Ecclesiastes 2:21

When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great evil.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The Preacher speaks from his own royal experience, addressing his despair at a moment when he recognizes that his accumulated wealth will not remain under his control.

The words — עֲמָל (ʿăḇāl) literally means heavy toil or labor, and כִּשְׁרוֹן (kîšrôn) denotes technical skill or proficiency applied to that work.

The thread — The transition from earned labor to unearned inheritance continues in Ecclesiastes 2:18-19, and the broader question of earthly gain reappears in Ecclesiastes 2:22.

Why it lands — The text states that a skilled worker may still be forced to hand his portion to an unqualified heir, then asks the reader to examine what they value when human effort cannot guarantee control over the outcome.

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

כִּי־ki-if יֵ֣שׁyeshthere אָדָ֗ם'a.Dam[was] a person שֶׁעֲמָל֛וֹshe./'a.ma.L/owho/ toil/ his בְּחָכְמָ֥הbe./cha.khe.Mah[was] with/ wisdom וּבְדַ֖עַתu./ve./Da.'atand/ with/ knowledge וּבְכִשְׁר֑וֹןu./ve./khish.Ronand/ with/ skill וּלְאָדָ֞םu./le./'a.Damand/ to/ a person שֶׁלֹּ֤אshe./Lo'who/ not עָֽמַל־'a.mal-he toiledבּוֹ֙b/oin <the>/ itיִתְּנֶ֣נּוּyi.te.Ne./nuhe will give/ it חֶלְק֔וֹchel.K/oportion/ his גַּם־gam-also זֶ֥הzehthis הֶ֖בֶלHe.vel[is] futility וְרָעָ֥הve./ra.'Ahand/ an evil רַבָּֽה׃ra.Bahgreat

King James Version

For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

Cross-references

Ecclesiastes 2:17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
2 Chronicles 31:20 So this is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah. He did what was good and upright and true before the LORD his God.
2 Chronicles 33:2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
2 Chronicles 34:2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
2 Chronicles 35:18 No such Passover had been observed in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel ever observed a Passover like the one that Josiah observed with the priests, the Levites, all Judah, the Israelites who were present, and the people of Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36:5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God.
Ecclesiastes 9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
Jeremiah 22:15 Does it make you a king to excel in cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He administered justice and righteousness, and so it went well with him.
Jeremiah 22:17 “But your eyes and heart are set on nothing except your own dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood, on practicing extortion and oppression.”