The Bible, King James version, Book 21: Ecclesiastes — Edition Insights

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Authors: Anonymous Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2005 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Bible. Ecclesiastes Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 8,714

Reading time 38 min

Text sections 2

The source record for The Bible, King James version, Book 21: Ecclesiastes — Edition Insights measures this digital text at 8,714 words, 38 min estimated reading time, and 2 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 26.0 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Bible. Ecclesiastes,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #8021

This editorial note examines the King James Version of Ecclesiastes, focusing on the Preacher's rhetorical use of repetition, the cyclical structure of nature imagery, and the tension between wisdom and futility in the text's diction.

Editorial Edition Score 4.5/5

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Edition quality

File: pg8021

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This eBook was produced by David Widger with the help of Derek Andrew's text from January 1992 and the work of Bryan Taylor in November 2002.

21:001:001 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

21:001:002 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

21:001:003 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

21:001:004 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

21:001:005 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.

21:001:006 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.

21:001:007 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.

21:001:008 All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

21:001:009 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.

21:001:010 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

21:001:011 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.

21:001:012 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

21:001:013 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

21:001:014 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

21:001:015 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

21:001:016 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

21:001:017 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

21:001:018 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

21:002:001 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.

21:002:002 I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?

21:002:003 I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.

21:002:004 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:

21:002:005 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:

21:002:006 I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:

21:002:007 I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:

21:002:008 I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.

21:002:009 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.

21:002:010 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.

21:002:011 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

21:002:012 And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.

21:002:013 Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.

21:002:014 The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.

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The voice that opens Ecclesiastes is immediately distinctive: the Preacher, identifying himself as "the son of David, king in Jerusalem," announces his theme with a doubled phrase—"Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; vanity of vanities; all is vanity." This repetition is not mere emphasis; it establishes a rhythmic pattern that recurs throughout the book, as the Preacher circles back to key observations about labor, time, and human limitation. The King James translation preserves a formal, almost incantatory quality, with parallel clauses and balanced phrasing that give the prose a measured, deliberative feel.

Repetition as Rhetorical Strategy

The Preacher's use of repetition goes beyond the famous opening. Phrases such as "under the sun" appear over twenty times in the book, creating a refrain that anchors every observation to the earthly realm. The structure of whole passages often mirrors this pattern: a claim is stated, then restated with slight variation. For instance, in chapter 1, the cycles of nature—the sun rising and setting, the wind circling, rivers flowing to the sea—are each described in a series of parallel sentences. This repetition does not advance an argument so much as it enforces a mood of relentless recurrence. The effect is cumulative: the reader is drawn into the Preacher's sense of futility through the very form of the prose.

Cyclical Imagery and the Natural World

Ecclesiastes draws heavily on natural cycles to illustrate its central theme. The sun "hasteth to his place where he arose"; the wind "whirleth about continually" and returns "according to his circuits"; all rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is never full. These images are not merely decorative—they serve as analogies for human labor and desire. The Preacher observes that "the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing," linking the insatiability of perception to the endless motion of the natural world. The choice of cyclical rather than linear imagery reinforces the idea that nothing truly progresses; everything returns to its starting point, and human effort is caught in the same loop.

The Diction of Wisdom and Its Limits

The Preacher's language around wisdom is notably ambivalent. He claims to have "gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me," yet immediately undercuts this boast: "in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow." The word "vexation" (Hebrew hebel, often translated as "vanity") recurs throughout, paired with "spirit" to form a phrase that suggests both frustration and emptiness. The text uses concrete, almost proverbial comparisons—"a living dog is better than a dead lion"—to drive home the limits of human understanding. Even the wise man, the Preacher concludes, cannot find out the work of God; the diction consistently emphasizes human incapacity.

Contrasting Voices: Observation and Exhortation

While much of Ecclesiastes is reflective and pessimistic, the book also contains direct, imperative passages that shift the tone. In chapter 9, the Preacher suddenly commands: "Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart." This exhortation stands in sharp contrast to the earlier lament that "all is vanity." The shift in voice—from observer to advisor—creates a tension that is never fully resolved. The Preacher does not abandon his earlier conclusions; rather, he seems to offer a practical response within the limits he has described. The juxtaposition of these two modes—the analytical and the hortatory—gives the book its distinctive, layered quality, as if the speaker is both diagnosing a problem and prescribing a remedy he knows to be provisional.

Readers approaching Ecclesiastes in the King James Version will find a text that rewards attention to its verbal patterns. The repetition, the cyclical imagery, and the shifting between lament and counsel are not stylistic accidents but deliberate choices that embody the book's central concerns. The Preacher's voice is consistent in its skepticism, yet it never settles into mere complaint; it pushes toward a kind of qualified acceptance. Noting how the language works—how it circles, repeats, and contrasts—can deepen one's engagement with this brief but dense book.

Reading Ecclesiastes again, I found myself lingering on its weary repetitions—the way the Preacher keeps turning the same handful of dust. It reminded me, oddly, of Esther's quiet silence in the king's court, where she also moved through cycles of waiting and small, careful words. Both books whisper that meaning hides in the pauses. I thought of The Bible, King James version, Book 17: Esther — Context and Discussion while returning to that familiar ache.