Ecclesiastes 2:16

Ecclesiastes 2:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die!
• English Standard Version (ESV)For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool!
• New King James Version (NKJV)For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die? As the fool!

Context of Ecclesiastes 2:16

14A wise person uses the eyes in his head, but a fool walks in the dark. But I have also come to realize that the same destiny waits for both of them. 15I thought to myself, “⌞If⌟ the destiny that waits for the fool waits for me as well, then what is the advantage in being wise?” So I thought that even this is pointless. Neither the wise person nor the fool will be remembered for long, since both will be forgotten in the days to come. Both the wise person and the fool will die. 17So I came to hate life because everything done under the sun seemed wrong to me. Everything was pointless. ⌞It was like⌟ trying to catch the wind. 18I came to hate everything for which I had worked so hard under the sun, because I will have to leave it to the person who replaces me.

Ecclesiastes 2:16 word by word

כִּי֩ אֵ֨ין זִכְר֧וֹן לֶחָכָ֛ם עִֽם־הַכְּסִ֖יל לְעוֹלָ֑ם בְּשֶׁכְּבָ֞ר הַיָּמִ֤ים הַבָּאִים֙ הַכֹּ֣ל נִשְׁכָּ֔ח וְאֵ֛יךְ יָמ֥וּת הֶחָכָ֖ם עִֽם־הַכְּסִֽיל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• no remembranceזִכָּרוֹןzikrôn · memorialH2146
• of the wiseחָכָםchâkâm · wiseH2450
• more thanעִם‛im · withH5973
• of the foolכְּסִילkesîyl · foolH3684
• for everעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: enduringH5769
• seeing that which nowכְּבָרkebâr · alreadyH3528
• in the daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• to comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• shall all be forgottenשָׁכַחshâkach shâkêach · to forgetH7911
• And how diethמוּתmûth · to dieH4191

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 2:16

• Ecclesiastes 1:11Nothing from the past is remembered. Even in the future, nothing will be remembered by those who come after us.
• Exodus 1:6Eventually, Joseph, all his brothers, and that entire generation died.
• Psalms 88:12Will anyone know about your miracles in that dark place or about your righteousness in the place where forgotten people live?
• Psalms 103:16When the wind blows over the flower, it disappears, and there is no longer any sign of it.
• Malachi 3:16Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord paid attention and listened. A book was written in his presence to be a reminder to those who feared the Lord and respected his name.
• Ecclesiastes 6:8What advantage does a wise person have over a fool? What advantage does a poor person have in knowing how to face life?
• 2 Samuel 3:33The king sang a funeral song for Abner: Should Abner die like a godless fool?
• Psalms 49:10Indeed, one can see that wise people die, that foolish and stupid people meet the same end. They leave their riches to others.
• Hebrews 9:27People die once, and after that they are judged.

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 2:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16There is no remembrance - The wise and the fool are equally subject to death; and, in most instances, they are equally forgotten. Time sweeps away all remembrances, except the very few out of millions which are preserved for a while in the page of history.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-17Verses 12-17 Solomon found that knowledge and prudence were preferable to ignorance and folly, though human wisdom and knowledge will not make a man happy. The most learned of men, who dies a stranger to Christ Jesus, will perish equally with the most ignorant; and what good can commendations on earth do to the body in the grave, or the soul in hell? And the spirits of just men made perfect cannot want them. So that if this were all, we might be led to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-16The fate of the fool will also befall me. What then have I gained by being wise?: Since the lives of both are short, the conclusion is that everything is meaningless. both will be forgotten: Future generations will not remember us or our achievements, so our efforts will amount to nothing (compare Ecclesiastes 1:11; 9:13–16).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. remembrance--a great aim of the worldly (Ge 11:4). The righteous alone attain it (Psa 112:6; Pr 10:7). for ever--no perpetual memorial. that which now is--Maurer, "In the days to come all things shall be now long ago forgotten."Read the comment

Topics related to Ecclesiastes 2:16

• Death
• Wisdom

In the dictionaries

• Wise, Man
• Gather
• Laughter
• Synagogue, the Great

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 2

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings