1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

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

5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.

6 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.

7 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.

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

9 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.

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

11 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.

12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13 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.

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

15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

16 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.

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

18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

Commentary

Verse 1

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
Solomon shows that all human things are vain.
Much is to be learned by comparing one part of Scripture with another. We here behold 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 that 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, of which in this book he never loses sight. If this world, in its present state, were all, it would not be worth living for; and the wealth and pleasure of this world, if we had ever so much, 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 hinder the loss of it: what profit will the wealth of the world be to the soul in death, in judgment, or in the everlasting state?
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
The preacher - Who was not only a king, but also a teacher of God's people: who having sinned grievously in the eyes of all the world, thought himself obliged to publish his repentance, and to give publick warning to all, to avoid those rocks upon which he had split.
McArther Bible Commentary
The words. The matters of the book are the crucial issues for Solomon's faith. They resemble the subject matter of Psalms 39 and 49. the Preacher. The title of one who gathers the assembly together for instruction. See Introduction: Title.
Bible Cross References
Proverbs 1:1 Proverbs 31:31 Ecclesiastes 1:12 Ecclesiastes 7:27 Ecclesiastes 12:8

Verse 2

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
Solomon shows that all human things are vain.
Much is to be learned by comparing one part of Scripture with another. We here behold 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 that 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, of which in this book he never loses sight. If this world, in its present state, were all, it would not be worth living for; and the wealth and pleasure of this world, if we had ever so much, 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 hinder the loss of it: what profit will the wealth of the world be to the soul in death, in judgment, or in the everlasting state?
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Vanity - Not only vain, but vanity in the abstract, which denotes extreme vanity. Saith - Upon deep consideration and long experience, and by Divine inspiration. This verse contains the general proposition, which he intends particularly to demonstrate in the following book. All - All worldly things. Is vanity - Not in themselves for they are God's creatures and therefore good in their kinds, but in reference to that happiness, which men seek and expect to find in them. So they are unquestionably vain, because they are not what they seem to be, and perform not what they promise, but instead of that are the occasions of innumerable cares, and fears, and sorrows, and mischiefs. Nay, they are not only vanity but vanity of vanities, the vainest vanity, vanity in the highest degree. And this is redoubled, because the thing is certain, beyond all possibility of dispute.
McArther Bible Commentary
Vanity of vanities. This is Solomon's way of saying "the greatest vanity." Cf. the discussion of vanity in Introduction: Historical and Theological Themes; Interpretive Challenges. This portrays man's view of life without redemption from sin and the promise of eternal life in Jesus Christ. It also stems from the lack of understanding of God's eternal perspective as taught in Scripture.
Bible Cross References
Romans 8:20 Job 11:12 Psalm 39:5 Psalm 39:6 Psalm 62:9 Psalm 89:47 Psalm 144:4 Ecclesiastes 12:8

Verse 3

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
Solomon shows that all human things are vain.
Much is to be learned by comparing one part of Scripture with another. We here behold 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 that 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, of which in this book he never loses sight. If this world, in its present state, were all, it would not be worth living for; and the wealth and pleasure of this world, if we had ever so much, 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 hinder the loss of it: what profit will the wealth of the world be to the soul in death, in judgment, or in the everlasting state?
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
What profit - What real and abiding benefit? None at all. All is unprofitable as to the attainment of that happiness which all men are enquiring after. His labour - Heb. his toilsome labour, both of body and mind in the pursuit of riches, or pleasures, or other earthly things. Under the sun - In all worldly matters, which are usually transacted in the day time, or by the light of the sun. By this restriction he implies that the happiness which in vain is sought for in this lower world, is really to be found in heavenly places and things.
McArther Bible Commentary
profit. Meaning advantage to or gain from one's labor, this is a very important and repeated word for Solomon (cf. Ecc 3:19; Ecc 5:9, Ecc 5:11, Ecc 5:16; Ecc 6:7, Ecc 6:11; Ecc 7:11-12; Ecc 10:10). Solomon looks at the fleeting moments of life and the seemingly small gain for man's activity under the sun. The key to understanding this seeming pessimistic view of life is to understand that the only lasting human efforts are those designed to accomplish God's purposes for eternity. Without an eternal perspective and purpose, then all of life, viewed in a multi-generational sense, is futile and without purpose. labor. Labor is not just one's livelihood, but all of man's activity in life. under the sun. The phrase appears about thirty times in the book to describe daily life.
Bible Cross References
1 Corinthians 16:16 Ecclesiastes 2:11 Ecclesiastes 2:18 Ecclesiastes 2:22 Ecclesiastes 3:9 Ecclesiastes 5:16

Verse 4

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
Man's toil and want of satisfaction.
All things change, and never rest. Man, after all his labour, is no nearer finding rest than the sun, the wind, or the current of the river. His soul will find no rest, if he has it not from God. The senses are soon tired, yet still craving what is untried.
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Passeth - Men continue but for one, and that a short age, and then they leave all their possessions, and therefore they cannot be happy here, because happiness must needs be unchangeable and eternal; or else the certain knowledge of the approaching loss of all these things will rob a man of solid contentment in them. Abideth - Through all successive generations of men; and therefore man is more mutable than the very earth upon which he stands, and which, together with all the comforts which he enjoyed in it, he leaves behind to be possessed by others.
McArther Bible Commentary
These pictures from God's creation illustrate and underscore the futile repetition of human activity.
Bible Cross References
Psalm 104:5 Psalm 119:90 Psalm 125:1

Verse 5

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
Man's toil and want of satisfaction.
All things change, and never rest. Man, after all his labour, is no nearer finding rest than the sun, the wind, or the current of the river. His soul will find no rest, if he has it not from God. The senses are soon tired, yet still craving what is untried.
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
The sun - The sun is in perpetual motion, rising, setting, and rising again, and so constantly repeating its course in all succeeding days, and years, and ages; and the like he observes concerning the winds and rivers, (Ecclesiastes 1:6-7) , and the design of these similitudes seem to be; to shew the vanity of all worldly things, and that man's mind can never be satisfied with them, because there is nothing in the world but a constant repetition of the same things, which is so irksome, that the consideration thereof hath made some persons weary of their lives; and there is no new thing under the sun, as is added in the foot of the account, (Ecclesiastes 1:9) , which seems to be given us as a key to understand the meaning of the foregoing passages. And this is certain from experience that the things of this world are so narrow, and the mind of man so vast, that there must be something new to satisfy the mind; and even delightful things by too frequent repetition, are so far from yielding satisfaction, that they grow tedious and troublesome.
Bible Cross References
Psalm 19:6 Proverbs 7:23

Verse 6

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
Man's toil and want of satisfaction.
All things change, and never rest. Man, after all his labour, is no nearer finding rest than the sun, the wind, or the current of the river. His soul will find no rest, if he has it not from God. The senses are soon tired, yet still craving what is untried.
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
The wind - The wind also sometimes blows from one quarter of the world, and sometimes from another; successively returning to the same quarters in which it had formerly been.
Bible Cross References
John 3:8 Ecclesiastes 1:7 Ecclesiastes 11:5

Verse 7

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
Man's toil and want of satisfaction.
All things change, and never rest. Man, after all his labour, is no nearer finding rest than the sun, the wind, or the current of the river. His soul will find no rest, if he has it not from God. The senses are soon tired, yet still craving what is untried.
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Is not full - So as to overflow the earth. Whereby also he intimates the emptiness of mens minds, notwithstanding all the abundance of creature comforts. Rivers come - Unto the earth in general, from whence they come or flow into the sea, and to which they return by the reflux of the sea. For he seems to speak of the visible and constant motion of the waters, both to the sea and from it, and then to it again in a perpetual reciprocation.
Bible Cross References
Ecclesiastes 1:6 Ecclesiastes 1:8

Verse 8

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
Man's toil and want of satisfaction.
All things change, and never rest. Man, after all his labour, is no nearer finding rest than the sun, the wind, or the current of the river. His soul will find no rest, if he has it not from God. The senses are soon tired, yet still craving what is untried.
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
All things - Not only the sun, and winds, and rivers, but all other creatures. Labour - They are in continual restlessness and change, never abiding in the same state. Is not satisfied - As there are many things in the world vexatious to men, so even those things which are comfortable, are not satisfactory, but men are constantly desiring some longer continuance or fuller enjoyment of them, or variety in them. The eye and ear are here put for all the senses, because these are most spiritual and refined, most curious and inquisitive, most capable of receiving satisfaction, and exercised with more ease and pleasure than the other senses.
McArther Bible Commentary
This is a summary of sorts. Solomon looks at the effect of repetitious, enduring activity in God's creation over many generations as compared to the brief, comparatively profitless activity of one person which fails to produce an enduring satisfaction, and he concludes that it is wearisome. Another harsh reality comes with the realization that nothing is new and nothing will be remembered.
Bible Cross References
Proverbs 27:20 Ecclesiastes 1:7 Ecclesiastes 4:8 Ecclesiastes 5:10 Haggai 1:9

Verse 9

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
There is nothing new.
Men's hearts and their corruptions are the same now as in former times; their desires, and pursuits, and complaints, still the same. This should take us from expecting happiness in the creature, and quicken us to seek eternal blessings. How many things and persons in Solomon's day were thought very great, yet there is no remembrance of them now!
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
There is - There is nothing in the world but a continued and tiresome repetition of the same things. The nature and course of the beings and affairs of the world, and the tempers of men, are the same that they ever were and shall ever be; and therefore, because no man ever yet received satisfaction from worldly things, it is vain for any person hereafter to expect it. No new thing - In the nature of things, which might give us hopes of attaining that satisfaction which hitherto things have not afforded.
Bible Cross References
Ecclesiastes 1:10 Ecclesiastes 2:12 Ecclesiastes 3:15 Ecclesiastes 6:10

Verse 10

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
There is nothing new.
Men's hearts and their corruptions are the same now as in former times; their desires, and pursuits, and complaints, still the same. This should take us from expecting happiness in the creature, and quicken us to seek eternal blessings. How many things and persons in Solomon's day were thought very great, yet there is no remembrance of them now!
Bible Cross References
Ecclesiastes 1:9 Ecclesiastes 1:11 Ecclesiastes 2:12

Verse 11

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
There is nothing new.
Men's hearts and their corruptions are the same now as in former times; their desires, and pursuits, and complaints, still the same. This should take us from expecting happiness in the creature, and quicken us to seek eternal blessings. How many things and persons in Solomon's day were thought very great, yet there is no remembrance of them now!
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
No remembrance - This seems to be added to prevent the objection, There are many inventions and enjoyments unknown to former ages. To this he answers, This objection is grounded only upon our ignorance of ancient times which if we exactly knew or remembered, we should easily find parallels to all present occurrences. There are many thousands of remarkable speeches and actions done in this and the following ages which neither are, nor ever will be, put into the publick records or histories, and consequently must unavoidably be forgotten in succeeding ages; and therefore it is just and reasonable to believe the same concerning former ages.
McArther Bible Commentary
no remembrance. A written record or some other object which serves as a reminder of these events, people, and things that will be short-lived.
Bible Cross References
Ecclesiastes 1:10 Ecclesiastes 2:16 Ecclesiastes 8:10 Ecclesiastes 9:5

Verse 12

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
The vexation in pursuit of knowledge.
Solomon tried all things, and found them vanity. He found his searches after knowledge weariness, not only to the flesh, but to the mind. The more he saw of the works done under the sun, the more he saw their vanity; and the sight often vexed his spirit. He could neither gain that satisfaction to himself, nor do that good to others, which he expected. Even the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom discovered man's wickedness and misery; so that the more he knew, the more he saw cause to lament and mourn. Let us learn to hate and fear sin, the cause of all this vanity and misery; to value Christ; to seek rest in the knowledge, love, and service of the Saviour.
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
I was king - Having asserted the vanity of all things in the general, he now comes to prove his assertion in those particulars wherein men commonly seek, and with greatest probability expect to find, true happiness. He begins with secular wisdom. And to shew how competent a judge he was of this matter, he lays down this character, That he was the preacher, which implies eminent knowledge; and a king, who therefore had all imaginable opportunities and advantages for the attainment of happiness, and particularly for the getting of wisdom, by consulting all sorts of books and men, by trying all manner of experiments; and no ordinary king, but king over Israel, God's own people, a wise and an happy people, whose king he was by God's special appointment and furnished by God, with singular wisdom for that great trust; and whose abode was in Jerusalem where were the house of God and the most wise and learned of the priests attending upon it, and the seats of justice, and colleges or assemblies of the wisest men of their nation. All these concurring in him, which rarely do in any other men, make the argument drawn from his experience more convincing.
McArther Bible Commentary
This section records Solomon's ill-advised quest for greater wisdom.
Bible Cross References
Ecclesiastes 1:1 Ecclesiastes 7:27 Ecclesiastes 12:8

Verse 13

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
The vexation in pursuit of knowledge.
Solomon tried all things, and found them vanity. He found his searches after knowledge weariness, not only to the flesh, but to the mind. The more he saw of the works done under the sun, the more he saw their vanity; and the sight often vexed his spirit. He could neither gain that satisfaction to himself, nor do that good to others, which he expected. Even the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom discovered man's wickedness and misery; so that the more he knew, the more he saw cause to lament and mourn. Let us learn to hate and fear sin, the cause of all this vanity and misery; to value Christ; to seek rest in the knowledge, love, and service of the Saviour.
EGW SDA Bible Commentary
Learning Without God Is Foolishness
—Solomon had great learning; but his wisdom was foolishness; for he did not know how to stand in moral independence, free from sin, in the strength of a character molded after the divine similitude. Solomon has told us the result of his research, his painstaking efforts, his persevering inquiry. He pronounces his wisdom altogether vanity (The Review and Herald, April 5, 1906).
EGW SDA Bible Commentary
. See EGW on Genesis 3:6, Vol. 1, p. 1083.
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
I gave my heart - Which phrase denotes his serious and fixed purpose, and his great industry in it. To search - To seek diligently and accurately. By wisdom - By the help of that wisdom wherewith God had endowed me. Concerning - Concerning all the works of God and men in this lower world; the works of nature; the works of Divine providence; and the works and depths of human policy. This travel - This difficult and toilsome work of searching out these things, God hath inflicted as a just punishment upon man for his eating of the tree of knowledge. To be exercised - To employ themselves in the painful study of these things.
McArther Bible Commentary
wisdom. Solomon's use of the term, in typical Hebrew fashion, is more practical than philosophical and implies more than knowledge. It carries notions of ability for proper behavior, success, common sense, and wit. See Introduction to Proverbs: Historical and Theological Themes. Wisdom, wise appear at least fifty-one times in contrast to fool, foolish (at least seventeen times). burdensome task. Man's search to understand is at times difficult, yet God-given (cf. Ecc 2:26; Ecc 3:10; Ecc 5:16-19; Ecc 6:2; Ecc 8:11, Ecc 8:15; Ecc 9:9; Ecc 12:11). God. The covenant name, Lord, is never used in Ecclesiastes. However, God is found almost forty times. The emphasis is more on God's sovereignty in creation and providence than His covenant relationship through redemption.
Bible Cross References
Job 28:3 Ecclesiastes 1:17 Ecclesiastes 2:23 Ecclesiastes 2:26 Ecclesiastes 3:10 Ecclesiastes 3:11 Ecclesiastes 4:8 Ecclesiastes 7:25 Ecclesiastes 8:16 Ecclesiastes 8:17 Ecclesiastes 11:5

Verse 14

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
The vexation in pursuit of knowledge.
Solomon tried all things, and found them vanity. He found his searches after knowledge weariness, not only to the flesh, but to the mind. The more he saw of the works done under the sun, the more he saw their vanity; and the sight often vexed his spirit. He could neither gain that satisfaction to himself, nor do that good to others, which he expected. Even the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom discovered man's wickedness and misery; so that the more he knew, the more he saw cause to lament and mourn. Let us learn to hate and fear sin, the cause of all this vanity and misery; to value Christ; to seek rest in the knowledge, love, and service of the Saviour.
EGW SDA Bible Commentary
Learning Without God Is Foolishness
—Solomon had great learning; but his wisdom was foolishness; for he did not know how to stand in moral independence, free from sin, in the strength of a character molded after the divine similitude. Solomon has told us the result of his research, his painstaking efforts, his persevering inquiry. He pronounces his wisdom altogether vanity (The Review and Herald, April 5, 1906).
EGW SDA Bible Commentary
. See EGW on Genesis 3:6, Vol. 1, p. 1083.
EGW SDA Bible Commentary
(ch. 10:16-19; 1 Kings 10:18-23; 2 Chronicles 9:17-22). “All Is Vanity.”
—Solomon sat upon a throne of ivory, the steps of which were of solid gold, flanked by six golden lions. His eyes rested upon highly cultivated and beautiful gardens just before him. Those grounds were visions of loveliness, arranged to resemble, as far as possible, the garden of Eden. Choice trees and shrubs, and flowers of every variety, had been brought from foreign lands to beautify them. Birds of every variety of brilliant plumage flitted from tree to tree, making the air vocal with sweet songs. Youthful attendants, gorgeously dressed and decorated, waited to obey his slightest wish. Scenes of revelry, music, sports, and games were arranged for his diversion at an extravagant expenditure of money.But all this did not bring happiness to the king. He sat upon his magnificent throne, his frowning countenance dark with despair. Dissipation had left its impress upon his once fair and intellectual face. He was sadly changed from the youthful Solomon. His brow was furrowed with care and unhappiness, and he bore in every feature the unmistakable marks of sensual indulgence. His lips were prepared to break forth into reproaches at the slightest deviation from his wishes.His shattered nerves and wasted frame showed the result of violating Nature's laws. He confessed to a wasted life, an unsuccessful chase after happiness. His is the mournful wail, “All is vanity and vexation of spirit.” [Ecclesiastes 10:16-19 quoted.]It was customary for the Hebrews to eat but twice a day, their heartiest meal coming not far from the middle of the day. But the luxurious habits of the heathen had been engrafted into the nation, and the king and his princes were accustomed to extend their festivities far into the night. On the other hand, if the earlier part of the day was devoted to feasting and wine-drinking, the officers and rulers of the kingdom were totally unfitted for their grave duties.Solomon was conscious of the evil growing out of the indulgence of perverted appetite, yet seemed powerless to work the required reformation. He was aware that physical strength, calm nerves, and sound morals can only be secured through temperance. He knew that gluttony leads to drunkenness, and that intemperance in any degree disqualifies a man for any office of trust. Gluttonous feasts, and food taken into the stomach at untimely seasons, leave an influence upon every fiber of the system; and the mind also is seriously affected by what we eat and drink.The life of Solomon teaches a lesson of warning not only to the youth, but also to those of mature age. We are apt to look upon men of experience as safe from the allurements of sinful pleasure. But still we often see those whose early life has been exemplary being led away by the fascinations of sin, and sacrificing their God-given manhood for self-gratification. For a time they vacillate between the promptings of principle, and their inclination to pursue a forbidden course; but the current of evil finally proves too strong for their good resolutions, as in the case of the once wise and righteous king, Solomon....Dear reader, as you stand in imagination on the slopes of Moriah, and look across the Kidron valley upon those ruined pagan shrines, take the lesson of the repentant king home to your heart, and be wise. Make God your trust. Turn your face resolutely against temptation. Vice is a costly indulgence. Its effects are fearful upon the constitutions of those whom it does not speedily destroy. A dizzy head, loss of strength, loss of memory, derangements of the brain, heart, and lungs, follow quickly upon such transgression of the rules of health and morality (The Health Reformer, June 1878).
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Seen - Diligently observed. Vanity - Not only unsatisfying, but also an affliction or breaking to a man's spirit.
McArther Bible Commentary
grasping for the wind. One aspect of life's vanity is its elusive character. Like the wind, much of what is desirable in life cannot be held in one's hand (cf. Ecc 1:14, Ecc 1:17; Ecc 2:11, Ecc 2:17, Ecc 2:26; Ecc 4:4, Ecc 4:6, Ecc 4:16; Ecc 5:16; Ecc 6:9). Cf. Joh 3:8.
Bible Cross References
Ecclesiastes 1:17 Ecclesiastes 2:11 Ecclesiastes 2:17 Ecclesiastes 2:26 Ecclesiastes 4:4 Ecclesiastes 4:16 Ecclesiastes 6:9 Ecclesiastes 8:16

Verse 15

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
The vexation in pursuit of knowledge.
Solomon tried all things, and found them vanity. He found his searches after knowledge weariness, not only to the flesh, but to the mind. The more he saw of the works done under the sun, the more he saw their vanity; and the sight often vexed his spirit. He could neither gain that satisfaction to himself, nor do that good to others, which he expected. Even the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom discovered man's wickedness and misery; so that the more he knew, the more he saw cause to lament and mourn. Let us learn to hate and fear sin, the cause of all this vanity and misery; to value Christ; to seek rest in the knowledge, love, and service of the Saviour.
EGW SDA Bible Commentary
. See EGW on Genesis 3:6, Vol. 1, p. 1083.
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Crooked - All our knowledge serves only to discover our miseries, but is utterly insufficient to remove them; it cannot rectify those disorders which are either in our own hearts and lives, or in the men and things of the world. Wanting - In our knowledge. Or, counted out to us from the treasures of human learning. But what is wanting, will still be so. And that which is wanting in our own knowledge, is so much that it cannot be numbered. The more we know, the more we see of our own ignorance.
McArther Bible Commentary
crooked … lacking. With no necessarily moral implications being made, these words measure wisdom as the ability to resolve issues in life. In spite of man's grandest efforts, some crooked matters will remain unstraightened because of man's intractable sinfulness (Rom 3:9-18) and the perpetual effects of the Edenic curse (Gen 3:8-24).
Bible Cross References
Ecclesiastes 7:13 Ecclesiastes 7:25

Verse 16

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
The vexation in pursuit of knowledge.
Solomon tried all things, and found them vanity. He found his searches after knowledge weariness, not only to the flesh, but to the mind. The more he saw of the works done under the sun, the more he saw their vanity; and the sight often vexed his spirit. He could neither gain that satisfaction to himself, nor do that good to others, which he expected. Even the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom discovered man's wickedness and misery; so that the more he knew, the more he saw cause to lament and mourn. Let us learn to hate and fear sin, the cause of all this vanity and misery; to value Christ; to seek rest in the knowledge, love, and service of the Saviour.
EGW SDA Bible Commentary
. See EGW on Genesis 3:6, Vol. 1, p. 1083.
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Communed - I considered within myself. Great - In wisdom. Have gotten - As I had a large stock of wisdom infused into me by God, so I have greatly improved it by conversation, and study, and experience. Than all - Whether governors, or priests, or private persons. In Jerusalem - Which was then the most eminent place in the world for wisdom.
McArther Bible Commentary
wisdom. Cf. Introduction: Background and Setting. See note on Ecc 1:14.
Bible Cross References
1 Kings 3:12 1 Kings 4:30 1 Kings 10:23 Ecclesiastes 2:9

Verse 17

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
The vexation in pursuit of knowledge.
Solomon tried all things, and found them vanity. He found his searches after knowledge weariness, not only to the flesh, but to the mind. The more he saw of the works done under the sun, the more he saw their vanity; and the sight often vexed his spirit. He could neither gain that satisfaction to himself, nor do that good to others, which he expected. Even the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom discovered man's wickedness and misery; so that the more he knew, the more he saw cause to lament and mourn. Let us learn to hate and fear sin, the cause of all this vanity and misery; to value Christ; to seek rest in the knowledge, love, and service of the Saviour.
EGW SDA Bible Commentary
. See EGW on Genesis 3:6, Vol. 1, p. 1083.
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
To know - That I might throughly understand the nature and difference of truth and error, of virtue and vice.
McArther Bible Commentary
I set my heart to know. When Solomon depended on empirical research rather than divine revelation to understand life, he found it to be an empty, meaningless experience.
Bible Cross References
Ecclesiastes 1:13 Ecclesiastes 1:14 Ecclesiastes 2:11 Ecclesiastes 2:12 Ecclesiastes 2:17 Ecclesiastes 4:4 Ecclesiastes 4:6 Ecclesiastes 6:9 Ecclesiastes 7:25 Ecclesiastes 9:3

Verse 18

Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary
The vexation in pursuit of knowledge.
Solomon tried all things, and found them vanity. He found his searches after knowledge weariness, not only to the flesh, but to the mind. The more he saw of the works done under the sun, the more he saw their vanity; and the sight often vexed his spirit. He could neither gain that satisfaction to himself, nor do that good to others, which he expected. Even the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom discovered man's wickedness and misery; so that the more he knew, the more he saw cause to lament and mourn. Let us learn to hate and fear sin, the cause of all this vanity and misery; to value Christ; to seek rest in the knowledge, love, and service of the Saviour.
EGW SDA Bible Commentary
. See EGW on Genesis 3:6, Vol. 1, p. 1083.
John Wesley's Bible Commentary
Grief - Or, displeasure within himself, and against his present condition. Sorrow - Which he does many ways, because he gets his knowledge with hard and wearisome labour, both of mind and body, with the consumption of his spirits, and shortening of his life; because he is often deceived with knowledge falsely so called, and often mistakes error for truth, and is perplexed with manifold doubts, from which ignorant men are wholly free; because he hath the clearer prospect into, and quicker sense of his own ignorance, and infirmities, and disorders, and withal how vain and ineffectual all his knowledge is for the prevention or removal of them; and because his knowledge is very imperfect and unsatisfying, yet increasing his thirst after more knowledge; lastly, because his knowledge quickly fades and dies with him, and then leaves him in no better, and possibly in a much worse condition than the meanest and most unlearned man in the world.
McArther Bible Commentary
wisdom … much grief. The expected outcome of wisdom is success. Success, in turn, should bring happiness. But Solomon concluded that there were no guarantees, only multiple failures. This grieves the person who places his hope in human achievement alone.
Bible Cross References
Ecclesiastes 2:23 Ecclesiastes 12:12