Ecclesiastes 2 17

Ecclesiastes 2:17 kjv

Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Ecclesiastes 2:17 nkjv

Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Ecclesiastes 2:17 niv

So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Ecclesiastes 2:17 esv

So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 2:17 nlt

So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless ? like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 2 verses

Ecclesiastes 2 17 Meaning

Ecclesiastes 2:17 articulates the Preacher's profound despair and weariness with life, resulting from his exhaustive pursuit of satisfaction in worldly achievements, wealth, and wisdom. He declares his "hatred" of life itself because the labor and efforts undertaken "under the sun" (meaning from a purely human perspective, earthly realm, apart from divine revelation) ultimately proved agonizing and without lasting purpose. The conclusion drawn is that everything is fleeting, nonsensical, and like trying to grasp wind—illusory and insubstantial. This verse marks a significant low point in his empirical investigation, highlighting the perceived futility of all human endeavor when meaning is sought purely within creation.

Ecclesiastes 2 17 Context

Ecclesiastes 2:17 is a pivotal verse within the Preacher’s "experiments" or investigations detailed in chapter 2. Having explored the pursuit of pleasure, accumulated vast wealth, engaged in grand building projects, owned numerous possessions and servants, and applied himself diligently to wisdom and folly, he concludes that none of these endeavors yielded lasting meaning or satisfaction. This verse follows directly from his reflection in verses 11-16, where he contrasts wisdom with folly, yet observes that both the wise and the fool face the same fate: death and eventual forgetfulness. The deep-seated despair expressed in verse 17 is the Preacher's visceral reaction to the inescapable reality of futility ("hevel") inherent in all earthly achievements, irrespective of their scale or quality, when viewed through a purely human lens ("under the sun"). It encapsulates his lowest point of disillusionment, serving as a dramatic summary of the limited hope found in human efforts apart from the transcendent.

Ecclesiastes 2 17 Word analysis

• "So I hated life" (שָׂנֵאתִי אֶת־הַחַיִּים, sane'ti et-hakhayyim): The Hebrew verb sane' (hate) signifies a strong emotional aversion, not necessarily self-loathing or a wish for death, but a deep disgust and profound disillusionment with the human condition and the unrewarding nature of existence "under the sun." It reflects Qoheleth's extreme emotional distress at finding no ultimate, lasting value or purpose in his exhaustive efforts. This 'hatred' is specifically directed at the emptiness and frustration discovered within his life experience.

• "because the work that is done under the sun" (כִּי־רַע עָלַי הַמַּעֲשֶׂה שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ, ki-ra alai hamma'aseh shenna'asah takhat hashamesh):

  • "the work... under the sun" (hamma'aseh takhat hashamesh): This refers to human toil, labor, achievement, and all forms of activity engaged in during one's earthly existence. The phrase "under the sun" is a distinctive hallmark of Ecclesiastes, appearing nearly 30 times, and crucially defines the Preacher's sphere of observation—it’s human life and its activities apart from a direct, explicit understanding of divine purpose or the afterlife.
  • "was grievous to me" (ra alai): The Hebrew word ra here means "evil," "bad," "calamitous," "distressing," or "displeasing." It conveys not just a slight annoyance, but something inherently flawed, burdensome, and morally unsatisfying. The labor, though successful by worldly standards, inflicted a spiritual or existential distress upon the Preacher. It points to a profound negative impact, signaling the severe burden that earthly striving became.

• "for all is vanity" (כִּי־הַכֹּל הֶבֶל, ki-hakkol hevel):

  • Hevel is the foundational concept of Ecclesiastes, often translated as "vanity," "futility," "meaninglessness," or "absurdity." Literally, it means "breath" or "vapor." It suggests something that is fleeting, insubstantial, ephemeral, elusive, and ultimately lacking permanence or ultimate discernible purpose from a purely human perspective. It implies an incongruity or enigma that defies rational explanation and yields no ultimate profit or lasting satisfaction. This is not nihilism (that life has no meaning at all), but rather an empirical observation that meaning cannot be found or created solely within the "under the sun" existence.

• "and a chasing after wind" (וּרְעוּת רוּחַ, u-re'ut ruakh):

  • Re'ut ruakh is another key phrase in Ecclesiastes, commonly translated as "chasing after wind," "striving after wind," or "a vexation of spirit." It metaphorically describes the effort involved in pursuing something intangible, ungraspable, or unobtainable, resulting in frustration and emptiness. It vividly illustrates the Preacher's experience: no matter how much effort was expended, the ultimate outcome was akin to trying to hold the wind—impossible, unproductive, and leaving one with empty hands. It highlights the futile and endless cycle of human striving when ultimate meaning eludes grasp.

Ecclesiastes 2 17 Bonus section

The strong emotional language used in Ecc 2:17, particularly "hated life," demonstrates Qoheleth's methodology. He commits fully to each "experiment" in searching for meaning, allowing himself to experience its fullest potential, and then reports his authentic, unfiltered emotional and intellectual findings. This verse showcases the extreme depths of his experiential journey before he offers a more balanced perspective. It also highlights the intellectual honesty of the Preacher; he doesn't shy away from the harsh, perceived realities of life's transient and often unrewarding nature. His raw declaration serves as a crucial theological setup for the book's eventual, yet much later, conclusion that only a life lived in reverent submission to God can escape this futility. Without acknowledging the preceding despair, the final conclusion of the book (fear God and keep His commandments) would lose much of its impactful contrast and persuasive power. This despair is not the final answer but a necessary step in uncovering the limitations of wisdom and human effort alone.

Ecclesiastes 2 17 Commentary

Ecclesiastes 2:17 represents the pinnacle of the Preacher's disillusioned outlook, expressing a visceral rejection of life as experienced through purely human endeavors. His "hatred" is not self-destructive but a powerful literary device conveying deep despair over the perceived absence of lasting meaning in all that he pursued—wisdom, pleasure, wealth, and labor. He concludes that these efforts, confined to "under the sun," are fundamentally "grievous" because they invariably culminate in hevel, an enigmatic futility. This isn't mere annoyance; it's the anguish of striving for what appears to be an illusion, an attempt to grasp what is as insubstantial and unobtainable as wind. The verse forcefully communicates that when life's value is judged solely by human accomplishment, wealth, or wisdom, without acknowledging a transcendent dimension, the end result is a profound, wearisome emptiness, leading one to abhor the very life that demands such pointless exertion. This deep dives into the human experience of finding no ultimate satisfaction in worldly pursuits, setting the stage for the book's later move toward fearing God as the only true source of meaning.