And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

ECCLESIASTES 3:13KJV
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Ecclesiastes 3:13 (KJV)

What does Ecclesiastes 3:13 mean?

Ecclesiastes 3:13 presents ordinary pleasures and the satisfaction gained from work as God’s gift. Eating, drinking, and finding good in one’s labor belong together in the speaker’s picture of human life.

Following the thought in verse 12, the speaker turns to the experience of “every man,” meaning people generally. The phrase “enjoy the good of all his labour” pictures someone taking pleasure in what comes from their work.

The Hebrew behind Ecclesiastes 3:13

  • “enjoy” — רָאָה (ra’ah): This word often means “see.” Here, seeing the good of one’s labor carries the sense of experiencing or enjoying that good.
  • “labour” — עָמָל (ʿamal): This word can mean toil or hard work. It points to the effort involved in producing what a person enjoys.
  • “gift” — מַתָּת (mattat): This word means a gift or something given. It marks the ability to eat, drink, and enjoy one’s labor as something received from God.

Why Ecclesiastes 3:13 matters

  • The verse joins work with enjoyment. The “good” is found in connection with a person’s labor, rather than being pictured as separate from ordinary work.
  • The gift is described in everyday terms. The speaker names food, drink, and the fruits of labor rather than an unusual or grand experience.
  • The nearby verses set this enjoyment alongside human limits. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says people cannot find out the whole of what God has done, while verse 13 speaks of pleasures people can experience.

Where else these words appear

“gift” Hebrew H4991 · used in 6 verses

  • 1 Kings 13:7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.
  • Proverbs 25:14 Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain.
  • Ezekiel 46:5 And the meat offering shall be an ephah for a ram, and the meat offering for the lambs as he shall be able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah.

“labour” Hebrew H5999 · used in 54 verses

  • Genesis 41:51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.
  • Psalms 55:10 Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it.
  • Ecclesiastes 2:24 There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.