Ecclesiastes 1:11

Ecclesiastes 1:11 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.
• New International Version (NIV)No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.
• English Standard Version (ESV)There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.
• New King James Version (NKJV)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.

Context of Ecclesiastes 1:11

9What exists now is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing truly new on earth. 10Is there anything about which someone can say, “Look at this! It is new!”? It was already done long ago, before our time. No one remembers the former events, nor will anyone remember the events that are yet to happen; they will not be remembered by the future generations. 12I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13I decided to carefully and thoroughly examine all that has been accomplished on earth. I concluded: God has given people a burdensome task that keeps them occupied.

Ecclesiastes 1:11 word by word

אֵ֥ין זִכְר֖וֹן לָרִאשֹׁנִ֑ים וְגַ֨ם לָאַחֲרֹנִ֜ים שֶׁיִּהְי֗וּ לֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֤ה לָהֶם֙ זִכָּר֔וֹן עִ֥ם שֶׁיִּהְי֖וּ לָאַחֲרֹנָֽה׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• no remembranceזִכָּרוֹןzikrôn · memorialH2146
• of formerרִאשׁוֹןri'shôn ri'shôn · first: previousH7223
• that are to comeאַחֲרוֹן'achăryôn 'achărôn · lastH314

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 1:11

• Ecclesiastes 2:16For the wise man, like the fool, will not be remembered for very long, because in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten. Alas, the wise man dies – just like the fool!
• Psalms 9:6The enemy’s cities have been reduced to permanent ruins; you destroyed their cities; all memory of the enemies has perished.
• Isaiah 41:22“Let them produce evidence! Let them tell us what will happen! Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles, so we may examine them and see how they were fulfilled. Or decree for us some future events!
• Isaiah 42:9Look, my earlier predictive oracles have come to pass; now I announce new events. Before they begin to occur, I reveal them to you.”

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 1:11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11There is no remembrance - I believe the general meaning to be this: Multitudes of ancient transactions have been lost, because they were not recorded; and of many that have been recorded, the records are lost. And this will be the case with many others which are yet to occur. How many persons, not much acquainted with books, have supposed that certain things were their own discoveries, which have been written or printed even long before they were born!…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11Things - Rather, men.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-11Verses 9-11 Men's hearts and their corruptions are the same now as in former times; their desires, and pursuits, and complaints, still the same. This should take us from expecting happiness in the creature, and quicken us to seek eternal blessings. How many things and persons in Solomon's day were thought very great, yet there is no remembrance of them now!Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11There is no remembrance: We cannot rely on others to remember what we believe we have accomplished.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. The reason why some things are thought "new," which are not really so, is the imperfect record that exists of preceding ages among their successors. those that ... come after--that is, those that live still later than the "things, rather the persons or generations, Ec 1:4, with which this verse is connected, the six intermediate verses being merely illustrations of Ec 1:4 [Weiss], that are to come" (Ec 2:16; 9:5).Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Sun
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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