Charles Ellicott Commentary Ecclesiastes 1

The words.— The Book of Nehemiah begins similarly; so do the prophecies of Jeremiah and Amos, and of Agur and Lemuel (Proverbs 30:31).

The Preacher.— Rather, convener (see Introduction). This word (Kohéleth) occurs in this book, Ecclesiastes 1:1–2; Ecclesiastes 1:12; Ecclesiastes 7:27, where, according to our present text, it is joined with a feminine, being elsewhere used with a masculine; and Ecclesiastes 12:8-10, having the article in the first of these passages, and there only, being elsewhere used as a proper name.

Vanity of vanities. This verse strikes the keynote of the whole work. In using this expression, we mean to indicate the opinion that the unity of the book is that of a musical composition rather than a philosophical treatise. A leading theme is presented and followed for a time. Episodes are introduced, perhaps not logically connected with the original subject, but they are treated in harmony with it, leading back to the original theme, which is never lost sight of, and with which the composition concludes (Ecclesiastes 12:8).

The word translated “vanity” occurs thirty-seven times in this book and only thirty-three times in all the rest of the Old Testament. In its primary meaning, it denotes breath or vapor and is translated this way in some of the Greek versions ; this is also the case in Isaiah 57:13. It is the same word as the proper name Abel (see Note on Genesis 4:2).

This word is frequently applied in Scripture to the follies of heathenism (Jeremiah 14:22 and other passages) and also to the entire state of humanity (Psalms 39:5–6; Psalms 62:9; Psalms 144:4). The translation “vanity” is that of the Septuagint. We may reasonably believe that Saint Paul (Romans 8:20) had this keynote of Ecclesiastes in his mind.

“Vanity of vanities” is a common Hebrew superlative, as in the phrases “Heaven of heavens,” “Song of songs,” “Holy of holies,” and “Lamentation of lamentations” (Micah 2:4, margin).

Saith the Preacher. Hebrew, said. The Hebrew constantly employs the preterite when English usage requires the present or perfect. In the case of a message, the point of time contemplated in Hebrew is that of the giving, not the delivery, of the message.

Thus, “Thus said Benhadad,” and “Thus said the Lord” (1 Kings 20:2, 1 Kings 20:5, 1 Kings 20:13, and elsewhere) are rightly translated with the present tense in our version. In the present case, this formula is one that might conceivably be employed if the words of Kohéleth were written down by himself; yet it certainly rather suggests that we have these words here as written down by another.

What profit.— The Hebrew word occurs ten times in this book (Ecclesiastes 2:11; Ecclesiastes 2:13; Ecclesiastes 3:9; Ecclesiastes 5:9; Ecclesiastes 5:16; Ecclesiastes 7:12; Ecclesiastes 10:10–11) and nowhere else in the Old Testament, but is common in post-Biblical Hebrew. The frequently recurring phrase “under the sun” is a peculiarity of this book. In other books we have “under heaven.”

Man is perpetually toiling, yet from all his toil, no lasting result remains. The natural world exhibits a spectacle of unceasing activity, with no real progress. The sun, the winds, the waters, are all in motion, yet they merely repeat their course, and nothing comes of it.

Compare to Sirach 14:19.