Ecclesiastes 2:18I hated all my labor in which I labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.
The setting
Jerusalem, ~950 BC. Solomon contemplates his vast building projects - the temple, his palace, the cities he built - knowing his son Rehoboam will inherit everything...
The emotion here: bitter frustration at the futility of human achievement
The original word
amal (עָמָל) — toilsome labor, the exhausting work that consumes a lifetime
Why it matters
Rehoboam actually did squander Solomon's kingdom, splitting it in two through foolish leadership
Read with care
What most readers miss in Ecclesiastes 2:18
Solomon is prophetically accurate - his son DID waste everything Solomon built
Common misconceptionPeople think this discourages hard work, but Solomon is questioning WHY we work - for ego or for God's glory.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Ecclesiastes 2:18
Bible Genome reading
Ecclesiastes 2:18 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Ecclesiastes 2:18 comes from the book of Ecclesiastes, written during the United Kingdom period. The setting is a royal palace. These words are attributed to Solomon. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include inheritance, labor, frustration. Notable phrases: I hated all my labor.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same angry
“Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'”
— Joel 3:10
“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!”
— Matthew 23:24
“Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husba…”
— Amos 4:1
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can't stand your solemn assemblies.”
— Amos 5:21
“Your eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
— Deuteronomy 19:21
Your reflection
What does Ecclesiastes 2:18 mean to you, today?
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