Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 4:16

¹⁶There is no limit to all the people who were before them. Yet the successor will not be celebrated by those who come even later. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

Read all of Ecclesiastes 4

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.

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
There is no	אֵֽין־	’ên-	Adverb	H369 nothing, nought
limit	קֵ֣ץ	qêṣ	Noun - masculine singular	H7093 end
to all	לְכָל־	lə·ḵāl	Preposition-l; Noun - masculine singular construct	H3605 the whole, all
the people	הָעָ֗ם	hā·‘ām	Article; Noun - masculine singular	H5971 people
who	אֲשֶׁר־	’ă·šer-	Pronoun - relative	H834 particle of relation
were	הָיָה֙	hā·yāh	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular	H1961 fall out, come to pass, become, be
before them	לִפְנֵיהֶ֔ם	lip̄·nê·hem	Preposition-l; Noun - masculine plural construct; third person masculine plural	H6440 face, before
Yet	גַּ֥ם	gam	Conjunction	H1571 also, moreover, yea
will not	לֹ֣א	lō	Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
be celebrated	יִשְׂמְחוּ־	yiś·mə·ḥū-	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural	H8055 rejoice, be glad
by those who come even later	הָאַחֲרוֹנִ֖ים	hā·’a·ḥă·rō·w·nîm	Article; Adjective - masculine plural	H314 coming after
This	זֶ֥ה	zeh	Pronoun - masculine singular	H2088 this, that
too	כִּֽי־	kî-	Conjunction	H3588 burning, branding
is futile	הֶ֖בֶל	he·ḇel	Noun - masculine singular	H1892 vapour, breath
and a pursuit	וְרַעְי֥וֹן	wə·ra‘·yō·wn	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular construct	H7475 id.
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 1:14 · 1 Kings 1:40 · Ecclesiastes 2:17

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.