Ecclesiastes 1:13
in Ecclesiastes 1And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven: it is a sore travail that God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.
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.
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This verse in Ecclesiastes 1
Commentary
14 notes on this verse"I applied my mind to seek and probe by wisdom all that happens beneath the sky - it is a sorry task that God has given to the sons of man with which to be concerned." Aquila, the Septuagint, and Theodotion have all translated the Hebrew word "anian "similarly as "peristasmon", which the interpreter expressed as "occupied" in Latin [Hier.. "in distentionem".], because the mind of man is torn asunder when occupied by several anxieties. But Symmachus uses the Greek word "ascholian", which means business [Hier.. "occupationem".].
This site's exposition
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem
on Ecclesiastes 1:12-15
Verse 13 states his method, to seek and explore by wisdom, and calls the task a burden God has laid upon the sons of men. Verse 15 gives the first finding as a proverb: What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
This site's exposition
What a heavy burden
Jerome reports that Aquila, the Septuagint and Theodotion gave the word for this burden as distraction, and Symmachus as business. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown set it beside Genesis 3:19. Men gain knowledge, like bread, by the sweat of the brow, and God lays the burden on them to humble them.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
These are the things which the true Ecclesiast recounts as he teaches, so I believe, the great mystery of salvation, the reason why God was revealed in flesh. "I gave my heart," he says, "to enquiring into and investigating by wisdom all that had come about under the heaven." This is the reason for the Lord's fleshly coming to dwell with humankind, to give his heart to investigating in his own wisdom what has come about under the heaven. What is above the heaven had no need of investigation, just as there is no need of a medical attendant for what is not in the grip of illness. So because the evils were on earth—for the creeping animal, the serpent which "crawls on its breast and on its belly," makes the earth its food, eating nothing from heaven; as it crawls on trodden ground it always looks at what treads on it, "watching for the traveler's heel" and injecting its venom into those who have lost "the power to tread upon serpents"—for this reason he gave his "heart to enquiring into and investigating all that has come about under the heaven."
I think that the true Ecclesiastes next teaches about the great mystery of salvation when God manifested himself in the flesh. "I applied my heart to seek out and examine by wisdom all things done under heaven." The reason for our Lord's dwelling with men is to give his heart over in wisdom to consider his actions done under the sun. For man is not allowed to consider what lies above heaven just as healthy persons do not require doctors. Evil belongs to the earth. A snake is a reptile which crawls on its belly, eats earth instead of food from heaven, crawls on anything trampled down and is always on the prowl. It watches for man's heel and injects poison in those who have lost the power to tread on serpents. For this reason Ecclesiastes gives his heart over to careful consideration of every activity done under heaven.
I thoughtfully examined and wisely learned the nature of everything on earth. I discovered that it was all very complex, because human beings are allowed to toil away on earth, wallowing about uselessly in various kinds of pretentious effort at various times.
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCommentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 1 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
Here curiosity itself is touched upon, because he wished to know all things and to investigate them subtly. Therefore he says: "And I proposed in my mind to seek," namely from another, "and to investigate wisely," by myself; and this is curiosity; Romans twelve: "Not …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
I gave my heart - Which phrase denotes his serious and fixed purpose, and his great industry in it. To search - To seek diligently and accurately. By wisdom - By the help of that wisdom wherewith God had endowed me.
6 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom,....
As bread for the body, so that for the soul, must be got and eaten in the sweat of our face, whereas both would have been had with out labour if Adam had not sinned.
He made it his business to acquaint himself with all the things that are done under the sun, that are done by the providence of God or by the art and prudence of man.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Wisdom - As including both the powers of observation and judgment, and the knowledge acquired thereby (1Ki 3:28; 1Ki 4:29; 1Ki 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.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
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."
And 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 nature, the most laborious discussions and perplexing experiments must be instituted, and conducted to their proper results. It is God’s determination that knowledge shall be acquired in no other way.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
I, Koheles, have been king. Over the whole world, and later, over Yisroel, and then, over Yerusholayim alone, and finally, over my staff, 39 See Maseches Sanhedrin 20b. for it says, “[I] have been king.. in Yerusholayim,” but now, I am no longer king.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
21 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְנָתַ֣תִּי | venatati | and I gave | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| לִבִּ֗י | libi | heart my | H3820 → | 595 times |
| לִדְר֤וֹשׁ | lidroosh | to study | H1875 → | |
| וְלָתוּר֙ | velatur | and to discover | H8446 → | 24 times |
| בַּֽחָכְמָ֔ה | bachakhemah | by <the> wisdom | H2451 → | 153 times |
| עַ֛ל | ʾal | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | that | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נַעֲשָׂ֖ה | naasah | it has been done | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| תַּ֣חַת | tachat | under | H8478 → | 505 times |
| הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם | hashamayim | the heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| ה֣וּא׀ | hu' | it | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| עִנְיַ֣ן | ʾinyan | [is] a task of | H6045 → | 8 times |
| רָ֗ע | ra' | evil | H7451 → | 662 times |
| נָתַ֧ן | natan | [which] he has given | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אֱלֹהִ֛ים | ʾelohim | God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| לִבְנֵ֥י | livnei | to [the] children of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| הָאָדָ֖ם | haadam | <the> humankind | H120 → | 551 times |
| לַעֲנ֥וֹת | laanot | to be busy | H6031 → | 82 times |
| בּֽוֹ׃ | bo | with <the> it |
וְנָתַ֣תִּיand I gave
venatatiH5414 →2011 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
לִבִּ֗יheart my
libiH3820 →595 times
לִדְר֤וֹשׁto study
lidrooshH1875 →
וְלָתוּר֙and to discover
velaturH8446 →24 times
בַּֽחָכְמָ֔הby <the> wisdom
bachakhemahH2451 →153 times
עַ֛לon
ʾalH5921 →5755 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
אֲשֶׁ֥רthat
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
נַעֲשָׂ֖הit has been done
naasahH6213 →2628 times
תַּ֣חַתunder
tachatH8478 →505 times
הַשָּׁמָ֑יִםthe heavens
hashamayimH8064 →421 times
ה֣וּא׀it
hu'H1931 →1879 times
עִנְיַ֣ן[is] a task of
ʾinyanH6045 →8 times
רָ֗עevil
ra'H7451 →662 times
נָתַ֧ן[which] he has given
natanH5414 →2011 times
אֱלֹהִ֛יםGod
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
לִבְנֵ֥יto [the] children of
livneiH1121 →4930 times
הָאָדָ֖ם<the> humankind
haadamH120 →551 times
לַעֲנ֥וֹתto be busy
laanotH6031 →82 times
בּֽוֹ׃with <the> it
bo
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 3:19By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
it leads to
- Ecclesiastes 12:7
before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
- Job 34:15
all flesh would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.
- Psalms 104:29
When You hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to dust.
- Genesis 2:7
Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.
- Psalms 90:3
You return man to dust, saying, “Return, O sons of mortals.”
- Ecclesiastes 12:7
Through
1 Timothy 4:15Be diligent in these matters and absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.
it leads to
- Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
- Psalms 143:5
I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I consider the work of Your hands.
- Matthew 5:16
Through
Ecclesiastes 3:10I have seen the burden that God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them.
it leads to
- Ecclesiastes 1:13–14
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ecclesiastes 1:13–14
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Ecclesiastes
This page draws on 13 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bonaventure, Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 1; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Ecclesiastes; Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes; Gregory of Neocaesarea, PARAPHRASE OF ECCLESIASTES 1:13; Gregory of Nyssa, Commentary (church-history corpus); Gregory of Nyssa, HOMILIES ON ECCLESIASTES 2; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ecclesiastes; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.