King James Version

Ecclesiastes 2:19

And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.

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Hebrew

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וּמִ֣יumiand whoמִיconjunction, particle, interrogative — “and who”H4310who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffixany (man), [idiom] he, [idiom] him, [phrase] O that! what, which, who(-m, -se, -soever), [phrase] would to God.יוֹדֵ֗עַyodeaknowיָדַעverb, qal, participle, absolute — “know”, a verb used as a describing wordH3045to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including observation, care, recognition; and causatively, instruction, designation, punishment, etc.)acknowledge, acquaintance(-ted with), advise, answer, appoint, assuredly, be aware, (un-) awares, can(-not), certainly, comprehend, consider, [idiom] could they, cunning, declare, be diligent, (can, cause to) discern, discover, endued with…הֶֽחָכָ֤םhechakhamwise , manחָכָםparticle, interrogative, adjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “wise , man”, the ordinary formH2450wise, (i.e. intelligent, skilful or artful)cunning (man), subtil, (un-), wise((hearted), man).יִהְיֶה֙yihyehbeהָיָהverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “be”, an unfinished actionH1961to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.א֣וֹvoalsoאוֹconjunction — “also”H176desire (and so probably in Proverbs 31:4); hence (by way of alternative) or, also ifalso, and, either, if, at the least, [idiom] nor, or, otherwise, then, whether.סָכָ֔לsakhalfoolסָכָלnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “fool”, the ordinary formH5530sillyfool(-ish), sottish.וְיִשְׁלַט֙veyishlatand ruleשָׁלַטconjunction, verb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and rule”, an unfinished actionH7980to dominate, i.e. govern; by implication, to permit(bear, have) rule, have dominion, give (have) power.בְּכָלbekhalin allכֹּלpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “in all”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3605properly, 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).עֲמָלִ֔יamalitoilעָמָלnoun, common, both genders, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “toil”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH5999toil, i.e. wearing effort; hence, worry, wheth. of body or mindgrievance(-vousness), iniquity, labour, mischief, miserable(-sery), pain(-ful), perverseness, sorrow, toil, travail, trouble, wearisome, wickedness.שֶֽׁעָמַ֥לְתִּיsheamaltiwho labourעָמַלparticle, relative, verb, qal, perfect, 1st person, common, singular — “who labour”, a completed actionH5998to toil, i.e. work severely and with irksomeness(take) labour (in).וְשֶׁחָכַ֖מְתִּיveshechakhamtiand who be wiseחָכַםconjunction, particle, relative, verb, qal, perfect, 1st person, common, singular — “and who 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.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).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.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)

And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shown myself wise under the sun. 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)

And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

Young’s Literal Translation

And who knoweth whether he is wise or foolish? yet he doth rule over all my labour that I have laboured at, and that I have done wisely under the sun! this also [is] vanity.

World English Bible

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.

Darby Translation

And who knoweth whether he will be a wise [man] or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour at which I have laboured, and wherein I have been wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

Douay-Rheims

Whom I know not whether he will be a wise man or a fool, and he shall have rule over all my labours with which I have laboured and been solicitous: and is there any thing so vain?

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? and whether he will have power over all my labour in which I laboured, and wherein I grew wise under the sun? this is also vanity.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ τίς εἶδεν εἰ σοφὸς ἔσται ἢ ἄφρων; καὶ εἰ ἐξουσιάζεται ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ μου, ᾧ ἐμόχθησα καὶ ᾧ ἐσοφισάμην ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον; καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης.