Seeking Answers
A Study in Ecclesiastes
Lesson 11, January 8, 2012
Seeking Purpose…Finding Futility
Part 1: Vanity of Vanities, Is All Vanity?
Today’s Scripture
Ecclesiastes 1: 1-6
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth
for ever.
The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about
continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
Today’s Scripture
Ecclesiastes 1:7-11
All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the
rivers come, thither they return again.
All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor
the ear filled with hearing.
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which
shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old
time, which was before us.
There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of
things that are to come with those that shall come after.
Thought for Today
Human life is everywhere a state in which much
is to be endured, and little to be enjoyed.
-- Samuel Johnson (1759)
The ultimate result of shielding men from the
effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.
-- Herbert
Spencer,
-- ??????
English Philosopher (1820-1903))
"Solomon has put the key to Ecclesiastes right at the front
door: 'Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of
vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his
labor which he taketh under the sun?' (1:2-3). Just in case
we missed it, he put the same key at the back door
(12:8).“
Thomas Constable, Notes on Ecclesiastes, 2010
To understand the message of Ecclesiastes,
we must consider:
 The meaning and usage of the English
word “vanity” which was translated from
the Hebrew word “hebel”
“ ... [the Holy Spirit] deliberately chose a word [the
Hebrew word ‘hebel’] with a calculated ambiguity; [the
Holy Spirit through Solomon] skillfully employed it in a
variety of contexts so that several associated meanings
could be communicated without the use of synonyms ...
For [Solomon] ‘hebel’ is a neutral term expressing
brilliantly in its figurative nuances, the limitations of
human activity and human wisdom”
-- R. Cover, “Vanity in Ecclesiastes,”
Th. M Thesis, Dallas Theological Seminary,
1978, p.76.
Synonym
Verses
Subject
Antonym
profitless
2:1; 2:15
pleasure or
wisdom
profitable
perplexing or
enigmatic
6:2; 8:10; 8:14
observations
“under the sun”
contradict
established moral
order
solution or
solvable
transient or
fleeting
11:10; 6:12; 7:6;
9:9; 3:19
man’s life
permanent
futile
1:2; 12:8; 2:19, 21,
23; 7:6
events under the
sun, laughter of
fools, and leaving
an estate to heirs
fruitful
unknown or
obscure
6:1-4; 11:8
to a stillborn child
or to death
well-known
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
absurd/absurdity
anxious
breath-like
empty/emptiness
enigmatic
ephemeral
fleeting
foolishness/folly
frailty
fruitless
futile
impermanent
insignificant
intransigent
joyless
limited
meaningless/meaninglessness
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
nothingness
obscure
paradox
perplexing
pointless
profitless
substance-less
transient
transitory
unbeneficial
unfulfilling
unknown
unsatisfying
uselessness
valueless
vapor
worthless/worthlessness
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
abiding
accomplished/accomplishment
advantage (“that which matters"; "that which counts“)
beneficial
fulfilling
gain
good (more recently "point“)
joy
known
meaningful
permanent
profit/profitable (Hebrew word for profit = "left over“)
satisfying
significant
strength
substance
tranquil
useful
valuable
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Matthew 6:7
Matthew 16:26-27
Mark 7:7
Luke 12:15-28
John 3:8
Acts 4:25
Romans 1:21
Romans 8:20
1 Corinthians 1:20-21
1 Corinthians 3:20
Ephesians 4:17
Ephesians 5:6
1 Timothy 1:6
1 Timothy 6:20
2 Timothy 2:16
Titus 1:10
Titus 3:9
James 1:26
1 Peter 1:18
2 Peter 2:18
To understand the message of Ecclesiastes,
we must consider:
 The meaning and usage of the English
word “vanity” which was translated from
the Hebrew word “hebel”
 The meaning and usage of the word “All”
“It must be emphasized that [Solomon] nowhere uses ‘hebel’
pejoratively or with morally negative connotations.”
-- R. Cover, “Vanity in Ecclesiastes,”
Th. M Thesis, Dallas Theological Seminary,
1978, p.76.
“All” in “All is vanity…” does not mean
everything in the Universe:

Solomon’s observations and conclusions are limited in
their scope to “under the sun”

Solomon’s seemingly negative conclusions always grow
out of observations of the senses (“I saw…”, “I have seen”,
etc)

Solomon never speaks of God, God’s work, God’s
revelation, or man as God’s creature as being “vanity”

Solomon commends some things as having merit in life
“under the sun” such as the fear of God, enjoyment of life,
and proper use of wisdom