King James Version

Ecclesiastes 3:9

What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

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Hebrew

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מַהmahhowמָהparticle, interrogative — “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.יִּתְרוֹן֙yitronbetterיִתְרוֹןnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “better”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3504preeminence, gainbetter, excellency(-leth), profit(-able).הָֽעוֹשֶׂ֔הhaosehthe doעָשָׂהdefinite article, verb, qal, participle, absolute — “the do”, a verb used as a describing wordH6213to 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…בַּאֲשֶׁ֖רbaasherin becauseאֲשֶׁרpreposition, particle, relative — “in because”H834who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.[idiom] after, [idiom] alike, as (soon as), because, [idiom] every, for, [phrase] forasmuch, [phrase] from whence, [phrase] how(-soever), [idiom] if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), [idiom] though, [phrase] until, [phrase] whatsoever,…ה֥וּאhuas for herהוּאpronoun, personal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “as for her”H1931he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or arehe, as for her, him(-self), it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they, this, those, which (is), who.עָמֵֽלamelthat labourethעָמֵלadjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “that laboureth”, the ordinary formH6001toiling; concretely, a laborer; figuratively, sorrowfulthat laboureth, that is a misery, had taken (labour), wicked, workman.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

What profit hath he that worketh in that he laboureth?

Compare Public-Domain Translations

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

American Standard Version (1901)

What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth?

Young’s Literal Translation

What advantage hath the doer in that which he is labouring at?

World English Bible

What profit has he who works in that in which he labors?

Darby Translation

What profit hath he that worketh from that wherein he laboureth?

Douay-Rheims

What hath man more of his labour?

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

What profit hath he that worketh in that he laboureth?

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

What advantage has he that works in those things wherein he labours?

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Τίς περίσσεια τοῦ ποιοῦντος ἐν οἷς αὐτὸς μοχθεῖ;