Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 2:24–26

²⁴Nothing is better for a man than to eat and drink and enjoy his work. I have also seen that this is from the hand of God. ²⁵For apart from Him,^a who can eat and who can find enjoyment? ²⁶To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

Footnotes

a 2:25 Some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts apart from me or more than I

Read all of Ecclesiastes 2

Word by word

Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

Ecclesiastes 2:24

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
Nothing	אֵֽין־	’ên-	Adverb	H369 nothing, nought
better	ט֤וֹב	ṭō·wḇ	Noun - masculine singular	H2896 pleasant, agreeable, good
for a man	בָּאָדָם֙	bā·’ā·ḏām	Preposition-b, Article; Noun - masculine singular	H120 man, mankind
than to eat	שֶׁיֹּאכַ֣ל	še·yō·ḵal	Pronoun - relative; Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular	H398 eat
and drink	וְשָׁתָ֔ה	wə·šā·ṯāh	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular	H8354 drink
and enjoy	וְהֶרְאָ֧ה	wə·her·’āh	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular	H7200 see
his work	בַּעֲמָל֑וֹ	ba·‘ă·mā·lōw	Preposition-b; Noun - masculine singular construct; third person masculine singular	H5999 trouble, labour, toil
I	אָ֔נִי	’ā·nî	Pronoun - first person common singular	H589 I
have also	גַּם־	gam-	Conjunction	H1571 also, moreover, yea
seen	רָאִ֣יתִי	rā·’î·ṯî	Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular	H7200 see
that	כִּ֛י	kî	Conjunction	H3588 burning, branding
this	זֹה֙	zōh	Pronoun - feminine singular	H2090 this, that
from the hand	מִיַּ֥ד	mî·yaḏ	Preposition-m; Noun - feminine singular construct	H3027 hand
of God	הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים	hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm	Article; Noun - masculine plural	H430 God

Ecclesiastes 2:25

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
For	כִּ֣י	kî	Conjunction	H3588 burning, branding
apart from	ח֥וּץ	ḥūṣ	Noun - masculine singular	H2351 the outside
Him	מִמֶּֽנִּי׃	mim·men·nî	Preposition; first person common singular	H4480 out of, from, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not
who	מִ֥י	mî	Interrogative	H4310 who?
can eat	יֹאכַ֛ל	yō·ḵal	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular	H398 eat
and who	וּמִ֥י	ū·mî	Conjunctive waw; Interrogative	H4310 who?
can find enjoyment	יָח֖וּשׁ	yā·ḥūš	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular	H2363 haste, make haste

Ecclesiastes 2:26

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
To	כִּ֤י	kî	Conjunction	H3588 burning, branding
the man	לְאָדָם֙	lə·’ā·ḏām	Preposition-l; Noun - masculine singular	H120 man, mankind
who is pleasing	שֶׁטּ֣וֹב	šeṭ·ṭō·wḇ	Pronoun - relative; Adjective - masculine singular	H2896 pleasant, agreeable, good
in His sight	לְפָנָ֔יו	lə·p̄ā·nāw	Preposition-l; Noun - common plural construct; third person masculine singular	H6440 face, before
He gives	נָתַ֛ן	nā·ṯan	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular	H5414 give, put, set
wisdom	חָכְמָ֥ה	ḥāḵ·māh	Noun - feminine singular	H2451 wisdom
and knowledge	וְדַ֖עַת	wə·ḏa·‘aṯ	Conjunctive waw; Noun - feminine singular	H1847 knowledge
and joy	וְשִׂמְחָ֑ה	wə·śim·ḥāh	Conjunctive waw; Noun - feminine singular	H8057 joy, gladness, mirth
but to the sinner	וְלַחוֹטֶא֩	wə·la·ḥō·w·ṭe	Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Article; Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular	H2398 miss
He assigns	נָתַ֨ן	nā·ṯan	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular	H5414 give, put, set
the task	עִנְיָ֜ן	‘in·yān	Noun - masculine singular	H6045 occupation, task
of gathering	לֶאֱס֣וֹף	le·’ĕ·sō·wp̄	Preposition-l; Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct	H622 gather, remove
and accumulating	וְלִכְנ֗וֹס	wə·liḵ·nō·ws	Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l; Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct	H3664 gather, collect
he will hand over	לָתֵת֙	lā·ṯêṯ	Preposition-l; Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct	H5414 give, put, set
to one who pleases	לְטוֹב֙	lə·ṭō·wḇ	Preposition-l; Adjective - masculine singular	H2896 pleasant, agreeable, good
God	הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים	hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm	Article; Noun - masculine plural	H430 God
This	זֶ֥ה	zeh	Pronoun - masculine singular	H2088 this, that
too	גַּם־	gam-	Conjunction	H1571 also, moreover, yea
is futile	הֶ֖בֶל	he·ḇel	Noun - masculine singular	H1892 vapour, breath
and a pursuit	וּרְע֥וּת	ū·rə·‘ūṯ	Conjunctive waw; Noun - feminine singular construct	H7469 longing, striving
of the wind	רֽוּחַ׃	rū·aḥ	Noun - common singular	H7307 breath, wind, spirit

Cross-references

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

Ecclesiastes 2:24 Ecclesiastes 3:22 · 1 Timothy 6:17 · Ecclesiastes 8:15 · Ecclesiastes 5:18–19 · Ecclesiastes 3:12–13 · Ecclesiastes 9:7–9 · 1 Corinthians 15:32 · Deuteronomy 12:18 · Ecclesiastes 6:2 · Deuteronomy 12:12 · Acts 14:17 · Ecclesiastes 11:9–10

Ecclesiastes 2:25 Ecclesiastes 2:1–12

Ecclesiastes 2:26 Proverbs 13:22 · Job 27:16–17 · Proverbs 28:8 · Isaiah 3:10–11 · John 16:24 · 2 Chronicles 31:20–21 · Colossians 3:16–17 · Proverbs 3:13–18 · Colossians 1:9–12 · Luke 1:6 · Job 32:8 · Genesis 7:1

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.