Ecclesiastes 2:15 kjv
Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 2:15 nkjv
So I said in my heart, "As it happens to the fool, It also happens to me, And why was I then more wise?" Then I said in my heart, "This also is vanity."
Ecclesiastes 2:15 niv
Then I said to myself, "The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?" I said to myself, "This too is meaningless."
Ecclesiastes 2:15 esv
Then I said in my heart, "What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?" And I said in my heart that this also is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 2:15 nlt
Both will die. So I said to myself, "Since I will end up the same as the fool, what's the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!"
Ecclesiastes 2 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Psa 49:10 | "For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the senseless perish together..." | Directly echoes the theme of wise and foolish sharing the same fate of death. |
| Eccl 9:2 | "All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad...The same destiny overtakes all." | Reaffirms the universality of death regardless of moral standing. |
| Gen 3:19 | "By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." | The pronouncement of universal mortality upon humanity after the Fall. |
| Job 14:1-2 | "Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble...He flees like a shadow and does not continue." | Highlights the brevity and fleeting nature of human life. |
| Psa 39:5-6 | "Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths...Surely every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Surely every man walks about like a mere phantom..." | Reflects on the transient nature of life and humanity's inherent futility without God. |
| Jas 4:14 | "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." | Uses "vapor" (similar to 'hebel') to describe the brevity of human existence. |
| Heb 9:27 | "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment..." | Confirms the inevitability of death for all humanity. |
| 1 Cor 1:19-20 | "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise...Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" | Points to the limitation and ultimate foolishness of human wisdom apart from God. |
| Eccl 1:2 | "Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity." | The recurring theme and book's overarching declaration of 'hebel'. |
| Eccl 2:14 | "The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them." | The immediate preceding verse setting up the despair of verse 15. |
| Isa 40:6-8 | "All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field...The grass withers, the flower fades..." | Emphasizes the transient and mortal nature of all humanity. |
| 1 Pet 1:24 | "For 'All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass; The grass withers, And the flower falls off...'" | Echoes Isaiah, reinforcing the short-lived nature of human glory and life. |
| Psa 144:4 | "Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow." | Uses imagery of breath and shadow to depict human fleetingness. |
| Eccl 7:2 | "It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all mankind..." | Acknowledges death as the universal end for everyone. |
| Job 21:30-32 | "For the wicked is reserved for the day of destruction...And carried to the graves, and remain in the tomb." | Even the wicked eventually face the same physical end as others. |
| Luke 12:20-21 | "But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'" | Illustrates how earthly wisdom and wealth do not prevent sudden death. |
| Psa 73:2-3 | "But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled...for I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." | Expresses the psalmist's struggle with perceived injustice regarding the wicked's fate. |
| Rom 5:12 | "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—" | Explains the origin and universality of death for all humanity through sin. |
| Eccl 3:19-20 | "For what happens to the children of man and what happens to beasts is the same...All are from the dust, and to dust all return." | Draws a stark comparison between human and animal mortality. |
| Psa 49:12 | "But man, in his pomp, will not endure; he is like the beasts that perish." | Links the high and lowly, stating all return to dust. |
| Prov 24:30-34 | "I passed by the field of a sluggard...it was all overgrown with thorns...A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—and poverty will come..." | Contrast earthly results of wisdom/diligence with death's ultimate equalizer. |
| John 11:25-26 | "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live..." | The ultimate answer to the dilemma of death's universality: Christ's triumph. |
Ecclesiastes 2 verses
Ecclesiastes 2 15 Meaning
Ecclesiastes 2:15 expresses the Preacher's profound realization and despair after extensively testing various life pursuits, including wisdom. He observes that despite his efforts to gain wisdom, his ultimate fate is identical to that of a fool – death. This leveling effect of mortality leads him to question the inherent advantage or value of wisdom in the grand scheme of life, concluding that this universal outcome, where even wisdom cannot escape death, renders much of life's endeavor as mere "vanity" or futile. It underscores the Preacher's wrestling with the seemingly meaningless cycle of human existence from a purely earthly perspective.
Ecclesiastes 2 15 Context
Ecclesiastes chapter 2 describes the Preacher's ambitious pursuit of meaning through various earthly endeavors. Having previously established "vanity" as the overarching theme (Eccl 1:2), he embarks on an "experiment" (Eccl 1:13) to see if true satisfaction could be found in pleasure, laughter, wealth, great projects, and the accumulation of wisdom itself. After immersing himself in all forms of self-gratification and diligent work, he systematically concludes that these pursuits also are "vanity" (Eccl 2:11). Verses 12-16 specifically deal with the perceived advantage of wisdom over folly. While the Preacher acknowledges that "wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness" (Eccl 2:13), he then encounters a sobering reality: both the wise person and the fool ultimately share the same fate of death. Verse 15 is a pivotal moment in his reflection, marking a low point where the seeming advantage of wisdom is eclipsed by the universal decree of mortality, driving him further into his existential crisis about the futility of human striving under the sun. This perspective arises from an observation that remains strictly "under the sun," devoid of divine revelation about an afterlife or eternal purpose until much later in the book.
Ecclesiastes 2 15 Word analysis
- Then: Indicates a progression of thought or a new phase in the Preacher's reflection, following his comparative analysis of wisdom and folly in the preceding verses.
- I said in my heart: This phrase (Hebrew: amar b'libbi) signifies deep internal deliberation, a personal reflection, or a conclusion drawn after intense thought and experience. It's not a spoken word but a conviction settled within.
- As it happens: The Hebrew word is miqreh (מִקְרֶה), meaning "occurrence," "accident," "event," or "fate." It often implies something that "falls upon" or "befalls" someone, without necessarily implying a pre-ordained divine plan for that specific event, but rather a common, shared, and inescapable outcome. It suggests a random or indiscriminate nature from a human perspective.
- to the fool: The Hebrew word for "fool" here is 'ĕwîl (אֱוִיל), distinct from other terms for folly. An 'ĕwîl is typically someone dull, senseless, and morally obstinate, who consistently acts foolishly out of a deep-seated lack of understanding or respect for wisdom and righteousness. They disregard instruction and pursue self-destructive paths.
- so it happens to me!: A blunt and painful admission, directly equating his own ultimate destiny with that of the most despised figure in wisdom literature. This underscores the leveling effect of mortality that transcends all distinctions of wisdom or folly.
- And why was I then more wise?: This is a rhetorical question born of frustration and disillusionment. If wisdom's ultimate outcome is the same as folly's (death), then what true, lasting benefit did it confer? It questions the ultimate profit (יתרון, yitron, a key term in Ecclesiastes meaning 'advantage' or 'profit') of wisdom from a mortal perspective.
- Then I said in my heart: A repetition emphasizing the firm, renewed conviction derived from this harsh realization. This is a recurring thought process for the Preacher, constantly re-evaluating his findings.
- that this also is vanity: The ubiquitous word hebel (הֶבֶל), meaning "vapor," "breath," "futility," "meaninglessness," or "absurdity." Here, it explicitly applies the overarching theme of the book to the futility of wisdom itself when faced with the universal equalizer of death.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "As it happens to the fool, so it happens to me!": This phrase is the core of the Preacher's despair. It highlights the brutal reality of death as the great equalizer. No matter how much one strives for wisdom, achievement, or pleasure, all humanity shares the same physical end as the ignorant and undisciplined. This thought undermines the very foundation of the wisdom tradition that suggests distinct outcomes for wise and foolish living.
- "And why was I then more wise?": This follows naturally from the previous statement. If the ultimate destination is the same, then what enduring advantage does wisdom provide? It implies a loss of confidence in the inherent value of earthly wisdom when confronting mortality. The striving for wisdom, while providing practical advantages in life (as stated in v.14), does not escape the common decree of death, making the effort seem pointless in the ultimate sense.
- "Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity.": This serves as a concluding lament for the segment, extending the pervasive theme of "vanity" not only to pleasure, wealth, and labor but also to wisdom itself when viewed from the perspective of death's universality. It indicates that from an "under the sun" (secular, earth-bound) viewpoint, even the pursuit and acquisition of wisdom is ultimately unfulfilling because it cannot conquer death or provide lasting meaning beyond it.
Ecclesiastes 2 15 Bonus section
The Preacher's journey in Ecclesiastes can be seen as a dialectical exploration, moving from thesis to antithesis before finally arriving at a synthesis. Ecclesiastes 2:15 represents a critical point in the antithesis phase. He previously affirmed wisdom's earthly utility, but now, he confronts its severe limitations in the face of death. This intense despair is necessary for the Preacher to fully exhaust human reasoning and worldly pursuits before turning to God as the sole source of ultimate meaning. His "in my heart" reflection highlights an intellectual honesty, where he dares to question even widely held beliefs about wisdom's intrinsic superiority when faced with uncomfortable truths. This verse, therefore, serves as a crucial theological turning point, showing the reader that a purely immanent, "under the sun" perspective inevitably leads to profound pessimism and meaninglessness, thus necessitating a transcendent framework for genuine life purpose.
Ecclesiastes 2 15 Commentary
Ecclesiastes 2:15 captures the Preacher's existential angst at its height. After concluding his vast personal experiment with every human endeavor, he confronts the stark truth about the limits of human wisdom. While acknowledging wisdom's practical superiority over folly in daily life (as mentioned in Eccl 2:13), the ultimate shared fate with the fool – death – shatters his sense of its ultimate advantage. This revelation, that wisdom does not exempt one from mortality, leads him to categorize even the pursuit of wisdom as hebel, a transient vapor or a futile endeavor, when seen in isolation from a divine, eternal perspective. This is a raw, honest observation that human intellect and striving, however refined, are utterly incapable of transcending the universal decree of death. The verse doesn't negate the immediate benefits of wisdom, but exposes its final impotence to provide ultimate salvation or eternal meaning, setting the stage for the book's later journey towards finding true significance in fearing God and keeping His commandments.