--- title: "Ecclesiastes 1 - Study King James Bible with clarkes commentary" description: "Read Ecclesiastes 1 with clarkes commentary commentary. 1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. 3 What prof" image: "/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg" url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/ecclesiastes/1" --- [ Read](/kjv/ecclesiastes/1)[ Commentary](/study/ecclesiastes/1)[ Interlinear](/interlinear/ecclesiastes/1) Audio 1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all *is* vanity. 3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? 4 *One* generation passeth away, and *another* generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. 5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.* 6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. 7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea *is* not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.* 8 All things *are* full of labour; man cannot utter *it:* the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. 9 The thing that hath been, it *is that* which shall be; and that which is done *is* that which shall be done: and *there is* no new *thing* under the sun. 10 Is there *any* thing whereof it may be said, See, this *is* new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. 11 *There is* no remembrance of former *things;* neither shall there be *any* remembrance of *things* that are to come with *those* that shall come after. 12 ¶ I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all *things* that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.* 14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all *is* vanity and vexation of spirit. 15 *That which is* crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.* 16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all *they* that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.* 17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. 18 For in much wisdom *is* much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. [Proverbs 31](/study/proverbs/31) [Ecclesiastes 2](/study/ecclesiastes/2) ## Commentary To verse 1 Verse [Ecclesiastes 1:1](/kjv/ecclesiastes/1/1). ***The words of the Preacher*** — Literally, "The words of Choheleth, son of David, king of Jerusalem." But the *Targum* explains it thus: "The words of the prophecy, which Choheleth prophesied; the same is Solomon, son of David the king, who was in Jerusalem. For when Solomon, king of Israel, saw by the spirit of prophecy that the kingdom of Rehoboam his son was about to be divided with Jeroboam, the son of Nebat; and the house of the sanctuary was about to be destroyed, and the people of Israel sent into captivity; he said in his word -*Vanity of vanities* is all that I have laboured, and David my father; they are *altogether vanity*." The word קהלת *Koheleth* is a feminine noun, from the root קהל *kahal*, to collect, gather together, assemble; and means, *she who* *assembles* or *collects a congregation*; translated by the *Septuagint*, εκκλησιαστης, a *public speaker, a speaker in an* *assembly*; and hence translated by us *a preacher*. In my old MS. 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