Ecclesiastes 3:9
What does Ecclesiastes 3:9 mean?
A plain-English look at Ecclesiastes 3:9 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Ecclesiastes 3:9 means
After listing the myriad activities with their appointed times, the Preacher poses a critical question: "What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth?" This interrogative serves as a pivot, shifting from the descriptive enumeration of life's cycles to a deeper philosophical inquiry. It questions the ultimate value or gain for humanity despite all their diligent effort and toil within this divinely orchestrated world, introducing the recurring theme of vanity and the search for meaning "under the sun."
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth?
KJV
King James Version · 1611What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth?
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949What profit has the worker in the work which he does?
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862What advantage hath the doer in that which he is labouring at?
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752What hath man more of his labour?
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890What profit hath he that worketh from that wherein he laboureth?
Context
This verse marks a significant transition from the poetic enumeration of life's seasons (verses 1-8) to a more analytical and questioning phase. It moves from describing the *what* of timed events to asking about the *why* and *for what profit* of human labor within that framework. This question sets the stage for the Preacher's subsequent reflections on human toil and God's role, introducing a sense of existential inquiry.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Ecclesiastes 1:3
What profit hath man of all his labor wherein he laboreth under the sun?
- Ecclesiastes 2:11
Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do; and, behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.
- Matthew 16:26
For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? or what shall a man give in exchange for his life?
- Proverbs 14:23
In all labor there is profit; But the talk of the lipstendethonly to penury.
- Ecclesiastes 5:16
And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that he laboreth for the wind?
- Ecclesiastes 2:22
For what hath a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he laboreth under the sun?
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