Ecclesiastes 2:18 Meaning
Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
Context Explained
16For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.
17Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
18Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
19And 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.
20Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.
Key Themes
Related Cross References
Ecclesiastes 3:22
Both verses reflect on the futility of labor and the inevitability of leaving it behind.
Matthew 6:19-20
Jesus teaches about storing treasures in heaven, contrasting with the futility of earthly labor.
1 Timothy 6:7
Paul reminds that we brought nothing into the world, echoing the theme of leaving labor behind.
Source: Ecclesiastes 2:18