Ecclesiastes 2:20 kjv
Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 2:20 nkjv
Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 2:20 niv
So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 2:20 esv
So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun,
Ecclesiastes 2:20 nlt
So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world.
Ecclesiastes 2 20 Cross References
Verse | Text | Reference |
---|---|---|
Eccl 1:2-3 | "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher; "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun? | Introduction to the pervasive theme of vanity and futility of earthly labor. |
Eccl 1:14 | I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind. | Echoes the feeling of grasping for what cannot be held or satisfies. |
Eccl 2:11 | Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun. | Direct precursor, summarizing his empirical findings about his own toil. |
Eccl 2:18-19 | Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me... And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? | Immediate context, explaining the cause of his despair concerning his legacy. |
Eccl 4:4 | Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. | Further reasons for the frustration and emptiness of toil. |
Eccl 5:10-11 | He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver... This also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them. So what advantage has their owner...? | Dissatisfaction with accumulation of wealth, directly linking to vain labor. |
Eccl 6:2 | A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor... Yet God does not give him power to eat from it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity... | God's sovereignty over the fruits of labor, intensifying futility. |
Isa 55:2 | Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good... | Compares unsatisfying worldly efforts to seeking spiritual nourishment. |
Ps 39:6 | Surely every man walks about like a phantom; Surely they make an uproar in vain; He heaps up riches and does not know who will gather them. | Highlights the absurdity of labor for unknown heirs, mirroring Eccl 2:18-19. |
Prov 23:5 | Will you set your eyes on those who are not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven. | The transient nature of wealth makes the toil for it futile. |
Lk 12:19-20 | And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry." But God said to him, "Fool! This night your soul will be required..." | Parable of the rich fool, demonstrating the ultimate vanity of earthly hoarding. |
1 Tim 6:7 | For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. | Fundamental truth rendering the toil for earthly possessions ultimately meaningless. |
Jas 4:14 | For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. | Emphasizes the brevity of life, making long-term earthly plans feel futile. |
1 Pet 1:24-25 | For "All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the Lord endures forever." | Contrasts fleeting human glory (from toil) with eternal divine truth. |
Ps 73:13 | Surely in vain I have cleansed my heart And washed my hands in innocence. | The Psalmist also feels the despair of apparently futile efforts, until a divine perspective. |
Job 7:6-7 | My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, And are spent without hope. Oh, remember that my life is a breath... | Expresses a deep sense of despair regarding the shortness and lack of lasting purpose in life. |
Job 21:17-21 | How often is the lamp of the wicked put out?... What care they have for their houses after them, when the number of their months is cut off? | The transience of the wicked's prosperity and their inability to control future legacy. |
Phil 4:6-7 | Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. | A contrast, highlighting peace found in trusting God instead of despair from toil. |
Col 3:1-2 | If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. | Prescribes a focus that removes the despair from earthly pursuits by seeking heavenly ones. |
Ps 16:11 | You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. | Contrasts the fleeting pleasures of toil with lasting joy found in God. |
Eccl 2:24 | Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. | A theological shift in Ecclesiastes, indicating that even enjoyment of toil is a divine gift. |
Ecclesiastes 2 verses
Ecclesiastes 2 20 Meaning
The Preacher, having exhausted all forms of worldly pursuits—from pleasure to profound wisdom and immense toil—concludes with profound despair. This verse expresses his bitter realization that all his diligent labor and achievements under the sun lead to a crushing sense of futility, particularly because he cannot control its destiny after he is gone, and there is no guarantee of lasting benefit. His heart turns from optimism to resignation, overwhelmed by the transient and unsatisfying nature of human effort separated from eternal purpose.
Ecclesiastes 2 20 Context
Ecclesiastes 2 chronicles the Preacher's exhaustive empirical search for ultimate meaning and satisfaction in human pursuits apart from God. Having explored the futility of detached wisdom (Eccl 1), he embarks on an experiment with pleasure, laughter, wine, extravagant projects (gardens, palaces, vast possessions, servants), and even greater wisdom. He experiences the pinnacle of human achievement and enjoyment possible "under the sun," yet consistently finds it to be "vanity and striving after wind." Ecclesiastes 2:18-19 specifically details his despair regarding his labor and accumulated wealth, recognizing he must leave it to an unknown successor who might be a fool. This personal anguish over the uncontrollable destiny of his life's work culminates in verse 20, leading him to a profound internal shift—despair—over all the toil he had undertaken. This marks a low point in his "under the sun" perspective, cementing the conclusion that earthly efforts yield no lasting satisfaction. Historically, this perspective challenged ancient Near Eastern emphasis on dynastic succession and enduring legacies.
Ecclesiastes 2 20 Word analysis
- Therefore (וּפָנִיתִי - uphaniyti): This conjunctive prefix "u" (וּ) signifies "and" or "then," serving as a logical conclusion to the preceding statements. Paniti is from the verb פָּנָה (panah), meaning "to turn, turn about, turn oneself, face." The suffix indicates first-person singular perfect tense. Here, it denotes a significant change in mental or emotional orientation, a turning point in the Preacher's internal state directly consequent to his prior observations (Eccl 2:18-19).
- I turned about (פָּנִיתִי - paniti): As above, this signifies a mental reorientation, a shift in his internal gaze from hopeful endeavor to bitter realization. It's not a physical turn, but a change of focus and disposition in his soul.
- to cause my heart to despair (לְיַאֵשׁ אֶת־לִבִּי - l'ya'esh et-libbi):
- לְיַאֵשׁ (l'ya'esh): This is the Piel infinitive construct of יָאַשׁ (ya'ash), meaning "to despair, be hopeless, give up hope." The Piel stem intensifies the action, implying a complete or utter despair. The preposition "לְ" (l- ) indicates purpose: "to cause to despair" or "that my heart might despair."
- אֶת־לִבִּי (et-libbi): "My heart." In Hebrew thought, the heart (לֵב lev/leb) is not just the seat of emotion, but also the intellect, will, and conscience. Thus, despair entered his whole inner being—his thoughts, emotions, and determination were affected. It indicates a profound and encompassing emotional state, deeply impacting his rational processing.
- concerning all the toil (עַל כָּל־עֲמָלִי - al kol-amali):
- עַל (al): "Concerning, about, over."
- כָּל (kol): "All, every, whole." This signifies the totality and comprehensiveness of his efforts, leaving nothing out.
- עֲמָלִי (amali): "My toil/labor/trouble." From עָמָל (amal), a crucial word in Ecclesiastes, occurring 23 times. It encompasses burdensome labor, wearisome effort, affliction, pain, and trouble associated with human work. It is not just the physical act of working but the fruitless outcome and emotional burden it entails. The suffix "-i" (ִי) indicates "my."
- of my labor in which I had toiled (שֶׁעָמַלְתִּי אֲשֶׁר עָמַלְתִּי - she'amalti asher amalti):
- The repetition of the root עָמַל (amal) here emphasizes the extent and intensity of the labor involved. It reiterates "that I had toiled, in which I had toiled." This reflects the burdensome, relentless nature of his efforts.
- אֲשֶׁר (asher): A relative pronoun, "which, that, whom."
- under the sun (תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ - tachath hashamesh): A ubiquitous phrase in Ecclesiastes, appearing 29 times. It refers to human existence and observation from a strictly earthly perspective, without reference to God or eternity. This frame implies limitations—knowledge limited to earthly experience, subject to human frailty, impermanence, and randomness, devoid of ultimate divine meaning.
Words-group analysis:
- "Therefore I turned about to cause my heart to despair": This phrase marks a dramatic shift. It's an active decision of his inner being to embrace a state of hopelessness, rather than a passive experience. This highlights the profundity of his conviction born out of experience. His heart, the center of his being, yielded to despair, indicating a deep, existential crisis regarding purpose.
- "concerning all the toil of my labor in which I had toiled under the sun": This elongated phrase meticulously details the object of his despair. The repetition of "toil/labor" emphasizes the sheer amount and strenuous nature of his work. The phrase "under the sun" then provides the crucial philosophical context—the futility is inherent in a life viewed solely from an earthly perspective, where effort has no ultimate, enduring value or security beyond human control.
Ecclesiastes 2 20 Bonus section
The despair expressed by Qoheleth is a pivotal point in the book's theological development. It is a necessary stage to reach before genuine, God-given joy can be truly appreciated (e.g., Eccl 2:24-26, 3:12-13, 5:18-20). The author, having thoroughly demonstrated the dead-end nature of worldly pursuits, leads the reader through this deep, existential frustration to prepare them for the later call to fear God and keep His commandments (Eccl 12:13-14). This despair is therefore not the ultimate message of the book, but a powerful part of its argument, exposing the inherent insufficiency of life without divine purpose. It functions as a polemic against ancient ideologies that sought to establish meaning and immortality through grand human enterprises.
Ecclesiastes 2 20 Commentary
Ecclesiastes 2:20 captures the Preacher's devastating conclusion about human achievement when evaluated apart from a transcendent perspective. After testing the limits of wisdom, pleasure, and industrious toil, he confronts the stark reality that all human efforts, however grand or successful, are fundamentally vulnerable to randomness, transience, and the uncertainty of future generations. The deep personal despair ('my heart to despair') indicates not merely intellectual recognition but profound emotional disillusionment. This is the heart of the "vanity" theme—the realization that there is no lasting profit or inherent value in earthly accomplishments. The emphasis on "all the toil... under the sun" stresses that even maximal effort within a worldly framework ultimately results in a profound emptiness. This verse sets the stage for a spiritual search beyond the empirical, implying that true contentment and purpose cannot be found within the finite bounds of "under the sun" existence, pointing toward the necessity of an eternal, God-centered perspective to escape this despair.