And so dear reader, we begin our most excellent adventure through the book of Ecclesiastes. After identifying Solomon as the “Teacher” of this lesson, the theme of the entire book is set forth in verses 2-3: The works of men are meaningless. The latest NIV uses the word “meaningless” here where other translations, certainly the older ones, have used the English word “vanity,” and I must admit that I’ve had some difficulty getting used to the change. The Hebrew word is hebel which literally means vapor or breath. Used as it is in this book, what it really refers to is something that is fleeting and empty; without meaning. “Vain” or “vanity” would be the traditional words for this, as in “they shall not have died in vain” meaning “for no reason.” So, I must admit that the new Niv’s “meaningless” is spot on in modern usage.
“Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”
What do people gain from all their labors
at which they toil under the sun?
We need to note the expression “under the sun” and understand that it tells us the point of view from which the author is speaking: life “under the sun,” here on earth, the natural state of things without God. As you will see, he writes differently when he changes his viewpoint to include God. Thus, the whole theme of the book is that all of human striving and energy in this world has no meaning whatsoever.
Verses 4-8 give four examples from nature to back up the author’s thesis:
First, in verse 4, he mentions succeeding generations as coming and going, verse 5 mentions the rising and setting of the sun over and over, then verse 6 speaks of the wind that blows and blows. Verse 7 mentions the rivers and streams that flow and flow; time marches forward and what is accomplished? Verse 8 seems to sum this up as simply wearisome, as though there is all of this natural activity… and so what?
Verses 9-11 amplify this unceasing action of nature and brings it into human terms: “There is nothing new under the sun.” The generations have always come and gone, the sun has always risen and set, the wind has always blown and the rivers and streams have always flowed; none of this is new. Nobody remembers the former generations of people, and nobody will remember us. In all of these generations, people have worked and striven to accomplish great things, and who even remembers their names or what they were about?
Who cares?
Nobody!
The Christian faith is essentially an optimistic faith, we speak of victory, and redemption, hope, assurance and an eternal future… see any of that here? Of course this is the Old Testament, but Judaism is also an optimistic faith for the most part; where is this dude coming from?
That’s why this is a tricky book.
As we continue our adventure, we will see that the Teacher has searched for human wisdom, that he has received it, and that he has discovered that human life “under the sun” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Without God, it is meaningless… but then I’m getting ahead of myself.
Solomon, through all of his striving for wisdom has discovered to his surprise that putting this world into its proper perspective is a process that calls all of our natural inclinations into question, and that without an alternative; the quest for wisdom would best be avoided. To put this another way, reading this might cause us to wonder if the day-to-day struggles of this life are really all that important.
Verse 12 is transitional, and leads to the main body of the book, which we will throw ourselves into next time!
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Wahoo! The Meaningless Man! Old Solomon might have had a wax and wane and wax relationship with his Lord – but his writing here is a cracker!! If I knew my bible better I would have known what to expect. In my ignorance this is a double zinger dinger! My day is complete in the best possible way!! 🙂
Why do I suspect there’s a story in this somewhere? 🙂
I remember reading this several times a couple of years ago. Not getting it. And sticking with it until I got it. And thinking how cool this book was. What a great play on words. Meaningless appearing without purpose, so why bother, there is no point. And then getting it with such an insight when you flip (rotate) the same word and get inside his head. Loved the wordplay and dry humour!!
And here we are again. A very excellent adventure. This time with my favourite guide leading the way!!
Thanks for this Don – one of the reasons I don’t like the NIV is that is creates a level of simplicity through word selection – for example “meaningless” as the substitute for “vanity” – it is the futility of life and man’s efforts that the writer is seeking to convey.
The Hebrew word also conveys a sense of emptiness and falsity. The Congregator is speaking philosophically because if as you say we recognise that this applies only to those works related to the earth we begin to fully appreciate that we are in a condition alienated from God and therefore the power of the later thoughts provide a positive message – the time have now should focus on those works that satisfy.
Really looking forward to this discussion we have much we can learn from this about our priorities.
Agreed… and thanks
In thinking more about this “vanity” business, I’m beginning to wonder if there is a language difference between American and British English here. In the US, “vanity” in contemporary speech will almost always mean either a table where women put on makeup and fix their hair (she sat at her vanity…) or conceit. We might use “vain” to convey futility, but not vanity, at least not in many decades. I think I’ll see what the UK edition says…
UK reporting for duty. Vanity nowadays would be used in the perception of ones own beauty. Skin deep and self absorbed. Meaningless is without meaning. Without purpose. That word works far better in the context of the context over here. UK over and out.
And there, ladies and gentlemen is our report live from the UK! Thanks Paul, much appreciated!
Vanity units, bags and tables all mean the same – but at the time of translation vanity also extended as it still does in English to mean futility – on the other hand meaningless does convey a different level of futility and requires contextual qualification.
Out struggle with English is that words continue to evolve and we have to view works in their contemporary setting not in ours.
We still use sentence structure but fail to use the tense appropriately therefore the confusion with simple words like Vanity.
I couldn’t agree more.
I agree that some versions use words that are difficult to understand…we need to keep in mind that each translation has its own focus (for instance, word-for-word exact translation as far as possible OR thought-for-thought expression of the meaning as closely as possible). With the majority of churchgoers reading on a 7th grade level (I can’t remember where this stat came from, but I’ve found it several places…I can look it up, if you like), many of the newer translations are working to make the Bible understandable for a population who may not understand large words, much less Shakespearean English. As Don mentioned above, some versions use words in ways that are very different from current use. If they can’t understand, how will they believe?
Anyway, that’s my two cents. 🙂
On a personal note, thanks for the cozy memories– I used to be quite the insomniac, and my college roommate (an extraordinary individual, I must say) read Ecclesiastes chapter-on-end to help me drop off to sleep.
…and I can help people go to sleep with most any post! 🙂
In that case, I’ll head your way next time I’m up too late! 🙂
I appreciate how Solomon portrays life from a secularist perspective so that our faith my intensify in light of God’s presence. Ecclesiastes…a very relevant piece of literature.
Yes John, great point; Ecclesiastes is very relevant when we view it in proper context.
Don, I’m looking forward to this series with you. Wonderful piece, and I’ve never really had a chance to dive in deeply. You’re a terrific guide to do this with. I’ll be reading along. Thank you.
Welcome aboard Susan!