Ecclesiastes 3:22 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Ecclesiastes 3:22
Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?
to see · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 1st person common singular
better
טוֹב֙tOv
H2896
good (as an adjective) in the widest sense · adjective, masculine singular absolute
man
הָאָדָם֙ha.'a.Dam
H120
ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
rejoice
יִשְׂמַ֤חyis.Mach
H8055
probably to brighten up · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
works
בְּֽמַעֲשָׂ֔יוbe.ma.'a.Sav
H4639
an action (good or bad) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
portion
חֶלְק֑וֹchel.Ko
H2506
properly · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
bring
יְבִיאֶ֙נּוּ֙ye.vi.'E.nu
H935
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · verb, hiphil imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
see
לִרְא֔וֹתlir.'ot
H7200
to see · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
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
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…
Ecclesiastes 3:11-12 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God mak…
Ecclesiastes 6:12 For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what…
Ecclesiastes 8:7 For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?
Ecclesiastes 10:14 A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?
Ecclesiastes 11:9 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the s…
Philippians 4:4-5 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and thi…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 3:16–end
Solomon is still showing that every thing in this world, without piety and the fear of God, is vanity. Take away religion, and there is nothing valuable among men, nothing for the sake of which a wise man would think it worth while to live in this world. In these verses he shows that power (than which there is nothing men are more ambitious of) and life itself (than which there is nothing men are more fond, more jealous of) are nothing without the fear of God.
I. Here is the vanity of man as mighty, man in his best estate, man upon the throne, where his authority is submitted to, man upon the judgment-seat, where his wisdom and justice are appealed to, and where, if he be governed by the law…
(Compare Ecc 3:12; Ecc 5:18). Inculcating a thankful enjoyment of God's gifts, and a cheerful discharge of man's duties, founded on fear of God; not as the sensualist (Ecc 11:9); not as the anxious money-seeker (Ecc 2:23; Ecc 5:10-17).
his portion--in the present life. If it were made his main portion, it would be "vanity" (Ecc 2:1; Luk 16:25).
for who, &c.--Our ignorance as to the future, which is God's "time" (Ecc 3:11), should lead us to use the present time in the best sense and leave the future to His infinite wisdom (Mat 6:20, Mat 6:25, Mat 6:31-34).
Next: Ecclesiastes Chapter 4
John Gill on Ecclesiastes 3:22
Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his own works,.... The Targum is, "in his good works"; not as justifying him before God, but as vindicating him before men, from unjust censures and charges: rather the sense is, that this is the wise man's conclusion, and this his sentiment, upon the whole; that there is nothing better for a man, than cheerfully to enjoy the fruit of his labours; to eat and drink in moderation, freely, joyfully, and thankfully; and make use of his riches, power, and authority, for his own good, the good of his family for the present, and the good of his fellow creatures; see Ecclesiastes 2:21;
for that is his portion; what…
"I therefore observed that there is nothing better for man than to be happy in what he is doing, for that is his lot. For who can enable him to see what will be after him? " Instead of that which we have as "to see what will be after him", Symmachus interprets it more clearly saying, "so that he sees those things which will be after these ones". Therefore nothing is good in life, unless a man is happy in his work, doing acts of sympathy, and obtaining his future reward in the realm of heaven. We have this one lot, which nor neither thief nor robber values, nor any tyrant has the power to take away, and which follows us after our death. And we will not be able to enjoy our toil again when this life will be over, or know what things will be afterwards in the world. Another explanation of this is: I am disturbed by the wickedness of what I have said above, that I think there is no difference between men and beasts, and I have been led into this opinion by wrong conclusions, so that I said nothing else was good, except grasping ones present desire. Nor when death has destroyed us is it possible to enjoy these things, which we, ungrateful, leave behind. Some have referred to that understanding because it says, "for who leads him, so that he sees those things, which will be after him", so that they say, "it is better for a man to enjoy his work" because it is only this that he is able to take away with him from his possessions. For when death comes he will not know what kind of heir he will die with, whether worthy or unworthy, who will enjoy his wealth.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Keil & Delitzsch on Ecclesiastes 3:22–end
"Thus I then saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his works, for that is his portion; for who can bring him to this, that he gains an insight into that which shall be after him?" Hengstenberg, who has decided against the interrog. signification of the twice-repeated ה in Ecc 3:21, now also explains אהריו ... בּמה, not: What shall become of him after it (his death)? but: What further shall be done after the state in which he now finds himself? Zckler, although rightly understanding both ה as well as אחריו (after him = when he will be separated, or separates from this life, Ecc 7:14; Ecc 9:3; cf. Gen 24:67), yet proceeds on that explanation of Hengstenberg's, and…
happy in their work: Work now stands alone as a source of enjoyment, apart from food and drink (cp. 2:24-25; 3:12-13).
Rashi on Ecclesiastes 3:22
I perceived. In all of these.
That there is nothing better. For man.
That man should rejoice in his work. He should rejoice and eat in the toil of his hands, but not to widen his desire like the grave, to covet riches, to accumulate that which is not rightfully his.
For that is his lot. The toil of his hands, that is the portion given him from Heaven, and with it he should rejoice.
For who will bring him to see. After he dies, what his children will have; if they, too, will be successful with the wealth that he accumulated and left over for them, or whether they will not prosper.43Alternatively, for who will bring him to see the reward and punishment after death.
