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.
Ecclesiastes is a wisdom book where "the Teacher" — writing in the voice of Solomon, Israel's famously wise king — wrestles honestly with what makes life meaningful. In this verse, he observes that those who please God receive wisdom, knowledge, and genuine happiness, while those who chase wealth for its own sake end up accumulating things that ultimately benefit someone else. But then he drops a surprising twist: even this observation he calls "meaningless, a chasing after the wind." The Hebrew word translated "meaningless" is "hebel," which literally means vapor or breath — something real but impossible to hold. He's not saying nothing matters; he's saying that even good outcomes, viewed from a purely human vantage point, can feel like grasping at smoke.
Lord, strip away the things I'm chasing that won't last. Give me the wisdom to want what you want for me — not just comfort and security, but real knowledge of you and genuine joy. Help me hold things loosely today. Amen.
There's a particular kind of exhaustion that comes not from working hard but from working for the wrong thing. The Teacher watched people spend entire lifetimes hoarding, accumulating, strategizing — and then saw it all dissolve or pass to someone else. What's quietly devastating about this verse is the twist at the end: even pointing that out feels futile. He doesn't offer a clean moral lesson. He just holds up the mirror and says, look at this. But underneath the weariness, there's something worth holding onto: the person who pleases God receives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness — not as rewards earned, but as gifts given. Not wealth, notice. Wisdom. Knowledge. Happiness. Things that can't be stored in a spreadsheet or a savings account or a retirement portfolio. So the question isn't whether life is hard — it is, and the Teacher would be the last person to pretend otherwise. The question is what you're actually chasing, and whether, when you finally catch it, it will still be there in your hand.
Based on the contrast the Teacher draws, what do you think he means by "pleasing God" — and what does it notably not include?
Have you ever worked hard for something — a job, a relationship, a goal — and felt surprisingly empty once you reached it? What did that teach you?
The Teacher calls even righteous outcomes "meaningless" at the end of this verse. How do you hold onto faith and purpose when even doing the right thing doesn't seem to add up to anything lasting?
In subtle ways, how does the pursuit of wealth or accumulation affect how you treat the people closest to you?
Name one thing you are currently chasing. Is it closer to wisdom and happiness, or closer to storing up things that may eventually slip through your fingers?
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Colossians 3:17
He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.
Proverbs 28:8
A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
Proverbs 13:22
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
John 16:24
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
Proverbs 3:18
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
Proverbs 3:13
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Colossians 3:16
Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
Isaiah 3:10
For to the person who pleases Him God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who pleases God. This too is vanity and chasing after the wind.
AMP
For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
ESV
For to a person who is good in His sight He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God's sight. This too is vanity and striving after wind.
NASB
To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
NIV
For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
NKJV
God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless — like chasing the wind.
NLT
God may give wisdom and knowledge and joy to his favorites, but sinners are assigned a life of hard labor, and end up turning their wages over to God's favorites. Nothing but smoke—and spitting into the wind.
MSG