17
And I hatedוְשָׂנֵאתִיlife,אֶת הַחַיִּיםforכִּיthe workהַמַּעֲשֶׂהthat is doneשֶׁנַּעֲשָׂהunderתַּחַתthe sunהַשָּׁמֶשׁwas badרַעto me,עָלַיforכִּיallהַכֹּלis vaporהֶבֶלand strivingוּרְעוּתafter wind.רוּחַ
Ecclesiastes 2:17
Study it in the app“And I hated life, for the work that is done under the sun was bad to me, for all is vapor and striving after wind.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Ecclesiastes 2:17, word by word
- And I hatedשָׂנֵאתִיsaneti
hate
To feel rejection and hostility toward someone, to the point of wishing him harm.
Where else “saneti” appears- lifeחַיִּיםchayim
life
The span and strength of being alive, which come from God.
Where else “chayim” appears- the workמַּעֲשֶׂהmaase
work
What someone does: his works, and especially what God does.
Where else “maase” appears- that is doneנַּעֲשָׂהnaasa
do
To carry out an act or to deal with someone in a certain way, for good or ill.
Where else “naasa” appears- the sunשָּׁמֶשׁshamesh
sun
The star that gives light and heat by day and marks the day and the year; "under the sun" means in this world.
Where else “shamesh” appears- was badרַעra
evil
What is evil, the opposite of good.
Where else “ra” appears- is vaporהֶבֶלhevel
vapor
A breath that passes and does not last; that brief is everything.
Where else “hevel” appears- and strivingרְעוּתreut
striving, chasing
Striving (from the root "to feed, shepherd"); in "chasing after wind": the effort to catch the wind.
Where else “reut” appears- after windרוּחַruach
wind
Moving air; also the four quarters of the horizon.
Where else “ruach” appears
The context
16For there is no remembrance of the wise man as with the senseless forever, since already in the days to come everything will be forgotten. And how the wise man dies just like the senseless!
17 · This verse (above)
18And I hated all my toil at which I toil under the sun, since I will leave it to the man who will be after me.