Ecclesiastes 1:3 Meaning and Explanation
“What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The Preacher asks what lasting gain a person truly keeps from all the toil of a lifetime.
What Does Ecclesiastes 1:3 Mean?
Having named his theme, the Preacher poses the question that drives the book: what does a person finally carry away from all the effort spent 'under the sun'? The phrase 'under the sun' frames life as it appears within this world alone, apart from what lies beyond it.
It is a merchant's question, weighing labor against return. Work fills our days, yet at the end the ledger seems to balance to nothing we can hold. The verse does not condemn labor; it exposes the limits of treating work as the source of meaning. It quietly turns the heart upward, toward a reward that toil 'under the sun' was never able to supply.
Ecclesiastes 1:3 in the Original Language
yithron (יִתְרוֹן), 'profit' -- a surplus or net gain left over, the kind of advantage a merchant counts after all costs.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ecclesiastes 1:3
What does Ecclesiastes 1:3 mean?
The Preacher asks what lasting gain a person truly keeps from all the toil of a lifetime.