Ecclesiastes 2:26
in Ecclesiastes 2To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For to the man that pleaseth him God giveth wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that pleaseth God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
KJV
For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
⋯
This verse in Ecclesiastes 2
Commentary
10 notes on this verse"Is it not good for man that he eats and drinks and shows his soul satisfaction in his labour? And even that, I perceived, is from the hand of God. For who should eat and who should make haste except me? To the man who pleases Him He has given wisdom, knowledge and joy; but to the sinner He has given the urge to gather and amass - that he may hand it on to one who is pleasing to God. That, too, is vanity and a vexation of the spirit."
This site's exposition
Nothing is better for a man than to eat and drink
on Ecclesiastes 2:24-26
Nothing is better for a man than to eat and drink and enjoy his work, and it comes from the hand of God. Verse 26 gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to the man pleasing to God and gathering to the sinner, and calls even that futile.
This site's exposition
the task of gathering and accumulating
Henry reads pleasing in His sight as truly good, like Noah. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown add that the sinner gathers for the one who pleases God without knowing it, and in spite of himself. The retribution, they say, is less visible now and just as real.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCommentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 2 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
"To the good man" etc. Here he condemns solicitude through the equity of divine judgment, since such solicitude is not given to the good, but to the wicked, and this by divine judgment. Therefore he says: "To the man who is good in his sight," …
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
What that good is which is here recommended to us; and which is the utmost pleasure and profit we can expect or extract from the business and profit of this world, and the furthest we can go to rescue it from its vanity and the vexation that is in it.
10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. 11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
, where those only are said to have the comfort of this life who are good in God's sight, and again, good before God, truly good, as Noah, whom God saw righteous before him.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation
For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Though the retribution be not so visible and immediate now as then, it is no less real. Happiness even here is more truly the portion of the godly (Ps 84:11; 1Ti 4:8). that he--the sinner may give--that is, unconsciously and in spite of himself.
For who can eat - more than I? - But instead of חוץ ממני chuts mimmenni, more than I; חוץ ממנו chuts mimmennu, without Him, is the reading of eight of Kennicott’s and De Rossi’s MSS., as also of the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic. “For who maye eat, drynke, or bring enythinge to pass without him?” - Coverdale. I believe this to be the true reading. No one can have a true relish of the comforts of life without the Divine blessing.
The words behind it
22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לְאָדָם֙ | leadam | to anyone | H120 → | 551 times |
| שֶׁטּ֣וֹב | shetov | who [is] good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| לְפָנָ֔יו | lefanav | <to> before him | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| נָתַ֛ן | natan | he gives | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| חָכְמָ֥ה | chokhmah | wisdom | H2451 → | 153 times |
| וְדַ֖עַת | vedaat | and knowledge | H1847 → | 92 times |
| וְשִׂמְחָ֑ה | vesimchah | and joy | H8057 → | 94 times |
| וְלַחוֹטֶא֩ | velachote' | and to the sinner | H2398 → | 238 times |
| נָתַ֨ן | natan | he gives | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| עִנְיָ֜ן | ʾinyan | a task | H6045 → | 8 times |
| לֶאֱס֣וֹף | leesof | to gather | H622 → | |
| וְלִכְנ֗וֹס | velikhnos | and to collect | H3664 → | 11 times |
| לָתֵת֙ | latet | to give [it] | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לְטוֹב֙ | letov | to a [person] good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| לִפְנֵ֣י | lifnei | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים | haelohim | <the> God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| גַּם־ | gam- | also | H1571 → | 769 times |
| זֶ֥ה | zeh | this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| הֶ֖בֶל | hevel | [is] futility | H1892 → | 73 times |
| וּרְע֥וּת | ureut | and striving of | H7469 → | 7 times |
| רֽוּחַ׃ | ruach | wind | H7307 → | 378 times |
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
לְאָדָם֙to anyone
leadamH120 →551 times
שֶׁטּ֣וֹבwho [is] good
shetovH2896 →538 times
לְפָנָ֔יו<to> before him
lefanavH6440 →2123 times
נָתַ֛ןhe gives
natanH5414 →2011 times
חָכְמָ֥הwisdom
chokhmahH2451 →153 times
וְדַ֖עַתand knowledge
vedaatH1847 →92 times
וְשִׂמְחָ֑הand joy
vesimchahH8057 →94 times
וְלַחוֹטֶא֩and to the sinner
velachote'H2398 →238 times
נָתַ֨ןhe gives
natanH5414 →2011 times
עִנְיָ֜ןa task
ʾinyanH6045 →8 times
לֶאֱס֣וֹףto gather
leesofH622 →
וְלִכְנ֗וֹסand to collect
velikhnosH3664 →11 times
לָתֵת֙to give [it]
latetH5414 →2011 times
לְטוֹב֙to a [person] good
letovH2896 →538 times
לִפְנֵ֣י<to> before
lifneiH6440 →2123 times
הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים<the> God
haelohimH430 →2601 times
גַּם־also
gam-H1571 →769 times
זֶ֥הthis
zehH2088 →1180 times
הֶ֖בֶל[is] futility
hevelH1892 →73 times
וּרְע֥וּתand striving of
ureutH7469 →7 times
רֽוּחַ׃wind
ruachH7307 →378 times
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
Proverbs 13:22A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is passed to the righteous.
it leads to
- Job 27:16–17
Though he heaps up silver like dust and piles up a wardrobe like clay,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 28:8
He who increases his wealth by interest and usury lays it up for one who is kind to the poor.
- Psalms 37:25
I once was young and now am old, yet never have I seen the righteous abandoned or their children begging for bread.
- Psalms 112:2
His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
- Genesis 17:7–8
I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
- Job 27:16–17
Through
John 16:24Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
it leads to
- Matthew 7:7–8
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
- James 4:2–3
You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.
- John 15:11
I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
- Matthew 7:7–8
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
On this verse
On this chapter
About Ecclesiastes
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bonaventure, Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 2; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Ecclesiastes; Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ecclesiastes; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.