Ecclesiastes 2:18-21

Ecclesiastes 2:18-21

[18] 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  [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.  [20] Therefore I went about  my heart  to despair  of all the labour  which I took  under the sun.  [21] For there is  a man  whose labour  is in wisdom,  and in knowledge,  and in equity;  yet to a man  that hath not laboured  therein shall he leave  it for his portion.  This also is vanity  and a great  evil. 

What does Ecclesiastes 2:18-21 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Solomon viewed all his labor during his lifetime ("under the sun," Ecclesiastes 2:18) with despair, because there was no real permanence to its fruits. He could not take them with him.
"A Jewish proverb says, "There are no pockets in shrouds."" [1]
Solomon would have no control over what he had accumulated or accomplished after he died, either ( Ecclesiastes 2:19). The idea so common today that a good job is more desirable than a bad job because it yields benefits the worker can enjoy is a very short-sighted, selfish view. It seems to contradict Solomon"s conclusion, but it does not. Solomon"s perspective was much broader and more altruistic. He was thinking about what long-range changes for good could come out of all human toil.