Bible study online

Ecclesiastes 1:9

King James Version (KJV)

“In our prayers we talk to God, in our Bible study God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”
— D.L. Moody

Ecclesiastes 1:9

Verse 9 of 18

Scripture focus

The thing that hath been, it [is that] which shall be; and that which is done [is] that which shall be done: and [there is] no new [thing] under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 — KJV

Commentary

Commentary on Ecclesiastes 1:9

Theological / Devotional

The thing. The clause reads literally, “That which has been, that is what shall be.” This is a reference to the changeless cycles of nature, repeated in obedience to the laws ordained of God. The LXX and the Vulgate translate this and the following clause incorrectly as questions.

No new thing. No variation, that is, in the endless cycles of nature. Having witnessed one cycle, man has seen all of them, and each blends imperceptibly into another that is different in no way. The cycles seem not to lead on to any greater objective than self-perpetuation.

By SdaBc