The Meaning of Ecclesiastes 1:4 Explained

Ecclesiastes 1:4

KJV: One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

YLT: A generation is going, and a generation is coming, and the earth to the age is standing.

Darby: One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh, but the earth standeth for ever.

ASV: One generation goeth, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth for ever.

Discover Ecclesiastes 1:4

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Ecclesiastes 1:4?

MEANING: What does Ecclesiastes 1:4 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Ecclesiastes 1:4 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Ecclesiastes 1:4?

What is the context of Ecclesiastes 1:4?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

[One] generation passeth away, and [another] generation cometh {08676;0935:08804}: but the earth abideth for ever.

What does Ecclesiastes 1:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

No person is permanent on the earth. The earth remains, but people die and the next generation replaces them. The point is that since man is not permanent, it is obvious that his work cannot be, either. While a person"s work may outlive him or her (e.g, a skyscraper usually outlasts its builder), it will only last a little longer than he or she does. It, too, is only relatively permanent, not permanent as the earth is.

History does not answer the questions of ultimate meaning or purpose. These only come from divine revelation.

Context Summary

Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 - The Testimony Of An Unsatisfied Soul

All is vanity! This cry finds an echo in human hearts of every age and clime. Clod meant man to be happy. "These things," said our Lord, "I have spoken to you, that your joy may be full." "The fruit of the Spirit is joy." Yet the air is laden with complaint and bitterness. Men are asking constantly, "Is life worth living?" The present age is full of unrest and weariness, of war and strife, of unsatisfied yearnings and desires. The mistake is that men seek to solve the mystery of life and to find their happiness apart from God, who has made us for Himself.

This book was written and incorporated in the Bible to show that man's quest for happiness is vain, so long as it is apart from God. Solomon had unbounded opportunities for pursuing his quest. Youth, wealth, wisdom, royalty, human love were his, but when all were mixed in the golden cup of his life, he turned from the draught unsatisfied and sad. Listen to the sigh of the sated voluptuary: Vanity of vanities! Let us turn from these bitter experiences to 1 John 2:15-17. [source]

Chapter Summary: Ecclesiastes 1

¹ the preacher shows that all human courses are vain
⁴ because the creatures are restless in their courses
⁹ they bring forth nothing new, and all old things are forgotten
¹² and because he has found it so in the studies of wisdom

What do the individual words in Ecclesiastes 1:4 mean?

[One] generation passes away and [another] generation comes but the earth forever abides

דּ֤וֹר הֹלֵךְ֙ וְד֣וֹר בָּ֔א וְהָאָ֖רֶץ לְעוֹלָ֥ם עֹמָֽדֶת

דּ֤וֹר	[One] generation
Parse: Noun, masculine singular Root: דֹּור Sense: period, generation, habitation, dwelling.
הֹלֵךְ֙	passes away
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular Root: הָלַךְ Sense: to go, walk, come.
וְד֣וֹר	and [another] generation
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular Root: דֹּור Sense: period, generation, habitation, dwelling.
בָּ֔א	comes
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular Root: בֹּוא Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
וְהָאָ֖רֶץ	but the earth
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine singular Root: אֶרֶץ Sense: land, earth.
לְעוֹלָ֥ם	forever
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular Root: עֹולָם Sense: long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world.
עֹמָֽדֶת	abides
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular Root: עָמַד Sense: to stand, remain, endure, take one’s stand.

What are the major concepts related to Ecclesiastes 1:4?

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Similar Scriptures for Ecclesiastes 1:4

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		Matthew 24:35 [5]
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