Ecclesiastes 9:11

I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor the favor to the skillful. For time and chance happen to all.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Qoheleth is mid-observation in a series of "under the sun" reflections, moving from the exhortation to work with all your might (9:10) into the image of men ensnared by sudden evil time (9:12). He is not addressing a congregation; the voice is retrospective and self-directed.

The words — קַלִּים (qallim, H7031) is the plural of qal, "light," here rendered "the swift"; the literal sense is "the light ones," i.e., those who move quickly, not the strong or the skilled. The noun carries the physicality of the race metaphor without the moral weight that "the righteous" would carry.

The thread — Jeremiah 9:23–24 lists the same triad (wisdom, strength, wealth) and redirects boasting to knowing the LORD. Proverbs 21:30 and Lamentations 3:37 both affirm that no human counsel or plan prevails apart from the LORD's ordaining.

Why it lands — The verse does not negate effort (9:10 commands it); it severs the link between effort and guaranteed outcome. The reader is asked to stop treating merit as a deposit that must cash out, and to hold achievement as received rather than earned.

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

שַׁ֜בְתִּיShav.tiI returned וְרָאֹ֣הve./ra.'Ohand/ I saw תַֽחַת־ta.chat-under הַשֶּׁ֗מֶשׁha./She.meshthe/ sun כִּ֣יkithat לֹא֩lo'not לַקַּלִּ֨יםla./ka.Lim[belongs] to the/ swift הַמֵּר֜וֹץha./me.Rotzthe/ race וְלֹ֧אve./Lo'and/ not לַגִּבּוֹרִ֣יםla./gi.bo.Rim[belongs] to the/ mighty [men]הַמִּלְחָמָ֗הha./mil.cha.Mahthe/ battle וְ֠גַםVe./gamand/ also לֹ֣אlo'not לַחֲכָמִ֥יםla./cha.kha.Mim[belongs] to <the>/ wise [people]לֶ֙חֶם֙le.chemfood וְגַ֨םve./Gamand/ also לֹ֤אlo'not לַנְּבֹנִים֙la./ne.vo.Nim[belongs] to the/ understanding עֹ֔שֶׁר'O.sherwealth וְגַ֛םve./Gamand/ also לֹ֥אlo'not לַיֹּדְעִ֖יםla/i.yo.de.'Im[belongs] to the/ knowledgeable חֵ֑ןChenfavor כִּי־ki-for עֵ֥ת'ettime וָפֶ֖גַעva./Fe.ga'and/ chance יִקְרֶ֥הyik.Rehit happens to אֶת־'et-<obj.>כֻּלָּֽם׃ku.La/mall of/ them

King James Version

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

Cross-references

Jeremiah 9:23 This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches.
Proverbs 21:30 There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.
Lamentations 3:37 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it?
Job 5:11 He sets the lowly on high, so that mourners are lifted to safety.
Ecclesiastes 3:17 I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every deed.”
Psalms 147:10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
Ecclesiastes 3:14 I know that everything God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God does it so that they should fear Him.
Amos 2:14 Escape will fail the swift, the strong will not prevail by his strength, and the mighty will not save his life.
Ephesians 1:11 In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,
2 Chronicles 20:15 And he said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle does not belong to you, but to God.