November 1 / Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. (v. 1) So who is this Preacher? Ancient tradition holds that the Preacher is none other than King Solomon, which is clearly consistent with this first verse and later verses (see Ecc. 1:12,13,16,2:1-10), coupled with everything else we know about Solomon, including his reputation for wisdom, riches, and women. However, some modern scholars contend that some of the language would indicate a much later, postexilic date. I am content to stick with tradition, but, frankly, I don’t think it really matters who wrote the book. In fact, it seems to me that arguments over authorship fall pretty squarely into the realm of what the author himself says is “useless” or “futile” or “vain”. What matters more than authorship is what the book actually says.

Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 1:2

The Hebrew word translated here in the ESV as “vanity” is “hebel” (or “hevel“, depending on one’s preference of pronunciation), a word used 38 times in Ecclesiastes. As Deacon Todd points out in his paper, “hebel” is notoriously difficult to translate, and “vanity” misses the mark somewhat. A more literal translation would suggest the notion of vapor or smoke, a breeze or a sigh. No single English word really captures the idea, but we certainly have the sense of futility, of grasping at something that cannot be grasped. Hence, we may also use words like “meaningless”, “useless”, or “pointless”. Nevertheless, “vanity” goes back to the Latin Vulgate translation and thus has a strong tradition behind it. Just recognize that we’re not talking about “inflated pride in oneself or one’s appearance; conceit” as Mirriam-Webster defines “vanity”.

What does man gain by all the toil
at which he toils under the sun?

Ecclesiastes 1:3

This is perhaps the central question of Ecclesiastes. And a key word here is “gain”. In other words, “I do all this work (toil), but what’s in it for me?” Indeed, what’s in it for me?

The rest of today’s reading, which acts as an introduction to the book, offers several examples of “vanity”, of how — in the grand scheme of things — nothing ever really changes, and progress is illusory:

• Generations come and go, but the earth remains the same. (Ecc. 1:4)
• The sun rises and sets, then does it all over again. (Ecc. 1:5)
• The wind goes round and round and comes back to where it started. (Ecc. 1:6)
• Rivers all run to the sea, but the sea never fills up. (Ecc. 1:7)
• Etc.

It all seems like so much futility with nothing new under the sun. (Ecc. 1:9)

Stay tuned.