Ecclesiastes 1:3What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?
The setting
Jerusalem, ~935 BC. Solomon poses the question that haunts every worker: what's the point of all this effort? Modern Jerusalem, Israel.
The emotion here: exhausted from watching endless human striving with no lasting gain
The original word
yitron (יִתְרוֹן) — profit, advantage, what remains after costs are subtracted
Why it matters
Solomon employed 30,000 laborers just to cut timber in Lebanon — he knew about massive human effort
Read with care
What most readers miss in Ecclesiastes 1:3
The key phrase is 'under the sun' — he's talking about earthly-only perspective
Common misconceptionThis discourages hard work, but Solomon is actually asking us to work for the right reasons — eternal impact, not just earthly profit.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Ecclesiastes 1:3
Bible Genome reading
Ecclesiastes 1:3 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Ecclesiastes 1:3 comes from the book of Ecclesiastes, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Solomon. The dominant emotion in this verse is seeking, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the wisdom genre of biblical literature. Key themes include purpose, profit. Notable phrases: what does man gain; labor under the sun.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same seeking
“Pray without ceasing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
— Amos 5:24
“Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that …”
— Genesis 18:25
“Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know.”
— Jeremiah 33:3
“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evi…”
— Luke 11:4
Your reflection
What does Ecclesiastes 1:3 mean to you, today?
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