God’s Word Translation
Ecclesiastes 1:3
3What do people gain from all their hard work under the sun?
Ecclesiastes 1:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
- New International Version (NIV)What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?
- English Standard Version (ESV)What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?
- New King James Version (NKJV)What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun?
Context of Ecclesiastes 1:3
1The words of the spokesman, the son of David and the king in Jerusalem. 2“Absolutely pointless!” says the spokesman. “Absolutely pointless! Everything is pointless.” What do people gain from all their hard work under the sun? 4Generations come, and generations go, but the earth lasts forever. 5The sun rises, and the sun sets, and then it rushes back to the place where it will rise ⌞again⌟.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 1Ecclesiastes 1:3 word by word
מַה־יִּתְר֖וֹן לָֽאָדָ֑ם בְּכָל־עֲמָל֔וֹ שֶֽׁיַּעֲמֹ֖ל תַּ֥חַת הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 1:3
- Ecclesiastes 2:22What do people get from all of their hard work and struggles under the sun?
- Ecclesiastes 3:9What do working people gain from their hard labor?
- Ecclesiastes 5:16This also is a painful tragedy: They leave exactly as they came. What advantage do they gain from working so hard for the wind?
- Proverbs 23:4Do not wear yourself out getting rich. Be smart enough to stop.
- Isaiah 55:2Why do you spend money on what cannot nourish you and your wages on what does not satisfy you? Listen carefully to me: Eat what is good, and enjoy the best foods.
- Habakkuk 2:13Isn’t it from the Lord of Armies that people grow tired only to feed the flames and nations exhaust themselves for nothing?
- Matthew 16:26What good will it do for people to win the whole world and lose their lives? Or what will a person give in exchange for life?
- Mark 8:36What good does it do for people to win the whole world yet lose their lives?
- John 6:27Don’t work for food that spoils. Instead, work for the food that lasts into eternal life. This is the food the Son of Man will give you. After all, the Father has placed his seal of approval on him.”
- Ecclesiastes 2:11But when I turned to look at all that I had accomplished and all the hard work I had put into it, I saw that it was all pointless. ⌞It was like⌟ trying to catch the wind. I gained nothing ⌞from any of my accomplishments⌟ under the sun.
- Ecclesiastes 4:3But the person who hasn’t been born yet is better off than both of them. He hasn’t seen the evil that is done under the sun.
- Ecclesiastes 5:18At last I have seen what is good and beautiful: It is to eat and drink and to enjoy the good in all our hard work under the sun during the brief lives God gives us. That is our lot ⌞in life⌟.
- Ecclesiastes 6:12Who knows what may be good for mortals while they are alive, during the brief, pointless days they live? Mortals pass by like a shadow. Who will tell them about their future under the sun?
- Ecclesiastes 7:11Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. It is an advantage to everyone who sees the sun.
- Ecclesiastes 8:15So I recommend the enjoyment ⌞of life⌟. People have nothing better to do under the sun than to eat, drink, and enjoy themselves. This joy will stay with them while they work hard during their brief lives which God has given them under the sun.
- Ecclesiastes 9:3This is the tragedy of everything that happens under the sun: Everyone shares the same destiny. Moreover, the hearts of mortals are full of evil. Madness is in their hearts while they are still alive. After that, they join the dead.
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 1:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3What profit hath a man - What is the sum of the real good he has gained by all his toils in life? They, in themselves, have neither made him contented nor happy.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3What profit - The question often repeated is the great practical inquiry of the book; it receives its final answer in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. When this question was asked, the Lord had not yet spoken Matthew 11:28. The word “profit” (or pre-eminence) is opposed to “vanity.” Hath a man - Rather, hath man.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The Hebrew phrase under the sun appears twenty-nine times in Ecclesiastes. The New Living Translation sometimes translates it as "here on earth" (Proverbs 2:18) or "in this world" (Proverbs 2:20). It suggests a view of life focused on earthly matters rather than God's perspective.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. What profit ... labour--that is, "What profit" as to the chief good (Mt 16:26). Labor is profitable in its proper place (Ge 2:15; 3:19; Pr 14:23). under the sun--that is, in this life, as opposed to the future world. The phrase often recurs, but only in Ecclesiastes.Read the comment
Topics related to Ecclesiastes 1:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries