King James Version

Ecclesiastes 2:17

Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

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Hebrew

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וְשָׂנֵ֨אתִי֙vesanetiand hateשָׂנֵאconjunction, verb, qal, perfect, 1st person, common, singular — “and hate”, a completed actionH8130to hate (personally)enemy, foe, (be) hate(-ful, -r), odious, [idiom] utterly.אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).הַ֣חַיִּ֔יםhachayimthe lifeחַיdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “the life”, the ordinary formH2416alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively[phrase] age, alive, appetite, (wild) beast, company, congregation, life(-time), live(-ly), living (creature, thing), maintenance, [phrase] merry, multitude, [phrase] (be) old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop.כִּ֣יkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “assured”H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexedand, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + til…רַ֤עrabadרַעadjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “bad”, the ordinary formH7451bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, [phrase] displease(-ure), distress, evil((-favouredness), man, thing), [phrase] exceedingly, [idiom] great, grief(-vous), harm, heavy, hurt(-ful), ill (favoured), [phrase] mark, mischief(-vous), misery…עָלַי֙alayaboveעַלpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…הַֽמַּעֲשֶׂ֔הhamaasehthe businessמַעֲשֶׂהdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the business”, the ordinary formH4639an action (good or bad); generally, a transaction; abstractly, activity; by implication, a product (specifically, a poem) or (generally) propertyact, art, [phrase] bakemeat, business, deed, do(-ing), labor, thing made, ware of making, occupation, thing offered, operation, possession, [idiom] well, (handy-, needle-, net-) work(ing, -manship), wrought.שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂ֖הshenaasahwho doעָשָׂהparticle, relative, verb, niphal, perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “who do”, a completed actionH6213to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationaccomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, [idiom] certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, [phrase] displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, f…תַּ֣חַתtachatwithתַּחַתpreposition — “with”H8478the bottom (as depressed); only adverbially, below (often with prepositional prefix underneath), in lieu of, etc.as, beneath, [idiom] flat, in(-stead), (same) place (where...is), room, for...sake, stead of, under, [idiom] unto, [idiom] when...was mine, whereas, (where-) fore, with.הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁhashameshthe sunשֶׁמֶשׁdefinite article, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “the sun”, the ordinary formH8121the sun; by implication, the east; figuratively, a ray, i.e. (architectural) a notched battlement[phrase] east side(-ward), sun (rising), [phrase] west(-ward), window. See also H1053 (בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ).כִּֽיkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “assured”H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexedand, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + til…הַכֹּ֥לhakolthe allכֹּלdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the all”, the ordinary formH3605properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).הֶ֖בֶלhevelvanityהֶבֶלnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “vanity”, the ordinary formH1892emptiness or vanity; figuratively, something transitory and unsatisfactory; often used as an adverb[idiom] altogether, vain, vanity.וּרְע֥וּתureutand vexationרְעוּתconjunction, noun, common, feminine, singular, construct — “and vexation”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH7469a feeding upon, i.e. grasping aftervexation.רֽוּחַruchaangerרוּחַnoun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “anger”, the ordinary formH7307wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions)air, anger, blast, breath, [idiom] cool, courage, mind, [idiom] quarter, [idiom] side, spirit(-ual), tempest, [idiom] vain, (whirl-) wind(-y).

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

So I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

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

American Standard Version (1901)

So I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

Young’s Literal Translation

And I have hated life, for sad to me [is] the work that hath been done under the sun, for the whole [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.

World English Bible

So I hated life, because the work that is worked under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

Darby Translation

And I hated life; for the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and pursuit of the wind.

Douay-Rheims

And therefore I was weary of my life, when I saw that all things under the sun are evil, and all vanity and vexation of spirit.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

So I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

So I hated life; because the work that was wrought under the sun was evil before me: for all is vanity and waywardness of spirit.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ ἐμίσησα σὺν τὴν ζωήν· ὅτι πονηρὸν ἐπʼ ἐμὲ τὸ ποίημα τὸ πεποιημένον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ὅτι πάντα ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος.