Ecclesiastes 2:22

For why what shall it profit to a man of all his travail, and torment of spirit, with which he was tormented under [the] sun? (For what shall it profit a person for all his labour, and trials and tribulations, with which he was tormented under the sun?)

Wycliffe Modern Spelling

In The King James Version

For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?

In Context

21For why when another man travaileth in wisdom, and teaching, and busyness, he leaveth things gotten to an idle man; and therefore this is vanity, and great evil. (For though a person laboureth over something with wisdom, and knowledge, and diligence, he must leave all that he hath gotten to someone else, who did not labour over it; and so this is empty and futile, and a great evil.)

23All his days be full of sorrows and mischiefs, and by night he resteth not in soul; and whether this is not vanity? (All his days be full of sorrows and mischiefs, and at night his soul resteth not; and is not this all empty and futile?)

Read all of Ecclesiastes 2

Cross References

Proverbs 16:26The soul of a man travailing travaileth to himself; for his mouth compelled him. (A person labouring laboureth for himself; for his hunger compelled him.)

Ecclesiastes 2:11And when I had turned me to all the works which mine hands had made, and to the travails in which I had sweated (over) in vain, I saw in all things vanity and torment of soul, and that nothing under [the] sun dwelleth. (And when I turned and looked upon all the works which my hands had made, and upon the labour which I had sweated over, I saw that everything was empty and futile, like chasing the wind, and that nothing remained stable, or unchanging, under the sun.)

Ecclesiastes 4:6and saith, Better is an handful, with rest, than ever either hand full, with travail and torment of soul.

Ecclesiastes 5:10An avaricious man shall not be [ful] filled of money; and he that loveth riches shall not take (the) fruits of them; and therefore this is vanity. (A greedy person shall never be fulfilled, or filled full, with money; and he who loveth riches shall never truly enjoy their fruits, or their earnings; and so this is empty and futile.)

Ecclesiastes 6:7All the travail of a man is in his mouth, but the soul of him shall not be [ful] filled with goods. (All the labour of a person is for his mouth, yet his belly, or his appetite, shall never be fulfilled with enough good things.)

Matthew 6:11give to us this day our each day’s bread;

Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 2:18-26

Sources of Dissatisfaction; The Cheerful Use of Abundance. 17 Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit. 18 Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. 19 And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

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