🌀WEB · Ecclesiastes 2:21

What does Ecclesiastes 2:21 mean?

"For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skillfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil."

— Ecclesiastes 2:21 (World English Bible)

Surrounding context

18

I hated all my labor in which I labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.

19

Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

20

Therefore I began to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor in which I had labored under the sun.

21

For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skillfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

22

For what has a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, in which he labors under the sun?

23

For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.

24

There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

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