Ecclesiastes 2:22

Ecclesiastes 2:22 Meaning and Explanation

For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?

King James Version (KJV)

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The Preacher asks what a person finally gains from all the toil and anxiety of life.

What Does Ecclesiastes 2:22 Mean?

The argument condenses into a piercing question: what does a person actually keep from all the labor and heart-strain spent under the sun? Stated this way, the expected answer is sobering, for the grave receives the worker and the wages stay behind.

Yet the very form of the question opens a door. If the answer is nothing under the sun, then the heart is pressed to ask what may be gained beyond it. Scripture replies that labor offered to God is never empty, for in Him our toil is not in vain. The question that sounds like despair becomes an invitation to work for what truly lasts.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ecclesiastes 2:22

What does Ecclesiastes 2:22 mean?

The Preacher asks what a person finally gains from all the toil and anxiety of life.

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