Ecclesiastes 6:1There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy on men:
The setting
Jerusalem, ~950 BC. King Solomon, despite unprecedented wealth and wisdom, observes the bitter ironies of human existence from his palace overlooking the city.
The emotion here: profound disillusionment after experiencing everything
The original word
ra'ah (רָעָה) — not just bad, but a twisted perversion of what should be good
Why it matters
Solomon accumulated 666 talents of gold yearly — roughly $40 billion in today's currency
Read with care
What most readers miss in Ecclesiastes 6:1
The phrase 'heavy on men' uses the same Hebrew word for Adam — this evil weighs on all humanity
Common misconceptionPeople think Ecclesiastes is depressing, but Solomon is actually diagnosing our condition to point us toward what truly matters — this is spiritual medicine, not despair.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Ecclesiastes 6:1
Bible Genome reading
Ecclesiastes 6:1 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Ecclesiastes 6:1 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 grieving, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the wisdom genre of biblical literature. Key themes include vanity, suffering. Notable phrases: evil under the sun; heavy on men.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same grieving
“By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you…”
— Genesis 3:19
“Jesus wept.”
— John 11:35
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?”
— Psalms 22:1
“They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.”
— Psalms 22:18
“for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;”
— Romans 3:23
Your reflection
What does Ecclesiastes 6:1 mean to you, today?
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