This book has been universally received into the canon of the Scriptures, by Jews and Christians. The former, indeed, had once some controversy [[0]] about it; and they thought to have hid it, or put it among the apocryphal books; because, at first sight, some things seemed contradictory to each…

The words of the preacher Or the preacher’s sermon. The whole book is one continued discourse, and an excellent one it is; consisting not of mere words, but of solid matter; of things of the greatest importance, clothed with words apt and acceptable, which the preacher sought out, .

Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher This is the preacher’s text; the theme and subject he after enlarges upon, and proves by an induction of particulars; it is the sum of the whole book; vanity of vanities, all is vanity; most extremely vain, exceedingly so, the height of vanity: this is…

What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? ] This is a general proof of the vanity of all things, since there is no profit arises to a man of all his labour; for, though it is put by way of question, it carries in it a strong negative.

One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh This shows that a man can have no profit of all his labour under the sun, because of his short continuance; as soon almost as he has got anything by his labour, he must leave it: not only particular persons, but families, nations, and…

The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. ] The sun rises in the morning and sets at evening in our hemisphere, according to the appearance of things; and then it makes haste to go round the other hemisphere in the night: it “pants”, as the word [[18]]…

The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north The word “wind” is not in this clause in the original text, but is taken from the next, and so may be rendered, “it goeth towards the south” that is, the sun [[22]] before mentioned, which as to its diurnal and nocturnal course in…

All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full, &c.] Which flow from fountains or an formed by hasty rains; these make their way to the sea, yet the sea is not filled therewith, and made to abound and overflow the earth, as it might be expected it would.

All things are full of labour Or “are laborious” [[6]]; gotten by labour, and attended with fatigue and weariness; riches are got by labour, and those who load themselves with thick clay, as gold and silver be, weary themselves with it; honour and glory, crowns and kingdoms, are weighty cares, and…

The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be The thing that has been seen and heard is no other than what shall be seen and heard again; so that what is now seen and heard is only what has been seen and heard before; it is but the same thing over again; and that is the reason why the eye and…

Is there any thing whereof it may be said, see, this is new? &c.] This is an appeal to all men for the truth of the above observation, and carries in it a strong denial that there is anything new under the sun; and is an address to men to inquire into the truth of it, and thoroughly examine it, and…

There is no remembrance of former things Which is the reason why some things that are really old are thought to be new; because either the memories of men fail them, they do not remember the customs and usages which were in the former part of their own lives, now grown old; or they are ignorant of…

I the preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. ] Solomon having given a general proof of the vanity of all things here below, and of the insufficiency of them to make men happy, proceeds to particular instances, and begins with human wisdom and knowledge, which of all things might be thought to…

And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom As he had all advantages and opportunities, so he did not want for industry and application to obtain knowledge; he gave his mind to it; he took up a resolution not to be discouraged by any difficulties, but to break through them, if possible; he…

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun All things done by the Lord, that were on the earth, and in it, and in the sea; he considered them, and endeavoured to search into the nature of them; and did attain to a very great knowledge of them, so that he could speak of them to the…

That which is crooked cannot be made straight By all the art and cunning, wisdom and knowledge of man, that he can attain unto; whatever he, in the vanity of his mind, may find fault with in the works of God, either of nature of providence, and which he may call crooked, it is not in his power to…

I communed with my own heart That is, looked into it, examined it, and considered what a stock and fund of knowledge he had in it, after all his researches into it; what happiness accrued to him by it, and what judgment upon the whole was to be formed upon it; and he spoke within himself after this…

And I gave my heart to know wisdom Which is repeated, for the confirmation of it, from , and that it might be taken notice of how assiduous and diligent he had been in acquiring it; a circumstance not to be overlooked; and to know madness and folly: that he might the better know wisdom, and learn…

For in much wisdom is much grief In getting it, and losing it when it is gotten: or “indignation” [[18]], at himself and others; being more sensible of the follies and weakness of human nature; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow: for, the more he knows, the more he would know, and…