For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?

ECCLESIASTES 2:22KJV
Know the Bible

Ecclesiastes 2:22 (KJV)

What does Ecclesiastes 2:22 mean?

Ecclesiastes 2:22 asks what lasting benefit a person really gains from all the hard work and inner struggles experienced during life “under the sun.” The verse highlights a sense of frustration and questioning about whether all human effort and worry actually lead to anything truly meaningful or lasting.

The speaker is traditionally understood to be Solomon, reflecting on his own life and addressing anyone who works hard in the world. In this part of Ecclesiastes, he is exploring the limits of human achievement and the emptiness that can come from striving after success, possessions, or wisdom without deeper purpose. The question is meant to provoke honest reflection about what people are really left with after all their toil and anxiety.

The Hebrew behind Ecclesiastes 2:22

  • The word “labour” (עָמָל, ʿamal) refers not just to work, but to burdensome or toilsome effort, often carrying a sense of hardship or weariness. This emphasizes that the verse is not about ordinary activity, but about exhausting, difficult striving.
  • “Vexation” (רַעְיוֹן, raʿyon) is a word for frustration, anxiety, or inner turmoil. It highlights that the struggle is not only physical but also emotional and mental.
  • “Heart” (לֵב, lev) in Hebrew often means the inner self or mind, not just feelings. The verse is asking about the deep, personal cost of striving, not just surface emotions.

Why Ecclesiastes 2:22 matters

  • This verse challenges the common belief that hard work always produces lasting value, urging readers to consider the true outcome of their efforts.
  • Ecclesiastes 2:22 is part of a larger argument in the book about the limits of human achievement and the search for meaning, connecting personal experience to universal questions.
  • The verse helps clarify that the book’s focus is not on condemning work itself, but on questioning the ultimate gain from work and worry when viewed from a purely earthly perspective.

Where else these words appear

“vexation” Hebrew H7475 · used in 3 verses

  • Ecclesiastes 1:17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
  • Ecclesiastes 4:16 There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

“hath” Hebrew H1933 · used in 6 verses

  • Genesis 27:29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
  • Nehemiah 6:6 Wherein was written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to these words.
  • Ecclesiastes 11:3 If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.

“laboured” Hebrew H6001 · used in 9 verses

  • Judges 5:26 She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples.
  • Job 20:22 In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: every hand of the wicked shall come upon him.
  • Ecclesiastes 3:9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

“wherein” Hebrew H1931 · used in 39 verses

  • Genesis 2:11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
  • Genesis 14:17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.
  • Joshua 10:13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.