Ecclesiastes 2:12

In 11 translations

BSB

Then I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what more can the king’s successor do than what has already been accomplished?

KJV

¶ And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.even…: or, in those things which have been already done

WEB

I turned myself to consider wisdom, madness, and folly; for what can the king’s successor do? Just that which has been done long ago.

ASV

And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been done long ago.

LSV

And I turned to see wisdom, and madness, and folly, but what [is] the man who comes after the king? That which [is] already—they have done it!

YLT

And I turned to see wisdom, and madness, and folly, but what [is] the man who cometh after the king? that which [is] already — they have done it!

DBY

And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly; for what shall the man [do] that cometh after the king? — that which hath already been done.

DRC

I passed further to behold wisdom, and errors and folly, (What is man, said I, that he can follow the King his maker?)

GNV

And I turned to beholde wisedome, and madnes and follie: (for who is the man that will come after the King in things, which men nowe haue done?)

JPS

And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness and folly; for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.

LXXE

Then I looked on to see wisdom, and madness, and folly: for who is the man who will follow after counsel, in all things wherein he employs it?

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

וּפָנִ֤יתִֽי אֲנִי֙ לִרְא֣וֹת חָכְמָ֔ה וְהוֹלֵל֖וֹת וְסִכְל֑וּת כִּ֣י ׀ מֶ֣ה הָאָדָ֗ם שֶׁיָּבוֹא֙ אַחֲרֵ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־כְּבָ֖ר עָשֽׂוּהוּ׃

LXX-Br

Καὶ ἐπέβλεψα ἐγὼ τοῦ ἰδεῖν σοφίαν καὶ παραφορὰν καὶ ἀφροσύνην, ὅτι τίς ἄνθρωπος ὅς ἐπελεύσεται ὀπίσω τῆς βουλῆς; τὰ ὅσα ἐποίησεν αὐτήν.

In the reference works topics that cite this verse

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

Cross-references most cited first

• Ecclesiastes 1:17So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.
• Ecclesiastes 7:25I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness.
• Ecclesiastes 1:9–10What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.

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