The book of Ecclesiastes is unique and provocative as it states powerfully and repeatedly that everything is meaningless (“vanity”) without a proper focus on God. The book reveals the necessity of fearing God in a fallen and frequently confusing and frustrating world.

Examining Life

Socrates is known for his famous quip that the unexamined life is not worth living. The book of Ecclesiastes offers a poignant reflection on this point.

The book of Ecclesiastes is named after its central character, Qohelet (translated “the Preacher” in the ESV). Qoheleth is the Hebrew title that is translated Ekklēsiastēs in Greek.

Strictly speaking, the book is anonymous, given that no personal name is attached to it. Since Scripture is silent on the matter, we cannot be confident in identifying the Preacher. Either way, the book claims that its wisdom ultimately comes from the “one Shepherd” (Eccl. 12:11), the Lord himself (Gen. 48:15; Ps. 23:1; 28:9; 80:1).

Ecclesiastes Is Unique and Provocative

The book of Ecclesiastes is unique and provocative as it states powerfully and repeatedly that everything is meaningless (“vanity”) without a proper focus on God. The book reveals the necessity of fearing God in a fallen and frequently confusing and frustrating world.

Humans seek lasting significance, but no matter how great their accomplishments, humans are unable to achieve the lasting significance they desire. What spoils life, according to Ecclesiastes, is the attempt to get more out of life—out of work, pleasure, money, food, and knowledge—than life itself can provide. This is not fulfilling and leads to weariness, which is why the book begins and ends with the exclamation “All is vanity.” This refrain is repeated throughout the entire book.

No matter how wise or rich or successful one may be, one cannot find meaning in life apart from God. In Ecclesiastes, the fact that “all is vanity” should drive all to fear God, whose work endures forever. God does what he will, and all beings and all of creation stand subject to him. Rather than striving in futile attempts to gain meaning on our own terms, what really is significant is taking pleasure in God and his gifts and being content with what little life has to offer and what God gives. In Ecclesiastes, while God is in the horizon of the Preacher’s thinking, God is not brought in as a solution to the meaninglessness with which the Preacher is struggling.

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