Bible Strands
Ecclesiastes 2:18
I hated all for which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Qoheleth speaker addresses a general audience while reflecting on his accumulated wisdom and labor in Jerusalem, specifically at the moment he evaluates the futility of his achievements after death.
The words — The Hebrew verb שָׂנֵא (sa.Ne) translates literally as "I hated," expressing a visceral rejection of the speaker's own toil. This follows the noun כָּל (kol), meaning "all," which frames his labor as a complete, inescapable burden.
The thread — The text states that inherited labor and uncertain legacy appear in Psalms 39:6 and Psalms 49:10, where human bustle and wealth accumulation are contrasted with the anonymous successor. The New Testament echoes this concern in Luke 16:27 through a plea to send a messenger to warn living relatives.
Why it lands — The verse states that human effort yields no permanent control over what follows. It requires the reader to confront the reality that successors will inherit outcomes regardless of the original laborer's wisdom or foresight.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
Cross-references
- Psalms 39:6 Surely every man goes about like a phantom; surely he bustles in vain; he heaps up riches not knowing who will haul them away.
- Psalms 49:10 For it is clear that wise men die, and the foolish and the senseless both perish and leave their wealth to others.
- Luke 16:27 ‘Then I beg you, father,’ he said, ‘send Lazarus to my father’s house,
- 1 Kings 11:11 Then the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.
- Psalms 17:14 from such men, O LORD, by Your hand—from men of the world whose portion is in this life. May You fill the bellies of Your treasured ones and satisfy their sons, so they leave their abundance to their children.
- Ecclesiastes 1:3 What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?
- Ecclesiastes 1:13 And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a miserable task God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
- Ecclesiastes 2:4 I expanded my pursuits. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.
- Ecclesiastes 2:26 To 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.
- Ecclesiastes 4:3 But better than both is he who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.