Ecclesiastes 4:16

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

There is no end to all the people who were before them, yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Additional Resources

Other Translations

  • King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

    There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

  • KJV1611 – Modern English

    There is no end of all the people, even of all who have been before them; they also that come after will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

  • King James Version 1611 (Original)

    There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

  • American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

    There was no end of all the people, even of all them over whom he was: yet they that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

  • King James Version with Strong's Numbers

    There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

  • Coverdale Bible (1535)

    As for the people that haue bene before him, and that come after him, they are innumerable: yet is not their ioye the greater thorow him. This is also a vayne thinge and a vexacion of mynde.

  • Geneva Bible (1560)

    There is none ende of all the people, nor of all that were before them, and they that come after, shall not reioyce in him: surely this is also vanitie and vexation of spirit.

  • Bishops' Bible (1568)

    As for the people that haue ben before him, and that come after him, they are innumerable, and they that come after him shall not reioyce in him: This is also a vayne thyng, and vexation of mynde.

  • Authorized King James Version (1611)

    [There is] no end of all the people, [even] of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.

  • Webster's Bible (1833)

    There was no end of all the people, even of all them over whom he was--yet those who come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

  • Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

    there is no end to all the people, to all who were before them; also, the latter rejoice not in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

  • American Standard Version (1901)

    There was no end of all the people, even of all them over whom he was: yet they that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

  • American Standard Version (1901)

    There was no end of all the people, even of all them over whom he was: yet they that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

  • Bible in Basic English (1941)

    There was no end of all the people, of all those whose head he was, but they who come later will have no delight in him. This again is to no purpose and desire for wind.

  • World English Bible (2000)

    There was no end of all the people, even of all them over whom he was--yet those who come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

  • NET Bible® (New English Translation)

    There is no end to all the people nor to the past generations, yet future generations will not rejoice in him. This also is profitless and like chasing the wind.

Referenced Verses

  • Eccl 1:14 : 14 I have seen all the deeds that are done under the sun; they are all meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
  • Eccl 2:11 : 11 Yet when I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, behold, everything was meaningless—a chasing after the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.
  • Eccl 2:17 : 17 So I hated life, because the work done under the sun was grievous to me. For everything is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
  • Eccl 2:26 : 26 To the person who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner, He gives the task of gathering and storing wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
  • Judg 9:19-20 : 19 if you have acted faithfully and sincerely toward Jerubbaal and his family today, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. 20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth-Millo, and let fire come out from the leaders of Shechem and Beth-Millo and consume Abimelech.
  • 2 Sam 15:12-13 : 12 While he was offering the sacrifices, Absalom also sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his hometown of Giloh. And the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept increasing. 13 Then a messenger came to David and reported, 'The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.'
  • 2 Sam 18:7-8 : 7 There, the army of Israel was defeated by David's servants, and the casualties were heavy that day—twenty thousand men. 8 The battle spread over the entire area, and more men were consumed by the forest than by the sword that day.
  • 2 Sam 19:9 : 9 So the king got up and sat in the gateway. When the people were told, "The king is sitting in the gateway," they all came before him. Meanwhile, the Israelites fled to their homes.
  • 1 Kgs 1:5-7 : 5 Adonijah, the son of Haggith, exalted himself, saying, "I will become king." He acquired chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run ahead of him. 6 His father had never rebuked him by asking, "Why have you done this?" Adonijah was also very handsome, and he was born after Absalom. 7 Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and Abiathar the priest, and they supported him.
  • 1 Kgs 1:40 : 40 All the people went up after him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such great joy that the ground shook from the sound.
  • 1 Kgs 12:10-16 : 10 The young men who had grown up with him replied, "Here is what you should tell these people who have said to you, 'Your father made our yoke heavy; now lighten it for us': Tell them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. 11 Now, my father laid a heavy yoke on you, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips; I will discipline you with scorpions.'" 12 Three days later, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had instructed them, saying, "Come back to me on the third day." 13 But the king answered the people harshly, rejecting the advice given to him by the elders. 14 He said to them, "My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father disciplined you with whips; I will discipline you with scorpions." 15 So the king refused to listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word spoken by the LORD through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat. 16 When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king: "What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse's son? To your tents, Israel! Look after your own house, David!" So the Israelites went home.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • Eccl 2:11-12
    2 verses
    82%

    11Yet when I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, behold, everything was meaningless—a chasing after the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.

    12So I turned my attention to consider wisdom, madness, and folly. For what can anyone do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done.

  • Eccl 4:7-8
    2 verses
    81%

    7Again, I turned and saw meaninglessness under the sun.

    8There was a man all alone. He had no son or brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. 'For whom am I toiling,' he asked, 'and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?' This too is meaningless—a miserable business!

  • Eccl 1:14-15
    2 verses
    81%

    14I have seen all the deeds that are done under the sun; they are all meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

    15What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.

  • Eccl 1:8-11
    4 verses
    81%

    8All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.

    9What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

    10Is there anything of which one can say, 'Look! This is something new'? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.

    11No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.

  • Eccl 4:2-4
    3 verses
    80%

    2And I praised the dead who had already died, more than the living who are still alive.

    3But better than both is the one who has not yet been born, who has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.

    4And I saw that all toil and all skill in work are driven by one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

  • Eccl 12:8
    80%

    8'Utter futility,' says the Teacher. 'Everything is futile!'

  • Eccl 2:15-23
    9 verses
    79%

    15Then I said in my heart, 'What happens to the fool will also happen to me. So why have I been so very wise?' And I concluded in my heart, 'This too is meaningless.'

    16For the wise, like the fool, will not be remembered forever; in the days to come, everything will be forgotten. How does the wise person die? Just like the fool!

    17So I hated life, because the work done under the sun was grievous to me. For everything is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

    18I hated all my toil under the sun because I must leave it to the one who comes after me.

    19And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will rule over all the fruit of my labor that I have worked for under the sun. This too is meaningless.

    20So I turned my heart to despair over all the hard work with which I had labored under the sun.

    21For there is a person who labors with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, but then must leave everything to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.

    22What does a person gain from all their labor and from the striving of their heart under the sun?

    23All their days are full of sorrow, and their work is filled with grief; even at night their mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.

  • Eccl 1:2-4
    3 verses
    79%

    2“Utterly meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”

    3What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?

    4Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

  • Eccl 5:16
    79%

    16Throughout his days, he eats in darkness, with great frustration, sickness, and anger.

  • Eccl 4:15
    79%

    15I saw all the living who walk under the sun following the youth, the second one, who replaces him.

  • Eccl 6:9-12
    4 verses
    78%

    9Better is what the eyes see than the wandering of desire. This too is meaningless and a chasing after the wind.

    10Whatever exists has already been given its name, and it is known what mankind is; no one can contend with someone who is stronger.

    11The more words, the more meaningless—and what advantage does that bring to anyone?

    12For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few days of their fleeting life? They pass like a shadow. Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?

  • Eccl 3:22
    77%

    22So I saw that there is nothing better than for a person to rejoice in their work, for that is their lot. Who can bring them to see what will happen after them?

  • Eccl 11:8
    77%

    8For if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in all of them, but let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. All that comes is meaningless.

  • Eccl 3:19-20
    2 verses
    76%

    19For the fate of humans and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; they all have the same breath, and humans have no advantage over animals, for everything is meaningless.

    20All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.

  • Eccl 8:10
    76%

    10Then I saw the wicked buried, who used to go in and out of the holy place, but now they are forgotten in the city where they acted this way. This too is meaningless.

  • Ps 39:6
    75%

    6Behold, You have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before You. Surely, every man is but a breath. Selah.

  • Eccl 8:14
    75%

    14There is a futility that takes place on the earth: righteous people receive what the wicked deserve, and wicked people receive what the righteous deserve. I said, 'This too is vanity.'

  • Eccl 8:17
    75%

    17then I saw all the work of God, that no one can understand the work that is done under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can comprehend it. Even if the wise claim to know, they cannot truly understand it.

  • Eccl 3:12
    75%

    12I know that there is nothing better for people than to rejoice and to do good while they live.

  • Eccl 9:3
    74%

    3This is the distressing thing about everything that happens under the sun: the same fate befalls all. Moreover, the hearts of humans are full of evil, and madness resides in their hearts during their lives; and after that, they join the dead.

  • Eccl 9:6
    74%

    6Their love, their hatred, and their envy have already vanished, and they will never again have a part in anything that happens under the sun.

  • Eccl 3:15
    73%

    15Whatever has already been, and what will be has already been; and God seeks what has been pursued.

  • Eccl 6:6-7
    2 verses
    73%

    6Even if someone lives a thousand years twice over but does not enjoy their prosperity, do not all go to the same place?

    7All human toil is for their mouth, yet their appetite is never satisfied.

  • Eccl 2:25-26
    2 verses
    73%

    25For who can eat or who can enjoy life apart from Him?

    26To the person who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner, He gives the task of gathering and storing wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

  • Eccl 1:17
    73%

    17Then I set my heart to understand wisdom, as well as madness and folly, but I learned that this too is a chasing after the wind.

  • Eccl 6:4
    73%

    4For it comes in vain and departs in darkness, and its name is covered in darkness.