Ecclesiastes 2:26

For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
giveth	נָתַ֛ן na.Tan	H5414	to give · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
man	לְאָדָם֙ le.'a.Dam	H120	ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species · preposition + noun, common masculine singular absolute
good	שֶׁטּ֣וֹב she.Tov	H2896	good (as an adjective) in the widest sense · relative particle + adjective, masculine singular absolute
sight	לְפָנָ֔יו le.fa.Nav	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
wisdom	חָכְמָ֥ה chokh.mah	H2451	wisdom (in a good sense) · noun, common feminine singular absolute
knowledge	וְדַ֖עַת ve.Da.'at	H1847	knowledge · conjunction + noun, common feminine singular absolute
joy	וְשִׂמְחָ֑ה ve.sim.Chah	H8057	blithesomeness or glee · conjunction + noun, common feminine singular absolute
sinner	וְלַחוֹטֶא֩ ve.la.cho.Te'	H2398	properly · conjunction + preposition with the article + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
giveth	נָתַ֨ן na.Tan	H5414	to give · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
travail	עִנְיָ֜ן 'in.Yan	H6045	ado · noun, common masculine singular absolute
gather	לֶאֱס֣וֹף le.'e.Sof	H622	to gather for any purpose · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
up	וְלִכְנ֗וֹס ve.likh.Nos	H3664	to collect · conjunction + preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
give	לָתֵת֙ la.Tet	H5414	to give · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
good	לְטוֹב֙ le.tOv	H2896	good (as an adjective) in the widest sense · preposition + adjective, masculine singular absolute
before	לִפְנֵ֣י lif.Nei	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
God	הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים ha.'E.lo.Him	H430	gods in the ordinary sense · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
vanity	הֶ֖בֶל He.vel	H1892	emptiness or vanity · noun, common masculine singular absolute
vexation	וּרְע֥וּת u.re.'Ut	H7469	a feeding upon · conjunction + noun, common feminine singular construct
spirit	רֽוּחַ Ru.ach	H7307	wind · noun, common feminine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Proverbs 13:22 A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
Job 27:16-17 Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;
Proverbs 28:8 He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.
Isaiah 3:10-11 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
John 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
2 Chronicles 31:20-21 And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the LORD his God.
Proverbs 3:13-18 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
Colossians 3:16-17 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, sing…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 2:17–end

Business is a thing that wise men have pleasure in. They are in their element when they are in their business, and complain if they be out of business. They may sometimes be tired with their business, but they are not weary of it, nor willing to leave it off. Here therefore one would expect to have found the good that men should do, but Solomon tried this too; after a contemplative life and a voluptuous life, he betook himself to an active life, and found no more satisfaction in it than in the other; still it is all vanity and vexation of spirit, of which he gives an account in these verses, where observe, I. What the business was which he made trial of; it was business under the sun (Ecc 2:…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ecclesiastes 2:26

True, literally, in the Jewish theocracy; and in some measure in all ages (Job 27:16-17; Pro 13:22; Pro 28:8). Though the retribution be not so visible and immediate now as then, it is no less real. Happiness even here is more truly the portion of the godly (Psa 84:11; Mat 5:5; Mar 10:29-30; Rom 8:28; Ti1 4:8). that he--the sinner may give--that is, unconsciously and in spite of himself. The godly Solomon had satisfaction in his riches and wisdom, when God gave them (Ch2 1:11-12). The backsliding Solomon had no happiness when he sought it in them apart from God; and the riches which he heaped up became the prey of Shishak (Ch2 12:9). Earthly pursuits are no doubt lawful in their proper…

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John Gill on Ecclesiastes 2:26

For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight,.... No man is of himself good, or naturally so, but evil, very evil, as all the descendants of Adam are; there are some that are good in their own eyes, and in the sight of others, and yet not truly good; they are only really good, who are so in the sight of God, who sees the heart, and knows what is in man; they are such who are made good by his efficacious grace; who are inwardly, and not merely outwardly so; who are good at heart, or who have good hearts, clean hearts, new and right spirits created in them; who have a good work of grace upon their hearts, and the several graces of the Spirit implanted there; who have the good Spirit of Go…

Dictionary and topics

Gifts From God · UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO BOTH TEMPORAL AND SPIRITUAL — UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO BOTH TEMPORAL AND SPIRITUAL
Gifts Of God, The · Are dispensed according to his will — Are dispensed according to his will
Joy · 2:11;4:7;5:11;9:2,14;13:5;14:7;16:5,6,8,9,11;17:15;19:8;20:5;21:1,6;28:7;30:5,11,12;32:1,2,11;33:21;35:9;36:8;40:16;42:4;43:4;45:15;46:4;51:8,12;53:6;63:5-7,11;64:10;68:3;69:32;70:4;71:23;85:6;89:15,16;97:11,12;100:1,2;104:34;105:3,43;119:1,2,14,16,55,111,162,165;126:5,6;132:16;138:5;149:2,5; — 2:11;4:7;5:11;9:2,14;13:5;14:7;16:5,6,8,9,11;17:15;19:8;20:5;21:1,6;28:7;30:5,11,12;32:1,2,11;33:21;35:9;36:8;40:16;42:4;43:4;45:15;46:4;51:8,12;53:6;63:5-7,11;64:10;68:3;69:32;70:4;71:23;85:6;89:15,16;97:11,12;100:1,2;104:34;105:3,43;119:1,2,14,16,55,111,162,165;126:5,6;132:16;138:5;149:2,5;
Riches · The wicked: Heap up — The wicked: Heap up
Vanity · Heaping up riches is — Heaping up riches is

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Ecclesiastes 2:26

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 2:17–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ecclesiastes 2:26

John Gill on Ecclesiastes 2:26

Dictionary and topics

Ecclesiastes 2:26

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 2:17–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ecclesiastes 2:26

John Gill on Ecclesiastes 2:26

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Ecclesiastes 2:26–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Ecclesiastes 2:26

Rashi on Ecclesiastes 2:26