Ecclesiastes 3:9

Hard work

9 What do workers gain from all their hard work?

Ecclesiastes 3:9 Meaning and Commentary

Ecclesiastes 3:9

What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he
laboureth?
] That is, he has none. This is an inference drawn from the above premises, and confirms what has been before observed, ( Ecclesiastes 1:3 ) ( 2:11 ) ; Man has no profit of his labour, since his time is so short to enjoy it, and he leaves it to another, he knows not who; and, while he lives, is attended with continual vicissitudes and changes; sometimes it is a time for one thing, and sometimes for its contrary, so that there is nothing certain, and to be depended on; and a man can promise himself nothing in this world pleasant or profitable to him, and much less that will be of any advantage to him hereafter. The Targum adds,

``to make treasures and gather mammon, unless he is helped by Providence above;''

though it is man's duty to labour, yet all his toil and labour will be fruitless without a divine blessing; there is a time and season for everything in providence, and there is no striving against that.

Ecclesiastes 3:9 In-Context

7 a time for tearing and a time for repairing, a time for keeping silent and a time for speaking,

8 a time for loving and a time for hating, a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do workers gain from all their hard work?

10 I have observed the task that God has given human beings.

11 God has made everything fitting in its time, but has also placed eternity in their hearts, without enabling them to discover what God has done from beginning to end.