Ecclesiastes 1:9

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

What exists now is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing truly new on earth.

Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

  • Eccl 3:15 : 15 Whatever exists now has already been, and whatever will be has already been; for God will seek to do again what has occurred in the past.
  • Jer 31:22 : 22 How long will you vacillate, you who were once like an unfaithful daughter? For I, the LORD, promise to bring about something new on the earth, something as unique as a woman protecting a man!’”
  • Rev 21:1 : 1 A New Heaven and a New Earth Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more.
  • Rev 21:5 : 5 And the one seated on the throne said:“Look! I am making all things new!” Then he said to me,“Write it down, because these words are reliable and true.”
  • 2 Pet 2:1 : 1 The False Teachers’ Ungodly Lifestyle But false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. These false teachers will infiltrate your midst with destructive heresies, even to the point of denying the Master who bought them. As a result, they will bring swift destruction on themselves.
  • Eccl 6:10 : 10 The Futile Way Life Works Whatever has happened was foreordained, and what happens to a person was also foreknown. It is useless for him to argue with God about his fate because God is more powerful than he is.
  • Eccl 7:10 : 10 Do not say,“Why were the old days better than these days?” for it is not wise to ask that.
  • Isa 43:19 : 19 “Look, I am about to do something new. Now it begins to happen! Do you not recognize it? Yes, I will make a road in the wilderness and paths in the wastelands.
  • Eccl 2:12 : 12 Wisdom is Better than Folly Next, I decided to consider wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas. For what more can the king’s successor do than what the king has already done?

Similar Verses (AI)

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

  • Eccl 1:10-11
    2 verses
    92%

    10Is there anything about which someone can say,“Look at this! It is new!”? It was already done long ago, before our time.

    11No one remembers the former events, nor will anyone remember the events that are yet to happen; they will not be remembered by the future generations.

  • Eccl 3:14-16
    3 verses
    84%

    14God’s Sovereignty I also know that whatever God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken away from it. God has made it this way, so that men will fear him.

    15Whatever exists now has already been, and whatever will be has already been; for God will seek to do again what has occurred in the past.

    16The Problem of Injustice and Oppression I saw something else on earth: In the place of justice, there was wickedness, and in the place of fairness, there was wickedness.

  • Eccl 1:7-8
    2 verses
    81%

    7All the streams flow into the sea, but the sea is not full, and to the place where the streams flow, there they will flow again.

    8All this monotony is tiresome; no one can bear to describe it: The eye is never satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear ever content with hearing.

  • Eccl 1:13-15
    3 verses
    81%

    13I decided to carefully and thoroughly examine all that has been accomplished on earth. I concluded: God has given people a burdensome task that keeps them occupied.

    14I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile– like chasing the wind!

    15What is bent cannot be straightened, and what is missing cannot be supplied.

  • Eccl 4:15-16
    2 verses
    79%

    15I considered all the living who walk on earth, as well as the successor who would arise in his place.

    16There 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.

  • Eccl 2:11-12
    2 verses
    78%

    11Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it, I concluded:“All these achievements and possessions are ultimately profitless– like chasing the wind! There is nothing gained from them on earth.”

    12Wisdom is Better than Folly Next, I decided to consider wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas. For what more can the king’s successor do than what the king has already done?

  • Eccl 1:1-5
    5 verses
    78%

    1¶ Title The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:

    2Introduction: Utter Futility“Futile! Futile!” laments the Teacher,“Absolutely futile! Everything is futile!”

    3Futility Illustrated from Nature What benefit do people get from all the effort which they expend on earth?

    4A generation comes and a generation goes, but the earth remains the same through the ages.

    5The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries away to a place from which it rises again.

  • Eccl 6:9-12
    4 verses
    77%

    9It is better to be content with what the eyes can see than for one’s heart always to crave more. This continual longing is futile– like chasing the wind.

    10The Futile Way Life Works Whatever has happened was foreordained, and what happens to a person was also foreknown. It is useless for him to argue with God about his fate because God is more powerful than he is.

    11The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes. How does that benefit him?

    12For no one knows what is best for a person during his life– during the few days of his fleeting life– for they pass away like a shadow. Nor can anyone tell him what the future will hold for him on earth.

  • Eccl 8:16-17
    2 verses
    77%

    16Limitations of Human Wisdom When I tried to gain wisdom and to observe the activity on earth– even though it prevents anyone from sleeping day or night–

    17then I discerned all that God has done: No one really comprehends what happens on earth. Despite all human efforts to discover it, no one can ever grasp it. Even if a wise person claimed that he understood, he would not really comprehend it.

  • Eccl 3:10-12
    3 verses
    76%

    10I have observed the burden that God has given to people to keep them occupied.

    11God has made everything fit beautifully in its appropriate time, but he has also placed ignorance in the human heart so that people cannot discover what God has ordained, from the beginning to the end of their lives.

    12Enjoy Life in the Present I have concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they live,

  • Eccl 12:8
    75%

    8Concluding Refrain: Qoheleth Restates His Thesis“Absolutely futile!” laments the Teacher,“All of these things are futile!”

  • Eccl 4:3
    75%

    3But better than both is the one who has not been born and has not seen the evil things that are done on earth.

  • Eccl 3:1
    75%

    1A Time for All Events in Life For everything there is an appointed time, and an appropriate time for every activity on earth:

  • Eccl 9:1
    75%

    1Everyone Will Die So I reflected on all this, attempting to clear it all up. I concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God; whether a person will be loved or hated– no one knows what lies ahead.

  • Eccl 4:7-8
    2 verses
    75%

    7Labor Motivated by Greed So I again considered another futile thing on earth:

    8A man who is all alone with no companion, he has no children nor siblings; yet there is no end to all his toil, and he is never satisfied with riches. He laments,“For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is futile and a burdensome task!

  • Eccl 9:3
    75%

    3This is the unfortunate fact about everything that happens on earth: the same fate awaits everyone. In addition to this, the hearts of all people are full of evil, and there is folly in their hearts during their lives– then they die.

  • Eccl 6:1
    74%

    1Not Everyone Enjoys Life Here is another misfortune that I have seen on earth, and it weighs heavily on people:

  • Eccl 3:22
    74%

    22So I perceived there is nothing better than for people to enjoy their work, because that is their reward; for who can show them what the future holds?

  • Eccl 8:9
    74%

    9While applying my mind to everything that happens in this world, I have seen all this: Sometimes one person dominates other people to their harm.

  • Eccl 9:6
    74%

    6What they loved, as well as what they hated and envied, perished long ago, and they no longer have a part in anything that happens on earth.

  • Eccl 9:13
    74%

    13Most People Are Not Receptive to Wise Counsel This is what I also observed about wisdom on earth, and it is a great burden to me:

  • Eccl 9:10
    74%

    10Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, the place where you will eventually go.

  • Eccl 3:19
    74%

    19For the fate of humans and the fate of animals are the same: As one dies, so dies the other; both have the same breath. There is no advantage for humans over animals, for both are fleeting.

  • Eccl 2:17-20
    4 verses
    73%

    17So I loathed life because what happens on earth seems awful to me; for all the benefits of wisdom are futile– like chasing the wind.

    18Futility of Being a Workaholic So I loathed all the fruit of my effort, for which I worked so hard on earth, because I must leave it behind in the hands of my successor.

    19Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master over all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so wisely on earth! This also is futile!

    20So I began to despair about all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so hard on earth.

  • Eccl 2:22
    73%

    22Painful Days and Restless Nights What does a man acquire from all his labor and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth?

  • Eccl 8:14
    73%

    14Here is another enigma that occurs on earth: Sometimes there are righteous people who get what the wicked deserve, and sometimes there are wicked people who get what the righteous deserve. I said,“This also is an enigma.”

  • Eccl 2:24
    72%

    24Enjoy Work and its Benefits There is nothing better for people than to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in their work. I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment comes from God.

  • Eccl 5:16
    72%

    16This is another misfortune: Just as he came, so will he go. What did he gain from toiling for the wind?