View source for Ecclesiastes 1

{{Short description|First chapter of the biblical book Ecclesiastes}}
{{Bible chapter|letname= Ecclesiastes 1 |previouslink= Proverbs 31 |previousletter= Proverbs 31 |nextlink= Ecclesiastes 2 |nextletter= chapter 2 |book=[[Ecclesiastes|Book of Ecclesiastes]] | biblepart=[[Old Testament]] | booknum= 21 |category= [[Ketuvim]] | filename= Salomão, flor, jovem (Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal ALC.455, fl.207).png |size=250px |caption=<div style="width: 250px; text-align: center; line-height: 1em">A picture of Solomon holding a flower and of a youth, a miniature from the opening of Ecclesiastes (in Latin) in the Bible of the Monastery of Santa Maria de Alcobaça, c. 1220s (National Library of Portugal ALC.455, fl.207).</div>}}

'''Ecclesiastes 1''' is the first [[Chapters and verses of the Bible|chapter]] of the [[Ecclesiastes|Book of Ecclesiastes]] in the [[Hebrew Bible]] or the [[Old Testament]] of the [[Christianity|Christian]] [[Bible]].{{sfn|Halley|1965|p=275}}<ref name=Holman>Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012.</ref> The book contains philosophical speeches by a character called ''Qoheleth'' ("the Teacher"; 'one who speaks before an assembly') composed probably between the 5th and 2nd centuries BC.{{sfn|Weeks|2007|p=423}} [[Peshitta]], [[Targum]], and [[Talmud]], as well as most Jewish and Christian readership, attribute the authorship of the book to King [[Solomon]].<ref>{{Cite Jewish Encyclopedia |title=Ecclesiastes, Book of |url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5415-ecclesiastes-book-of |first1=Morris |last1=Jastrow |first2= David Samuel|last2= Margoliouth}}</ref> This chapter contains the title of the book, the exposition of some fundamental observations and the problem of life, especially the failure of wisdom.{{sfn|Eaton|1994|pp=610-611}}

==Text==
[[File:Fl- 366 Biblia de Cervera, Ecclesiastes.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Ecclesiastes 1 in Bíblia de Cervera (fl 366; between 1299 and 1300) at Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal.]]
The original text was written in [[Biblical Hebrew|Hebrew]]. [[Chapters and verses of the Bible|This chapter is divided into]] 18 verses.

===Textual witnesses===
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in [[Biblical Hebrew|Hebrew]] are of the [[Masoretic Text]], which includes [[Leningrad Codex|Codex Leningradensis]] (1008).{{sfn|Würthwein|1995|pp=35-37}}{{efn|Since the [[1947 anti-Jewish riots in Aleppo|anti-Jewish riots in Aleppo]] in 1947 the whole book has been missing from the [[Aleppo Codex]].<ref name="nce2-bible">{{citation | author=P. W. Skehan | contribution=BIBLE (TEXTS) | title=[[New Catholic Encyclopedia]] | edition=2nd | volume=2 | publisher=Gale | year=2003 | pages=355–362}}</ref>}} Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]]: [[4Q110|4QQoh{{sup|b}} (4Q110]]; 30 BC{{snd}}30 AD; extant verses 8–15).<ref>{{Cite book | editor-last = Ulrich | editor-first = Eugene | editor-link = Eugene Ulrich | title = The Biblical Qumran Scrolls: Transcriptions and Textual Variants | year = 2010 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/TheBiblicalQumranScrolls/page/n762 746] | publisher = Brill | url = https://archive.org/details/TheBiblicalQumranScrolls |access-date= May 15, 2017 | isbn= 9789004181830}}</ref><ref>[https://thewaytoyahuweh.com/dead-sea-scrolls/general-info/#ecclesiastes Dead sea scrolls - Ecclesiastes]. Quote: 4QQoh{{sup|b}} 1:1-14</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last = Fitzmyer|first = Joseph A. |title = A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature| author-link = Joseph Fitzmyer | publisher = William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=TILXeWJ2eNAC | year = 2008 | pages = 43 |isbn = 9780802862419 | location = Grand Rapids, MI | access-date= February 15, 2019}} Quote: 4QQoh{{sup|b}} 1:10-15.</ref>

[[File:CodexGigas 177 Proverbs.jpg|thumb|240px|A page containing Ecclesiastes 1:1–5:17 from [[Codex Gigas]], Latin translation of 13th century.]]

There is also a translation into [[Koine Greek]] known as the [[Septuagint]], made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include [[Codex Vaticanus]] ('''B'''; <math> \mathfrak{G}</math><sup>B</sup>; 4th century), [[Codex Sinaiticus]] ('''S'''; [[Biblia Hebraica (Kittel)|BHK]]: <math> \mathfrak{G}</math><sup>S</sup>; 4th century), and [[Codex Alexandrinus]] ('''A'''; <math> \mathfrak{G}</math><sup>A</sup>; 5th century).{{sfn|Würthwein|1995|pp=73-74}} The Greek text is probably derived from the work of [[Aquila of Sinope]] or his followers.{{sfn|Weeks|2007|p=423}}

===Verse 1===
:''The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.''<ref>{{bibleref2|Ecclesiastes|1:1|ESV}} [[English Standard Version|ESV]]</ref>
*"Preacher": "Convener" or "Collector"; {{langx|he|קהלת}}, ''{{Strong-number|Qoheleth|H|6953}}''<ref>[https://biblehub.com/text/ecclesiastes/1-1.htm Hebrew Text Analysis: Ecclesiastes 1:1]. Biblehub</ref> (so throughout Ecclesiastes),<ref>Note [a] on Ecclesiastes 1:1 in ESV</ref> meaning simply "teacher" (a Hebrew participle).{{sfn|Eaton|1994|p=610}} Its verbal root ''{{Strong-number|qahal|H|6951}}'' means 'to assemble'.{{sfn|Eaton|1994|p=609}}
* "The son of David, king in [[Jerusalem]]" may refer to any king in the line of David ("Davidic King").{{sfn|Eaton|1994|p=609}}{{sfn|Weeks|2007|p=423}} This is picked up in {{bibleverse|Ecclesiastes|1:12|NKJV}}, which states that he ruled "Israel" from Jerusalem; if "Israel" is meant to include the [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Northern Kingdom of Israel]], then the only descendants of David to rule it were [[Solomon]] or his son, the 'far-from-wise [[Rehoboam]]'.{{sfn|Weeks|2007|p=423}}{{efn|[[1 Kings 12]] records that Rehoboam sought advice from the elders who had served his father, then rejected their advice in favour of that of the young men with whom he had grown up.}} From the further descriptions in chapter 1 and 2 clearly "''Qoheleth''" refers to Solomon, although the name 'Solomon' is avoided, not explicitly claimed as in {{bibleverse|Song|1:1|KJV}} or {{bibleverse|Proverbs|1:1|KJV}}.{{sfn|Eaton|1994|p=609}}

==Prologue (verses 2–11)==
[[File:Fool's Cap World Map RMG L8314-001.jpg|right|thumb|240px|Fool's Cap World MapFool's World Map, based on Ortelius's third 'Typus Orbis Terrarum,' (1590). A Latin quote from Ecclesiastes 1:2 is shown as engraved in the cup at the top of the jester's staff on the right: 'Vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas' ("Vanity of vanities, all is vanity") and below the map is a text taken from the [[Vulgate]] translation of Ecclesiastes 1:15: 'Stultorum infinitus est numerus' <ref>{{bibleref2|Ecclesiastes|1:15|VULGATE}} Vulgate</ref> ("The number of fools is infinite").]]

===Verse 2===
:''Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,''
::''vanity of vanities! All is vanity.''<ref>{{bibleref2|Ecclesiastes|1:2|ESV}} ESV</ref>
The [[Lexham English Bible]] calls this verse the preacher's "motto".<ref>{{bibleref2|Ecclesiastes|1:2|LEB}} Lexham English Bible</ref> The motto appears again at the end of his teaching in [[Ecclesiastes 12:8]].{{sfn|Weeks|2007|p=423}} "Vanity", the key term of this book,{{sfn|Weeks|2007|p=423}} translates the Hebrew term {{lang|he|הבל}}, ''{{Strong-number|hebel|H|1892}}'',<ref name="Ecc1_2h">[https://biblehub.com/text/ecclesiastes/1-2.htm Hebrew Text Analysis: Ecclesiastes 1:2]. Biblehub</ref> meaning "vanity" or "vain", concretely referring to a "mist", "vapor", or "mere breath", and metaphorically to 'something that is fleeting or elusive' (with different nuances depending on the context).<ref name="ESV1_2">Note [a] on Ecclesiastes 1:2 in ESV</ref> It can also be translated as 'Absurdity, Frustration, Futility, [[Nonsense]]'.<ref>Note a on Ecclesiastes 1:2 in [[New King James Version|NKJV]]</ref> The word appears five times in this verse alone and is found in 29 other verses in Ecclesiastes.<ref name="ESV1_2"/>

"Vanity of vanities" reflects the Hebrew: {{lang|he|הבל הבלים}} (''{{Strong-number|habel|H|1892}} {{Strong-number|habalim|H|1892}}'').<ref name="Ecc1_2h"/>

===Verse 3===
:''What profit has a man from all his labor''
:''In which he toils under the sun?''<ref>{{bibleref2|Ecclesiastes|1:3|ESV}} ESV</ref>
This rhetorical question follows the claim of "vanity" and is followed by the portrayal of a world 'impervious to human effort.'{{sfn|Weeks|2007|p=423}}
*"Profit" (ESV: "gain"; {{langx|he|יתרון}}, ''{{Strong-number|yithron|H|3504}}'',<ref name="Ecc1_3h">[https://biblehub.com/text/ecclesiastes/1-3.htm Hebrew Text Analysis: Ecclesiastes 1:3]. Biblehub</ref>): a term used in (ancient) commerce.{{sfn|Eaton|1994|p=611}}
*Both the noun "labor" and the verb "toil" come from the Hebrew root word ''amal'' ({{lang|he|עמל}}, as {{Strong-number|noun|H|5999}} or {{Strong-number|verb|H|5998}}<ref name="Ecc1_3h"/>) which may refer to 'physical effort' (cf. {{bibleverse|Ecclesiastes|2:4-8|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|Psalm|127:1|KJV}}) or to 'mental and emotional heaviness' (cf. {{bibleverse|Ecclesiastes|2:3|KJV}}; {{bibleverse|Psalm|25:18|KJV}}).{{sfn|Eaton|1994|p=611}}

===Verse 9===
Verse 9 contains the well-known saying, "there is nothing new under the sun".

===Verse 11===
:''There is no remembrance of former things,''
:''Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come''
:''By those who will come after.''<ref>{{bibleref2|Ecclesiastes|1:11|NKJV}}: NKJV</ref>
"So ends the prologue of the book, sounding its terrible sentence of despair on life and all its interests."<ref name=plump>Plumptre, E. H. (1888), [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/ecclesiastes/1.htm Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges] on Ecclesiastes 1, accessed 12 September 2022</ref> [[Edward Plumptre]] argues that "former things" and "things ... to come" should be translated as "former men" and "those that shall come after".<ref name=plump /> The [[New International Version]] translates this verse as "No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them".<ref>{{bibleref2|Ecclesiastes|1:11|NIV}}: NIV</ref>

==The failure of wisdom (verses 12–18)==
The problems declared in the earlier part are attempted to be solved using 'wisdom', but the conclusion in this part is that wisdom can only enlarge one's view of the problem but does not bring any solution, and the real solution is still to be anticipated.{{sfn|Eaton|1994|p=611}} Biblical commentator Stuart Weeks reads these verses with [[Ecclesiastes 2|chapter 2]] as a single "fictional memoir" recounting the preacher's "quest for understanding".{{sfn|Weeks|2007|p=423}}

===Verse 13===
:''I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised.''<ref>{{bibleref2|Ecclesiastes|1:13|NKJV}}: NKJV</ref>
The [[King James Version]] of this verse reads "I gave my heart ...",<ref>{{bibleref2|Ecclesiastes|1:13|KJV}}: KJV</ref> words "expressive of the spirit of an earnest seeker, [and] eminently characteristic of this book".<ref name=plump /> In [[Hebrew]] thought, the [[heart#Symbolism|heart]] is the seat of life, or emotion, but also the seat of [[reason]].<ref name=plump />

===Verse 18===
:''For in much wisdom is much grief,''
:''And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow''<ref>{{bibleref2|Ecclesiastes|1:18|NKJV}} NKJV</ref>
''The Teacher'' (Qoheleth) pessimistically concludes that wisdom and knowledge only enhance 'vexation and sorrow'.{{sfn|Weeks|2007|p=424}}

==See also==
* Related [[Bible]] parts: [[Psalm 127]], [[Ecclesiastes 12]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book|last= Eaton| first= Michael A. | chapter= Ecclesiastes| editor-last=Carson |editor-first=D. A. |title=New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition| editor-link= D. A. Carson| editor-last2= France |editor-first2= R. T. | editor2-link= R. T. France |editor-first3=J. A. |editor-last3= Motyer | editor3-link = J. Alec Motyer| editor-first4= G. J. |editor-last4= Wenham | editor4-link = Gordon Wenham| edition=4, illustrated, reprint, revised| publisher= Inter-Varsity Press | date= 1994| isbn = 9780851106489 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=uveHQgAACAAJ |pages= 609–618}}
*{{cite book|last= Halley| first= Henry H.| author-link= Henry Hampton Halley| title= Halley's Bible Handbook: an abbreviated Bible commentary |edition=24th (revised)|publisher= Zondervan Publishing House |date= 1965 |url= https://archive.org/details/halleysbiblehand00henr |url-access= registration| isbn= 0-310-25720-4}}
*{{cite book|last= Weeks | first= Stuart |chapter = 20. Ecclesiastes | title=The Oxford Bible Commentary | editor-first1=John| editor-last1=Barton | editor-first2=John| editor-last2= Muddiman | publisher = Oxford University Press |edition= first (paperback) | date = 2007 | pages = 423–429 | isbn = 978-0199277186 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZJdVkgEACAAJ| access-date=February 6, 2019}}
*{{cite book | last = Würthwein | first = Ernst | author-link = Ernst Würthwein | title = The Text of the Old Testament | publisher = Wm. B. Eerdmans |location = Grand Rapids, MI | year=  1995 | translator-first1 = Erroll F.| translator-last1 = Rhodes |isbn = 0-8028-0788-7 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FSNKSBObCYwC | access-date= January 26, 2019}}

==External links==
{{wikisource|Ecclesiastes (Bible)|Ecclesiastes}}
{{wiktionary|Ecclesiastes}}
* [[Judaism|Jewish]] translations:
** [https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16462/jewish/Chapter-1.htm Kohelet – Ecclesiastes - Chapter 1 (Judaica Press)] translation [with [[Rashi]]'s commentary] at Chabad.org
* [[Christianity|Christian]] translations:
** [http://www.gospelhall.org/bible/bible.php?passage=Ecclesiastes+1 ''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org] (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
* [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=25&chapter=1&version=9 Ecclesiastes Chapter 1 King James Version]
* {{librivox book | title=Ecclesiastes}} Various versions

{{Ecclesiastes}}

[[Category:Ecclesiastes chapters|01]]