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Ecclesiastes 1:13

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!

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

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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Commentary

3 voices

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

21 tagged words
OriginalTransliterationMeaningWord study
וְנָתַ֣תִּיve.na.Ta.tiand I gaveH5414 →
אֶת־'et-<obj.>H853 →
לִבִּ֗יli.Biheart myH3820 →
לִדְר֤וֹשׁlid.Ro.oshto studyH1875 →
וְלָתוּר֙ve.la.Turand to discoverH8446 →
בַּֽחָכְמָ֔הba.cha.khe.Mahby <the> wisdomH2451 →
עַ֛ל'alonH5921 →
כָּל־kol-allH3605 →
אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherthatH834 →
נַעֲשָׂ֖הna.'a.Sahit has been doneH6213 →
תַּ֣חַתTa.chatunderH8478 →
הַשָּׁמָ֑יִםha.sha.Ma.yimthe heavensH8064 →
ה֣וּא׀hu'itH1931 →
עִנְיַ֣ן'in.Yan[is] a task ofH6045 →
רָ֗עRa'evilH7451 →
נָתַ֧ןna.Tan[which] he has givenH5414 →
אֱלֹהִ֛ים'E.lo.HimGodH430 →
לִבְנֵ֥יliv.Neito [the] children ofH1121 →
הָאָדָ֖םha.'a.Dam<the> humankindH120 →
לַעֲנ֥וֹתla.'a.Notto be busyH6031 →
בּֽוֹ׃bowith <the> it

The walk

Related verses

18 strongest cross-references

The gold bar shows how strongly the cross-reference sources tie the two verses together: a long bar means many compiled references make the connection, a short one means few.

Ecclesiastes 3:1To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:Ecclesiastes 3:10I have seen the burden that God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them.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.”1 Kings 3:12behold, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has never been nor will ever be another like you.1 Timothy 4:15Be diligent in these matters and absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.Ecclesiastes 8:16–17When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the task that one performs on the earth—though his eyes do not see sleep in the day or even in the night—Psalms 119:45And I will walk in freedom, for I have sought Your precepts.Ecclesiastes 4:8There is a man all alone, without even a son or brother. And though there is no end to his labor, his eyes are still not content with his wealth: “For whom do I toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?” This too is futile—a miserable task.Ecclesiastes 1:17So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.Ecclesiastes 7:25I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness.Ecclesiastes 12:12And by these, my son, be further warned: There is no end to the making of many books, and much study wearies the body.Job 28:3Man puts an end to the darkness; he probes the farthest recesses for ore in deepest darkness.Proverbs 23:26My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes delight in my ways.Proverbs 18:1He who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment.Ecclesiastes 2:23Indeed, all his days are filled with grief, and his task is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.Ecclesiastes 8:9All this I have seen, applying my mind to every deed that is done under the sun; there is a time when one man lords it over another to his own detriment.Psalms 111:2Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.Ecclesiastes 2:26To 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.

Featured studies on this passage

King Solomon in Old Age — Gustave Doré

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Ecclesiastes: the Study Guide

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Still-Life with a Skull (Vanitas) — Philippe de Champaigne

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Vanity Under the Sun — Ecclesiastes

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Gerard van Honthorst, King David Playing the Harp: the shepherd-king whose name stands over nearly half the Psalter (Psalms 3–41 and beyond).

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Walks through Ecclesiastes 1

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About Ecclesiastes

King Solomon in Old Age — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
King Solomon in Old Age — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
Ecclesiastes: the study guide →Read chapter 1 →The featured study →
Continue: Ecclesiastes 1 →