King James Version

Ecclesiastes 2:15

Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.

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Hebrew

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וְאָמַ֨רְתִּֽיveamartiand sayאָמַרconjunction, verb, qal, perfect, 1st person, common, singular — “and say”, a completed actionH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…אֲנִ֜יanimineאֲנִיpronoun, personal, 1st person, common, singular — “mine”H589II, (as for) me, mine, myself, we, [idiom] which, [idiom] who.בְּלִבִּ֗יbelibiin comfortablyלֵבpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “in comfortably”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3820the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything[phrase] care for, comfortably, consent, [idiom] considered, courag(-eous), friend(-ly), ((broken-), (hard-), (merry-), (stiff-), (stout-), double) heart(-ed), [idiom] heed, [idiom] I, kindly, midst, mind(-ed), [idiom] regard(-ed), [idiom]…כְּמִקְרֵ֤הkemiqrehas something befallenמִקְרֶהpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “as something befallen”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH4745something met with, i.e. an accident or fortunesomething befallen, befalleth, chance, event, hap(-peneth).הַכְּסִיל֙haksilthe foolכְּסִילdefinite article, adjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “the fool”, the ordinary formH3684properly, fat, i.e. (figuratively) stupid or sillyfool(-ish).גַּםgamalsoגַּםparticle, affirmation — “also”H1571properly, assemblage; used only adverbially also, even, yea, though; often repeated as correl. both...andagain, alike, also, (so much) as (soon), both (so)...and, but, either...or, even, for all, (in) likewise (manner), moreover, nay...neither, one, then(-refore), though, what, with, yea.אֲנִ֣יanimineאֲנִיpronoun, personal, 1st person, common, singular — “mine”H589II, (as for) me, mine, myself, we, [idiom] which, [idiom] who.יִקְרֵ֔נִיyiqrenifloorקָרָהverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “floor”, an unfinished actionH7136to light upon (chiefly by accident); causatively, to bring about; specifically, to impose timbers (for roof or floor)appoint, lay (make) beams, befall, bring, come (to pass unto), floor, (hap) was, happen (unto), meet, send good speed.וְלָ֧מָּהvelamahand to howמָהconjunction, preposition, particle, interrogative — “and to how”H4100properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senseshow (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.חָכַ֛מְתִּיchakhamtibe wiseחָכַםverb, qal, perfect, 1st person, common, singular — “be wise”, a completed actionH2449to be wise (in mind, word or act)[idiom] exceeding, teach wisdom, be (make self, shew self) wise, deal (never so) wisely, make wiser.אֲנִ֖יanimineאֲנִיpronoun, personal, 1st person, common, singular — “mine”H589II, (as for) me, mine, myself, we, [idiom] which, [idiom] who.אָ֣זazat which timeאָזadverb — “at which time”H227at that time or place; also as a conjunction, thereforebeginning, for, from, hitherto, now, of old, once, since, then, at which time, yet.יוֹתֵ֑רyoteroverיוֹתֵרnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “over”, the ordinary formH3148properly, redundant; hence, over and above, as adjective, noun, adverb or conjunctionbetter, more(-over), over, profit.וְדִבַּ֣רְתִּיvedibartiand speakדָבַרconjunction, verb, piel, perfect, 1st person, common, singular — “and speak”, a completed actionH1696perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdueanswer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think, use (entreaties), utter, [idiom] well, [idiom] work.בְלִבִּ֔יvelibiin comfortablyלֵבpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “in comfortably”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3820the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything[phrase] care for, comfortably, consent, [idiom] considered, courag(-eous), friend(-ly), ((broken-), (hard-), (merry-), (stiff-), (stout-), double) heart(-ed), [idiom] heed, [idiom] I, kindly, midst, mind(-ed), [idiom] regard(-ed), [idiom]…שֶׁגַּםshegamwho alsoגַּםparticle, relative, adverb — “who also”H1571properly, assemblage; used only adverbially also, even, yea, though; often repeated as correl. both...andagain, alike, also, (so much) as (soon), both (so)...and, but, either...or, even, for all, (in) likewise (manner), moreover, nay...neither, one, then(-refore), though, what, with, yea.זֶ֖הzehthe one...the otherזֶהpronoun, demonstrative, masculine, singular — “the one...the other”H2088the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or thathe, [idiom] hence, [idiom] here, it(-self), [idiom] now, [idiom] of him, the one...the other, [idiom] than the other, ([idiom] out of) the (self) same, such (a one) that, these, this (hath, man), on this side...on that side, [idiom] thus,…הָֽבֶלhavelvanityהֶבֶלnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “vanity”, the ordinary formH1892emptiness or vanity; figuratively, something transitory and unsatisfactory; often used as an adverb[idiom] altogether, vain, vanity.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Then said I in my heart: 'As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise?' Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then said I in my heart, that this also is vanity.

Young’s Literal Translation

and I said in my heart, 'As it happeneth with the fool, it happeneth also with me, and why am I then more wise?' And I spake in my heart, that also this [is] vanity:

World English Bible

Then I said in my heart, “As it happens to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise?” Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

Darby Translation

And I said in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool so will it happen even to me; and why was I then so wise? Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

Douay-Rheims

And I said in my heart: If the death of the fool and mine shall be one, what doth it avail me, that I have applied myself more to the study of wisdom? And speaking with my own mind, I perceived that this also was vanity.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Then said I in my heart: 'As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise?' Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And I said in my heart, As the event of the fool is, so shall it be to me, even to me; and to what purpose have I gained wisdom? I said moreover in my heart, This is also vanity, because the fool speaks of his abundance.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ εἶπα ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, ὡς συνάντημα τοῦ ἄφρονος καί γε ἐμοὶ συναντήσεταί μοι, καὶ ἱνατί ἐσοφισάμην ἐγώ; περισσὸν ἐλάλησα ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, ὅτι καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης, διότι ὁ ἄφρων ἐκ περισσεύματος λαλεῖ·