New Living Translation
Ecclesiastes 1:3
3What do people get for 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
1These are the words of the Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem. 2“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? 4Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. 5The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to 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 2:22So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety?
- Ecclesiastes 3:9What do people really get for all their hard work?
- Ecclesiastes 5:16And this, too, is a very serious problem. People leave this world no better off than when they came. All their hard work is for nothing—like working for the wind.
- Proverbs 23:4Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit.
- Isaiah 55:2Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.
- Habakkuk 2:13Has not the Lord of Heaven’s Armies promised that the wealth of nations will turn to ashes? They work so hard, but all in vain!
- Matthew 16:26And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?
- Mark 8:36And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?
- John 6:27But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”
- Ecclesiastes 2:11But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.
- Ecclesiastes 4:3But most fortunate of all are those who are not yet born. For they have not seen all the evil that is done under the sun.
- Ecclesiastes 5:18Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.
- Ecclesiastes 6:12In the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days can best be spent? Our lives are like a shadow. Who can tell what will happen on this earth after we are gone?
- Ecclesiastes 7:11Wisdom is even better when you have money. Both are a benefit as you go through life.
- Ecclesiastes 8:15So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.
- Ecclesiastes 9:3It seems so wrong that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate. Already twisted by evil, people choose their own mad course, for they have no hope. There is nothing ahead but death anyway.
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
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