Chasing After Wind

Ecclesiastes opens with the words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Verse 2 sets the theme: Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. The Hebrew word, hebel, means breath or vapor. It describes what is fleeting and cannot be grasped. Verse 3 asks the book's question: What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?

Verses 4-11 describe the endless cycles of nature. The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hurries to its place where it rises. The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north. All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. All things are full of weariness beyond uttering. There is no new thing under the sun.

In verses 12-18 the Preacher tells of his search. I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the sky. His conclusion: all is vanity and a chasing after wind. For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. The phrase under the sun means life viewed only from earth. The Preacher's sad statements record his search; the book's final answer comes in chapter 12: Fear God and keep his commandments.