Ecclesiastes 2:11
“Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Context
The Preacher describes his grand experiment of building houses, vineyards, gardens, and wealth, then weighs whether all that effort delivered the meaning he sought.
What Does Ecclesiastes 2:11 Mean?
After building, planting, and gathering everything a person could want, the Preacher steps back to assess it all and finds no lasting gain in any of it. He had thrown himself into projects and pleasures, holding back nothing his eyes desired. Yet when he tallies the final account, the column of profit reads zero -- "no profit under the sun." The achievements were real, but they could not deliver the deep satisfaction he had hoped they would carry.
"Vexation of spirit" pictures chasing the wind: you run hard, you reach out, and your hand closes on nothing. The lesson is not that work is bad -- the Preacher will soon commend honest labor as a gift -- but that work makes a crushing master and a poor god. When accomplishment becomes the thing we live for, it leaves us restless, because no amount is ever enough. Read in light of the whole book, this honest reckoning frees us to labor with gladness while resting our ultimate hope on the One who gives the labor its worth.
In the Original Language
The phrase reut ruach (רְעוּת רוּחַ), "vexation of spirit," can also be rendered "chasing after wind," a vivid image of effort that grasps nothing.
Cross References
“Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.”
- Ecclesiastes 1:2
“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
- Matthew 16:26
“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”
- Psalm 127:1
Application
Pour yourself into good work, but refuse to let your achievements become the measure of your soul's worth or your only source of joy.