Bible Strands
Ecclesiastes 2:22
For what does a man get for all the toil and striving with which he labors under the sun?
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Preacher addresses humanity generally, posing a rhetorical question at the close of his inventory of human achievement in Ecclesiastes 2.
The words — The Hebrew מֶה (meh) means "what?" and עֲמָלוֹ (amo) means "his toil," anchoring the verse to a direct inquiry about the return on human effort.
The thread — This formulation repeats the structural question of Ecclesiastes 1:3 and Ecclesiastes 3:9, and parallels Psalms 127:2, which contrasts futile striving with divine provision.
Why it lands — The text requires a factual accounting of whether labor produces lasting possession or merely temporary exhaustion, leaving the answer to the surrounding context of futility.
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
For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?
Cross-references
- Psalms 127:2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for bread to eat—for He gives sleep to His beloved.
- Ecclesiastes 1:3 What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?
- Ecclesiastes 3:9 What does the worker gain from his toil?
- Ecclesiastes 4:6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of the wind.
- Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.
- Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- 1 Timothy 6:8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.
- 1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
- Ecclesiastes 4:8 There is a man all alone, without even a son or brother. And though there is no end to his labor, his eyes are still not content with his wealth: “For whom do I toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?” This too is futile—a miserable task.
- Ecclesiastes 5:10 He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile.