Ecclesiastes 2:18 BSB

Ecclesiastes 2:18

I hated all for which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

And I hated all my labor wherein I labored under the sun, seeing that I must leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

KJV

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.

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Commentary

4 voices

Athanasius of Alexandria

296–373

Life of St. Anthony 17 (373)

If the whole earth is not worth the kingdom of heaven, surely he who has left a few fields leaves nothing, as it were; even if he has given up a house or much gold, he ought not to boast nor grow weary. Moreover, we should consider that if we do not relinquish these things for virtue's sake, we leave them behind later when we die and often, as Ecclesiastes reminds us, to those to whom we do not wish to leave them.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763)

Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun,.... The great works he made, the houses he built; the vineyards, gardens, and orchards he planted, &c. what he got by his labour, his riches and wealth; and what he also got, not by the labour of his hands, but of his mind. Some understand this of the books he wrote; which were a weariness to his body, and fatigue to his mind; and which he might fear some persons would make an ill use of: Aben Ezra interprets it of his labour in this book.

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

There is business above the sun, perpetual business, which is perpetual blessedness; what we do in conformity to that business (doing God's will as it is done in heaven ) and in pursuance of that blessedness, will turn to a good account; we shall have no reason to hate that labour, nor to despair of it.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

I hated all my labor - Because, 1. It has not answered the end for which it was instituted. 2. I can enjoy the fruits of it but a short time. 3. I must leave it to others, and know not whether a wise man, a knave, or a fool will possess it.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

13 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
וְשָׂנֵ֤אתִֽי	ve.sa.Ne.ti	and I hated	H8130 →
אֲנִי֙	'a.Ni	I	H589 →
אֶת־	'et-	<obj.>	H853 →
כָּל־	kol-	all	H3605 →
עֲמָלִ֔י	'a.ma.Li	toil my	H5999 →
שֶׁאֲנִ֥י	she.'a.Ni	that I	H589 →
עָמֵ֖ל	'a.Mel	[was] a laborer	H6001 →
תַּ֣חַת	Ta.chat	under	H8478 →
הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ	ha.Sha.mesh	the sun	H8121 →
שֶׁ֣אַנִּיחֶ֔נּוּ	she.'an.ni.Che.nu	that I will leave it	H5117 →
לָאָדָ֖ם	la.'a.Dam	to the person	H120 →
שֶׁיִּהְיֶ֥ה	shei.yih.Yeh	who <he> will be	H1961 →
אַחֲרָֽי׃	'a.cha.Rai	after me	H310 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Ecclesiastes 9:9
Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of the fleeting life that God has given you under the sun—all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in life and in your…
leads to
- Ecclesiastes 2:10
  Anything my eyes desired, I did not deny myself. I refused my heart no pleasure. For my heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Proverbs 5:18–19
  May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth:
Through
Ecclesiastes 5:18
Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in all the labor one does under the sun during the few days of life…
leads to
- Ecclesiastes 2:24
  Nothing is better for a man than to eat and drink and enjoy his work. I have also seen that this is from the hand of God.
- Ecclesiastes 3:12–13
  I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and do good while they live,
- Ecclesiastes 3:22
  I have seen that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will come after him?
- Ecclesiastes 9:7
  Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works:
Through
Psalms 39:6
Surely every man goes about like a phantom; surely he bustles in vain; he heaps up riches not knowing who will haul them away.
leads to
- Luke 12:20–21
  But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’
Through
Psalms 49:10
For it is clear that wise men die, and the foolish and the senseless both perish and leave their wealth to others.
leads to
- Psalms 39:6
  Surely every man goes about like a phantom; surely he bustles in vain; he heaps up riches not knowing who will haul them away.

Featured studies on this passage

Walks through Ecclesiastes 2

Ecclesiastes: the Study Guide

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Walks through Ecclesiastes 2

Vanity Under the Sun — Ecclesiastes

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About Ecclesiastes

King Solomon in Old Age — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

Ecclesiastes: the study guide →Read chapter 2 →The featured study →

Continue: Ecclesiastes 2 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Ecclesiastes

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Ecclesiastes