King James Version
Ecclesiastes 1:1
1The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
Ecclesiastes 1:1 in other versions
- New International Version (NIV)The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
- English Standard Version (ESV)The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
- New Living Translation (NLT)These are the words of the Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem.
Context of Ecclesiastes 1:1
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. 3What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
Read all of Ecclesiastes 1Ecclesiastes 1:1 word by word
דִּבְרֵי֙ קֹהֶ֣לֶת בֶּן־דָּוִ֔ד מֶ֖לֶךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 1:1
- Ecclesiastes 1:12I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
- Ecclesiastes 7:27Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:
- Ecclesiastes 12:8Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
- Nehemiah 6:7And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.
- Psalms 40:9I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.
- Isaiah 61:1The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
- Jonah 3:2Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
- 2 Peter 2:5And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
- 1 Kings 11:42And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.
- 2 Chronicles 9:30And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
- 2 Chronicles 10:17But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 1:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1The words of the Preacher - Literally, "The words of Choheleth, son of David, king of Jerusalem." But the Targum explains it thus: "The words of the prophecy, which Choheleth prophesied; the same is Solomon, son of David the king, who was in Jerusalem. For when Solomon, king of Israel, saw by the spirit of prophecy that the kingdom of Rehoboam his son was about to be divided with Jeroboam, the son of Nebat; and the house of the sanctuary was about to be…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Preacher - literally, Convener. No one English word represents the Hebrew קהלת qôheleth adequately. Though capable, according to Hebrew usage, of being applied to men in office, it is strictly a feminine participle, and describes a person in the act of calling together an assembly of people as if with the intention of addressing them. The word thus understood refers us to the action of Wisdom personified Proverbs 1:20; Proverbs 8:8. In Proverbs and here…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The name of this book signifies "The Preacher." The wisdom of God here preaches to us, speaking by Solomon, who it is evident was the author. At the close of his life, being made sensible of his sin and folly, he recorded here his experience for the benefit of others, as the book of his repentance; and he pronounced all earthly good to be "vanity and vexation of spirit." It convinces us of the vanity of the world, and that it cannot make us happy; of the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1Ecclesiastes does not mention the Teacher's name (Qoheleth in Hebrew), but King David's son likely refers to Solomon (see also Ecclesiastes 1:12, 16; 2:4–9).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1The Hebrew title is Koheleth, which the speaker in it applies to himself (Ec 1:12), "I, Koheleth, was king over Israel." It means an Assembler or Convener of a meeting and a Preacher to such a meeting. The feminine form of the Hebrew noun, and its construction once (Ec 7:27) with a feminine verb, show that it not only signifies Solomon, the Preacher to assemblies (in which case it is construed with the verb or noun masculine), but also Divine Wisdom…Read the comment
Topics related to Ecclesiastes 1:1
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
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