The Meaning of Ecclesiastes 3:19 Explained

Ecclesiastes 3:19

KJV: For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

YLT: For an event is to the sons of man, and an event is to the beasts, even one event is to them; as the death of this, so is the death of that; and one spirit is to all, and the advantage of man above the beast is nothing, for the whole is vanity.

Darby: For what befalleth the children of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other, and they have all one breath; and man hath no pre-eminence above the beast: for all is vanity.

ASV: For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; and man hath no preeminence above the beasts: for all is vanity.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For that which befalleth  the sons  of men  befalleth  beasts;  even one thing  befalleth  them: as the one dieth,  so dieth  the other;  yea, they have all one  breath;  so that a man  hath no preeminence  above a beast:  for all [is] vanity. 

What does Ecclesiastes 3:19 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Ecclesiastes 3

1  by the necessary change of times, vanity is added to human travail
11  is an excellence in God's works
16  as for man, God shall judge his works hereafter, though here he be like a beast

What do the individual words in Ecclesiastes 3:19 mean?

For what happens to the sons of men and happens to animals and befalls one [thing] them as dies this [one] so dies this [one] and breath one surely they all have and advantage man over animals has no for all [is] vanity
כִּי֩ מִקְרֶ֨ה בְֽנֵי־ הָאָדָ֜ם וּמִקְרֶ֣ה הַבְּהֵמָ֗ה וּמִקְרֶ֤ה אֶחָד֙ לָהֶ֔ם כְּמ֥וֹת זֶה֙ כֵּ֣ן מ֣וֹת זֶ֔ה וְר֥וּחַ אֶחָ֖ד לַכֹּ֑ל וּמוֹתַ֨ר הָאָדָ֤ם מִן־ הַבְּהֵמָה֙ אָ֔יִן כִּ֥י הַכֹּ֖ל הָֽבֶל

מִקְרֶ֨ה  what  happens  to 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִקְרֶה  
Sense: unforeseen meeting or event, accident, happening, chance, fortune.
בְֽנֵי־  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
הָאָדָ֜ם  of  men 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
וּמִקְרֶ֣ה  and  happens  to 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִקְרֶה  
Sense: unforeseen meeting or event, accident, happening, chance, fortune.
הַבְּהֵמָ֗ה  animals 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: בְּהֵמָה  
Sense: beast, cattle, animal.
וּמִקְרֶ֤ה  and  befalls 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִקְרֶה  
Sense: unforeseen meeting or event, accident, happening, chance, fortune.
אֶחָד֙  one  [thing] 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: אֶחָד  
Sense: one (number).
כְּמ֥וֹת  as  dies 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מָוֶת  
Sense: death, dying, Death (personified), realm of the dead.
זֶה֙  this  [one] 
Parse: Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
כֵּ֣ן  so 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֵּן 
Sense: so, therefore, thus.
מ֣וֹת  dies 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מָוֶת  
Sense: death, dying, Death (personified), realm of the dead.
זֶ֔ה  this  [one] 
Parse: Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
וְר֥וּחַ  and  breath 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common singular
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
אֶחָ֖ד  one 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: אֶחָד  
Sense: one (number).
לַכֹּ֑ל  surely  they  all  have 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
וּמוֹתַ֨ר  and  advantage 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֹותָר  
Sense: pre-eminence, abundance, profit, superiority.
הָאָדָ֤ם  man 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
מִן־  over 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
הַבְּהֵמָה֙  animals 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: בְּהֵמָה  
Sense: beast, cattle, animal.
אָ֔יִן  has  no 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
הָֽבֶל  [is]  vanity 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: הֶבֶל  
Sense: vapour, breath.