Matthew Henry Commentary Ecclesiastes 1:1-3

"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 man of all his labor wherein he laboreth under the sun?" — Ecclesiastes 1:1-3 (ASV)

Much is to be learned by comparing one part of Scripture with another. Here we observe Solomon returning from the broken and empty cisterns of the world to the Fountain of living water; recording his own folly and shame, the bitterness of his disappointment, and the lessons he had learned. Those who have taken warning to turn and live should warn others not to go on and die.

He does not merely say all things are vain, but that they are vanity. VANITY OF VANITIES, ALL IS VANITY. This is the text of the preacher's sermon, which he never loses sight of in this book. If this world, in its present state, were all, it would not be worth living for; and the wealth and pleasure of this world, no matter how much we had, are not enough to make us happy.

What profit has a man of all his labour? All he gets by it will not supply the wants of the soul, nor satisfy its desires; will not atone for the sins of the soul, nor prevent its loss: what profit will the wealth of the world be to the soul in death, in judgment, or in the everlasting state?