Ecclesiastes 2:17 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Weighed down by the futility he sees, the Preacher comes to hate life itself.
What Does Ecclesiastes 2:17 Mean?
Having traced his thoughts to their bitter end, the speaker confesses that life itself became hateful to him. The work done under the sun pressed on him as grief, and the whole of it looked like vapor and a chasing after wind. This is the low point of the search.
Scripture does not flinch from recording such despair, and that honesty is itself a gift to the weary reader who has felt it. But this is not where the book leaves us. The very phrase under the sun marks what is missing. When life is measured only by this world it can crush the spirit; lifted to God, who gives meaning the sun never could, even hard labor finds its rest.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ecclesiastes 2:17
What does Ecclesiastes 2:17 mean?
Weighed down by the futility he sees, the Preacher comes to hate life itself.