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 man has his eyes in his head, while the fool walks in the darkness. Yet, I also came to realize that the same destiny befalls them both. 15Then said I in my heart: “I, even I, will have the same destiny as a fool. So why have I become so wise?” I said in my heart, “This too is meaningless.” For the wise man, together with the fool, is not remembered forever. For in the days to come both will be forgotten. Alas, the wise, just like the fool, must die! 17And so I hated life, because the work done under the sun was grievous to me. All is but vapor and chasing after the wind. 18I also hated all the fruit of my toil for which I had labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the one who comes after 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 1:11There is no remembrance for former things, and things yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.
• Exodus 1:6Then Joseph died, as did all his brothers and all that generation.
• Psalms 88:12Will Your love be declared in the grave? Or Your faithfulness in the place of ruin?
• Psalms 103:16but when the wind blows over it, it is gone, and its place is no longer known.
• Malachi 3:16Then those who revere Adonai spoke with each other, and Adonai took notice and heard, and a scroll of remembrance was written before Him, for those who revere Adonai, even those who esteem His Name.
• Ecclesiastes 6:8So what advantage has the wise over the fool? What does the pauper gain by knowing how to walk before the living?
• 2 Samuel 3:33Then the king chanted a lament for Abner and said, “Should Abner die like a senseless fool?
• Psalms 49:10Will he live forever— and never see the Pit?
• Hebrews 9:27And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this judgment,

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