Ecclesiastes 1:13

Ecclesiastes 1:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.
• New International Version (NIV)I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!
• English Standard Version (ESV)And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised.

Context of Ecclesiastes 1:13

11There is no remembrance of former things ; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after. 12I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this grievous labour hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised with it. 14I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. 15That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is lacking cannot be numbered.

Ecclesiastes 1:13 word by word

וְנָתַ֣תִּי אֶת־לִבִּ֗י לִדְר֤וֹשׁ וְלָתוּר֙ בַּֽחָכְמָ֔ה עַ֛ל כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר נַעֲשָׂ֖ה תַּ֣חַת הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם ה֣וּא׀ עִנְיַ֣ן רָ֗ע נָתַ֧ן אֱלֹהִ֛ים לִבְנֵ֥י הָאָדָ֖ם לַעֲנ֥וֹת בּֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear

• gaveנָתַןnâthan · to give: putH5414
• heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
• seekדָּרַשׁdârash · to seekH1875
• outתּוּרtûr · to spyH8446
• wisdomחׇכְמָהchokmâh · wisdomH2451
• doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
• grievousרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: harmfulH7451
• labourעִנְיָן‛inyân · taskH6045
• Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• exercisedעָנָה‛ânâh · be occupiedH6031

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 1:13

• Ecclesiastes 1:17And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
• Ecclesiastes 7:25I applied my heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:
• Ecclesiastes 8:9All this have I seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: there is a time in which one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.
• Psalms 111:2The works of the LORD are great, sought out by all them that have pleasure in them.
• Proverbs 2:2So that thou incline thy ear to wisdom, and apply thy heart to understanding;
• Proverbs 4:7Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
• Proverbs 18:1Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.
• Proverbs 23:26My son, give me thy heart, and let thy eyes observe my ways.
• 1 Timothy 4:15Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
• Ecclesiastes 3:10I have seen the labour, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
• Ecclesiastes 4:4Again, I considered all labour, and every right work, that for this a man is envied by his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.
• Ecclesiastes 12:12And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
• Genesis 3:19In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou shalt return to the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and to dust shalt thou return.

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 1:13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13And I gave my heart to seek and search - While Solomon was faithful to his God he diligently cultivated his mind. His giving himself to the study of natural history, philosophy, poetry, etc., are sufficient proofs of it. He had not intuitive knowledge from God; but he had a capacity to obtain every kind of knowledge useful to man. This sore travail - This is the way in which knowledge is to be acquired; and in order to investigate the operations of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13Wisdom - As including both the powers of observation and judgment, and the knowledge acquired thereby (1 Kings 3:28; 1 Kings 4:29; 1 Kings 10:8, … ). It increases by exercise. Here is noted its application to people and their actions. Travail - In the sense of toil; the word is here applied to all human occupations. God - God is named as אלהים 'elohı̂ym thirty-nine times in this book; a name common to the true God and to false gods, and used by believers…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-18Verses 12-18 Solomon tried all things, and found them vanity. He found his searches after knowledge weariness, not only to the flesh, but to the mind. The more he saw of the works done under the sun, the more he saw their vanity; and the sight often vexed his spirit. He could neither gain that satisfaction to himself, nor do that good to others, which he expected. Even the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom discovered man's wickedness and misery; so that the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13What a miserable task God has laid: The harsh truths of human experience remind us of the Fall in Eden (Genesis 3). Ecclesiastes does not avoid sad topics like death, oppression, and loneliness. Instead, it faces them directly and includes them in realistic conclusions.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1313. this sore travail--namely, that of "searching out all things done under heaven." Not human wisdom in general, which comes afterwards (Ec 2:12, &c.), but laborious enquiries into, and speculations about, the works of men; for example, political science. As man is doomed to get his bread, so his knowledge, by the sweat of his brow (Ge 3:19) [Gill]. exercised--that is, disciplined; literally, "that they may thereby chastise, or humble themselves."Read the comment

Topics related to Ecclesiastes 1:13

• Instruction
• Investigation
• Science

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Sun
• Vanity
• Ecclesiastes, the Preacher
• Exercise
• Search
• Synagogue, the Great
• teacher, Teacher

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