Key Verse Spotlight
Ecclesiastes 2:21 — Meaning and Application
King James Version
“For there is a man whose labour {is} in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it {for} his portion. This also {is} vanity and a great evil. {leave: Heb. give}”
Ecclesiastes 2:21
Verse in Context
Understanding the surrounding verses prevents misinterpretation:
And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise {man} or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This {is} also vanity.
Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.
For there is a man whose labour {is} in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it {for} his portion. This also {is} vanity and a great evil. {leave: Heb. give}
For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?
For all his days {are} sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.
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