[A] 1:1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.1
[B] 2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
3 What does man gain by all the toil
at which he toils under the sun?
[C] 4 A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises, and the sun goes down,
and hastens to the place where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south
and goes around to the north;
around and around goes the wind,
and on its circuits the wind returns.
7 All streams run to the sea,
but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
there they flow again.
[B’] 8 All things are full of weariness;
a man cannot utter it;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has been already
in the ages before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former things,
nor will there be any remembrance
of later things yet to be
among those who come after.
[A’] 12 I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Q1: From 1: 1, we are told three things about the person who provided the content for this book. What are they?
Q2: From 1: 2-7, a key contrast is being made between two groups of things. What are the two groups of things? How are they different?
Q3: From 1: 8-9, what are some problems with man? There are at least two such problems.
Q4: Do you agree with the Preacher’s conclusion about the plight of man?
Q5: Read Psalm 9. According to the psalmist there are three things which are “forever”, what are they? (vv.5, 7, 18)
Q6: From Psalm 9: 12 and 18, who will remember the poor and the needy?
Q7: Which do you think is truer in your experience: Ecclesiastes 1: 1-12 or Psalm 9? Why?
A1: The material of this book comes from someone wants to play the role of a Preacher, he is a descendant of David and is the king in Jerusalem.
A2: The contrast is being made between man and creation. According to the Preacher, humans come and go while creation remains forever.
A3: All things are full of weariness, in that there is nothing new to be done that hasn’t already been done. There is nothing in the present that has not already happened in the past. Also, there will be no remembrance of the past by people in the future.
A4: [Open question]
A5: The wicked will perish forever (v.5). Israel’s God will sit on His throne and rule forever (v.7). The hope of the poor shall not perish forever (v.18).
A6: The God of Israel will remember the poor and the needy.
A7: [Open question]
- 1: 1-11 is written in the third person. 1: 12ff is written in the first person, indicating a possible structural break in the passage. ↩︎