Ecclesiastes 8:14

There is a futility that is done on the earth: There are righteous men who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked men who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that this too is futile.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The Preacher addresses readers under the sun while cataloging inverted retribution in human society. He speaks immediately after warning that the wicked who do not fear God will not prosper, and immediately before advising daily enjoyment as the only stable good.

The words — The Hebrew הֶבֶל (hevel) translates literally as "futility" or "breath," characterizing the observed reversal of justice. The verb נַעֲשָׂה (na'asah) means "it is done," presenting the phenomenon as an enacted reality rather than a hypothetical.

The thread — This motif of displaced retribution recurs in Ecclesiastes 7:15, where the righteous perish and the wicked live long, and in Malachi 3:15, where the arrogant are called blessed. The Preacher also records in Ecclesiastes 2:14 that a single fate ultimately overtakes both the wise and the fool.

Why it lands — The text forces readers to acknowledge that earthly outcomes do not reliably reflect moral standing. It demands a sober recognition of systemic disorder before any theological or practical response can be grounded.

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

יֶשׁ־yesh-there הֶבֶל֮he.Vel[is] futility אֲשֶׁ֣ר'a.Sherwhich נַעֲשָׂ֣הna.'a.Sahit is done עַל־'al-on הָאָרֶץ֒ha./'a.Retzthe/ earth אֲשֶׁ֣ר׀'a.Sherthat יֵ֣שׁyeshthere צַדִּיקִ֗יםtza.di.Kim[are] righteous [people]אֲשֶׁ֨ר'a.Sherwhom מַגִּ֤יעַma.Gi.a'[it is] happening אֲלֵהֶם֙'a.le./Hemto/ them כְּמַעֲשֵׂ֣הke./ma.'a.Sehaccording to/ [the] deed[s] of הָרְשָׁעִ֔יםha./re.sha.'Im<the>/ wicked [people]וְיֵ֣שׁve./Yeshand/ there רְשָׁעִ֔יםre.sha.'Im[are] wicked [people]שֶׁמַּגִּ֥יעַshe./ma.Gi.a'[to] whom/ [it is] happening אֲלֵהֶ֖ם'a.le./Hemto/ them כְּמַעֲשֵׂ֣הke./ma.'a.Sehaccording to/ [the] deed[s] of הַצַּדִּיקִ֑יםha./tza.di.Kim<the>/ righteous [people]אָמַ֕רְתִּי'a.Mar.tiI said שֶׁגַּם־she./gam-that/ also זֶ֖הzehthis הָֽבֶל׃Ha.vel[is] futility

King James Version

There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.

Cross-references

Ecclesiastes 7:15 In my futile life I have seen both of these: A righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.
Ecclesiastes 2:14 The wise man has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also came to realize that one fate overcomes them both.
Malachi 3:15 So now we call the arrogant blessed. Not only do evildoers prosper, they even test God and escape.’”
Ecclesiastes 9:1 So I took all this to heart and concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their deeds, are in God’s hands. Man does not know what lies ahead, whether love or hate.
Job 21:7 Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?
Psalms 73:3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Psalms 73:12 Behold, these are the wicked—always carefree as they increase their wealth.
Job 9:22 It is all the same, and so I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
Job 21:17 How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come upon them? Does God, in His anger, apportion destruction?
Job 24:21 They prey on the barren and childless, and show no kindness to the widow.