Ecclesiastes 1:2

Vanity of vanities. Heb. habel habalim. These words state the subject of the entire book and constitute the theme of the preface. Hebel, “vanity,” occurs 37 times in Ecclesiastes and but 33 times elsewhere in the OT. Its primary meaning is “breath,” or “vapor.” It is used of “idols” as things vain and worthless, and also of their worship (2 Kings 17:15; Jer. 2:5; 10:8). Some say that in Ecclesiastes there is not a word against idolatry, yet this very key word of the book is one often used of idols and their worship. The Preacher says that anything man may seek in place of God and obedience to Him is “vanity.”

Habel habalim is a superlative comparable to such emphatic expressions as “heaven of heavens” (1 Kings 8:27) and “song of songs” (S. of Sol. 1:1). By this emphatic form, literally, “breath of breaths,” Solomon stresses the futility and unsatisfactory end of all human effort and life unless it be oriented toward God.

Saith. Literally, “said.” The Hebrew constantly employs the past tense where English usage requires the present or present perfect. The expression “saith the Preacher” is a reminder that Solomon is the speaker, and thus the author.

All is vanity. This could well be translated, “the sum total is vanity,” meaning that the world in its totality, including all life, is as it were but a breath and offers no promise of hope.