Ecclesiastes 2:12-17

Ecclesiastes 2:12-17

[12] And I turned  myself to behold  wisdom,  and madness,  and folly:  for what can the man  do that cometh  after  the king?  even that which hath been already  done.  [13] Then I saw  that  wisdom  excelleth  folly,  as far as light  excelleth  darkness.  [14] The wise man's  eyes  are in his head;  but the fool  walketh  in darkness:  and I myself perceived  also that one  event  happeneth  [15] Then  said  I in my heart,  As it happeneth  to the fool,  so it happeneth  even to me;  and why was I then more  wise?  Then I said  in my heart,  that this also is vanity.  [16] For 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.  [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. 

What does Ecclesiastes 2:12-17 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The king realized that few people would be able to check the results of his experiments. Few if any would have the resources he had at his disposal to duplicate his experiments ( Ecclesiastes 2:12).
Wisdom is better than folly in some respects, but neither provides a key to discovering real profit. Consequently, Solomon concluded that being wise only has temporary and limited advantages over being foolish. Ultimately there is not much difference. Both the wise man and the fool die, and their survivors forget them. "Grievous" (4:17 , Heb. ra) is the opposite of "advantage" ( Ecclesiastes 1:3, profit). It is loss. The fact that Solomon could find nothing in work or pleasure that could yield anything ultimately profitable led him to view life itself as distasteful and repugnant ( Ecclesiastes 2:17). [1]