Ecclesiastes 1:2

In 11 translations

BSB

“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”Literally vapor or breath; the Hebrew words translated in Ecclesiastes as forms of futile or fleeting can also be translated as vanity or meaningless.

KJV

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

WEB

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

ASV

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

LSV

Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, vanity of vanities: the whole [is] vanity.

YLT

Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, Vanity of vanities: the whole [is] vanity.

DBY

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities! all is vanity.

DRC

Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes vanity of vanities, and all is vanity.

GNV

Vanitie of vanities, sayth the Preacher: vanitie of vanities, all is vanitie.

JPS

Vanity of vanities, saith Koheleth; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

LXXE

Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

Word by word Hebrew · tap a word

Words in brackets are English the glossers added; the Hebrew has no word for them, and they can carry a choice of tense or meaning.

Original-language editions

WLC

הֲבֵ֤ל הֲבָלִים֙ אָמַ֣ר קֹהֶ֔לֶת הֲבֵ֥ל הֲבָלִ֖ים הַכֹּ֥ל הָֽבֶל׃

LXX-Br

Ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, εἶπεν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς, ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, τὰ πάντα ματαιότης.

In the reference works topics that cite this verse

From public-domain Bible dictionaries and topical indexes (1884–1915).

Cross-references most cited first

• Psalms 144:4Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.
• Romans 8:20For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope
• Ecclesiastes 5:10He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile.
• Psalms 39:5–6You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah Surely every man goes about like a phantom; surely he bustles in vain; he…
• Ecclesiastes 12:8“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher. “Everything is futile!”
• Ecclesiastes 2:26To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is…
• Ecclesiastes 2:11Yet when I considered all the works that my hands had accomplished and what I had toiled to achieve, I found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind; there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
• Ecclesiastes 2:19And who knows whether that man will be wise or foolish? Yet he will take over all the labor at which I have worked skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.
• Ecclesiastes 2:17So 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.
• Ecclesiastes 2:23Indeed, all his days are filled with grief, and his task is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.
• Ecclesiastes 6:11For the more words, the more futility—and how does that profit anyone?
• Psalms 62:9–10Lowborn men are but a vapor, the exalted but a lie. Weighed on the scale, they go up; together they are but a vapor. Place no trust in extortion, or false hope in stolen goods. If your riches increase, do not set your…
• Ecclesiastes 4:8There 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…
• Ecclesiastes 2:21When 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.
• Ecclesiastes 3:19For the fates of both men and beasts are the same: As one dies, so dies the other—they all have the same breath. Man has no advantage over the animals, since everything is futile.
• Ecclesiastes 4:4I saw that all labor and success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

From the OpenBible.info cross-reference set (votes from readers; not every link is a quotation or allusion).