which I toiled and have shown myself wise under the sun." For what is wise in the pursuit of earthly
riches?
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Summary
Ecclesiastes 2:18 encapsulates the Preacher's profound disillusionment and weariness with his vast earthly accomplishments. Having pursued wisdom, pleasure, wealth, and monumental building projects, he ultimately concludes that all his strenuous labor "under the sun" is futile. The source of his frustration is the inescapable reality of death and the necessity of leaving his accumulated legacy to an unknown successor, whose wisdom or folly he cannot control, rendering his efforts ultimately meaningless from a purely human perspective.
Context
Literary Context
Ecclesiastes 2 is a deeply introspective chapter where Qoheleth, the Preacher, systematically recounts his comprehensive "experiments" in life, designed to test various avenues for finding meaning and satisfaction. Following his initial declaration of "vanity of vanities" in Ecclesiastes 1:2, he embarks on a quest that includes indulging in pleasure, accumulating immense wealth, undertaking grand building projects like palaces and gardens, and even seeking wisdom. Despite achieving unparalleled success in all these endeavors—possessing more than any before him in Jerusalem, as stated in Ecclesiastes 2:9—he repeatedly arrives at the same bleak conclusion: "all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 2:11). Verse 18 specifically highlights the culmination of this despair concerning the fruit of his labor, as the temporal nature of his achievements becomes painfully clear in light of his mortality.
Historical & Cultural Context
In the ancient Near East, the concept of legacy and the continuation of one's name and work through descendants or successors was paramount. Kings and powerful individuals invested heavily in monumental architecture, vast landholdings, and accumulated wealth, not only for their own enjoyment but also as a testament to their power and a heritage for future generations. The idea of leaving one's "labour" (or the fruit of it) to a successor was a common expectation. However, the anxiety expressed in Ecclesiastes 2:18—that the successor might be foolish or squander the inheritance—was a genuine concern, as historical examples of incompetent or destructive heirs were not uncommon. This highlights a universal human dilemma: the desire for lasting impact versus the reality of limited control over one's legacy after death. The "under the sun" motif, prevalent throughout Ecclesiastes, grounds the Preacher's observations in the earthly, human experience, devoid of explicit divine revelation or an eternal perspective, which was a unique philosophical stance for its time.
Key Themes
This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within Ecclesiastes. First, it underscores the Futility of Earthly Labor and Accumulation when pursued as an end in itself. The Preacher's "hatred" is not for work itself, but for the ultimate meaninglessness of its outcome when viewed through the lens of mortality and an earthly horizon. Second, it highlights the Inevitable Leveling Effect of Death, a recurring and central theme in the book. Regardless of one's achievements or wealth, death strips all away, rendering all earthly distinctions temporary, as seen in Ecclesiastes 2:16. Third, the verse emphasizes the Uncertainty of Inheritance and Legacy. The Preacher's distress is compounded by the lack of control over who will inherit his painstaking work and whether they will preserve or squander it. This uncertainty about the "man that shall be after me" (Ecclesiastes 2:19) adds another layer to the "vanity" of striving for earthly possessions and achievements without an eternal perspective.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This term signifies a personal aversion, indicating a profound emotional rejection. It conveys an intense dislike, reaching the level of being odious. Qoheleth's use of this word expresses the depth of his disillusionment, moving beyond mere dissatisfaction to an active, personal hatred of the outcome of his efforts.
This word denotes strenuous, wearing effort, encompassing toil, pain, and even wickedness. It describes the exhaustive nature of Qoheleth's endeavors, implying the physical and mental exertion involved in his grand projects and accumulations. The term also carries connotations of worry, sorrow, and travail, highlighting the burdensome and ultimately unsatisfactory nature of his work.
This refers to a human being, an individual, or the species of mankind. In this context, it specifically points to the unknown successor—an "another" individual—who will inherit the fruits of Qoheleth's toil. The generic nature of the term emphasizes the impersonal transfer of wealth and the lack of control over the character or actions of this future heir.
Verse Breakdown
"Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun:"
The Preacher expresses a profound and bitter aversion to the sum total of his life's work and accomplishments. This "hatred" is born from the realization that despite the immense effort and success, these achievements yield no lasting satisfaction or ultimate meaning when viewed from a purely earthly perspective ("under the sun"). The phrase "under the sun" is a recurring motif in Ecclesiastes, signifying a worldview limited to human experience and observation, without reference to divine revelation or eternity.
"because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me."
This clause reveals the specific reason for his intense displeasure. The inevitability of death means he must relinquish all his accumulated wealth, projects, and influence. The frustration is compounded by the fact that he has no control over who this successor ("the man that shall be after me") will be, nor over how they will manage or squander his legacy. This uncertainty and lack of ultimate control over his life's work render his strenuous efforts pointless in his eyes.
Literary Devices
Ecclesiastes 2:18 employs several potent literary devices to convey its message of futility. The most prominent is Irony, as the Preacher, who meticulously pursued and achieved unparalleled success in all his endeavors, ultimately declares a "hatred" for the very fruits of his labor. This stark contrast between effort and outcome highlights the inherent paradox of seeking ultimate meaning in temporal pursuits. The phrase "under the sun" functions as a pervasive Leitmotif throughout Ecclesiastes, grounding the Preacher's observations in a human-centric, empirical worldview, thereby emphasizing the limitations of a life lived without an eternal perspective. The strong emotional language, "hated," serves as Hyperbole, intensifying the Preacher's despair and emphasizing the depth of his disillusionment, moving beyond mere disappointment to a profound sense of aversion.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Ecclesiastes 2:18 powerfully articulates a foundational theological truth: the inherent limitations and ultimate futility of human endeavor when disconnected from an eternal, divine purpose. It challenges the common human tendency to find ultimate security, identity, and meaning in accumulated wealth, personal achievements, or worldly legacies. While diligent work is a biblical principle, the Preacher's lament serves as a stark warning against idolatry of labor's fruit, reminding us that all earthly possessions and accomplishments are temporary and will eventually pass into the hands of others. This perspective encourages a reorientation of values, prompting believers to consider where true and lasting treasure lies, and how their efforts can contribute to something beyond the confines of "under the sun" existence.
Reflection and Application
Ecclesiastes 2:18 confronts us with the sobering reality that our earthly achievements, no matter how grand, are ultimately transient. It prompts us to honestly assess the motivations behind our labor and where we place our hope. If our primary aim is the accumulation of wealth, status, or a lasting human legacy, this verse warns that such pursuits will inevitably lead to disillusionment and a sense of vanity, for death will eventually sever our connection to all we have amassed. Instead, it calls us to consider the eternal impact of our lives, to invest in what truly lasts—our relationship with God, our spiritual growth, and acts of love and service that build up God's kingdom. This perspective allows us to enjoy the fruits of our labor as gifts from God, without allowing them to become idols or sources of ultimate despair.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does the Preacher "hate" his labor? Does the Bible condemn work?
The Preacher's "hatred" in Ecclesiastes 2:18 is not a condemnation of work itself, which is often affirmed in Scripture as a good and necessary part of human existence (e.g., Proverbs 6:6-11). Instead, his intense aversion stems from the futility of labor when its ultimate purpose and reward are confined to the earthly realm ("under the sun"). He hates the outcome because he realizes that all his strenuous effort and accumulated wealth must be left behind at death, with no guarantee that his successor will manage it wisely. This leads to a profound sense of meaninglessness and despair, as his efforts cannot secure lasting satisfaction, control, or legacy in a world bound by mortality. It's a critique of misplaced hope, not of diligent effort.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Ecclesiastes 2:18, with its lament over the futility of earthly labor and the uncertainty of legacy, finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus. The Preacher's despair arises from the temporary nature of "under the sun" achievements; all must be left behind to an unknown heir. In contrast, Jesus Christ offers an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for those who are born again (1 Peter 1:3-4). While human labor and its fruits are subject to decay and loss, Christ's work on the cross established an eternal kingdom and secured an everlasting inheritance for His followers, a legacy that cannot be squandered by foolish heirs or claimed by death. His sacrifice was the ultimate labor, not "under the sun," but for eternal redemption, securing a future where believers will not leave behind their treasures but will inherit all things with Him (Romans 8:17). Furthermore, unlike the unknown successor who might squander an inheritance, Christ is the faithful Son who perfectly administers the Father's will and ensures the eternal security of His people (Hebrews 1:2). Thus, the futility of Ecclesiastes 2:18 is overcome by the eternal, unshakeable hope found in Christ, who is the true and lasting heir of all things.