Bible Strands
Ecclesiastes 2:20
So my heart began to despair over all the labor that I had done under the sun.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Qoheleth narrator describes his own reaction after reflecting on the futility of inheriting his hard-earned wealth and achievements to an unknown successor. He speaks in first person to an unnamed audience during a period of existential reflection on human labor under the sun.
The words — The Hebrew phrase לְיַאֵשׁ לִבִּי (le-ya'esh libbi) literally means "to make my heart despair." It describes a visceral turning of the inner self toward hopelessness over accumulated toil.
The thread — This motif of despair over labor and inherited wealth echoes the anxiety of Psalms 39:6 and the broken plans of Job 17:11, while contrasting with the plea for mercy in Genesis 43:14. The text links personal futility to the broader biblical theme of human effort outlasting the laborer.
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition that human achievement does not guarantee legacy or meaning. It requires the reader to confront the gap between effort and control without offering comfort.
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
Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.
Cross-references
- Genesis 43:14 May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother along with Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
- Job 17:11 My days have passed; my plans are broken off—even the desires of my heart.
- 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.
- 1 Corinthians 15:19 If our hope in Christ is for this life alone, we are to be pitied more than all men.
- 2 Corinthians 1:8 We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
- 1 Thessalonians 3:3 so that none of you would be shaken by these trials. For you know that we are destined for this.