"What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?" — Ecclesiastes 1:3

Ecclesiastes 1:3 · KJV

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

— Ecclesiastes 1:3

Verse 2

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

Verse 4

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

Ecclesiastes 1 — Context

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

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

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

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

The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. {hasteth: Heb. panteth}

Cross References

Ecclesiastes 3:9

What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

Ecclesiastes 2:22

For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?

Ecclesiastes 5:16

And this also {is} a sore evil, {that} in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?

Mark 8:36-37

Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Ecclesiastes 2:11

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.

John 6:27

Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. {Labour not: or, Work not}

Proverbs 23:4-5

Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

Ecclesiastes 2:19

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.