Verse 11

Yet 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.”

Referenced Verses

  • Eccl 1:14 : 14 I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile– like chasing the wind!
  • Eccl 1:3 : 3 Futility Illustrated from Nature What benefit do people get from all the effort which they expend on earth?
  • 1 John 2:16-17 : 16 because all that is in the world(the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away with all its desires, but the person who does the will of God remains forever.
  • Gen 1:31 : 31 God saw all that he had made– and it was very good! There was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.
  • Exod 39:43 : 43 Moses inspected all the work– and they had done it just as the LORD had commanded– they had done it exactly– and Moses blessed them.
  • Eccl 2:17-23 : 17 So I loathed life because what happens on earth seems awful to me; for all the benefits of wisdom are futile– like chasing the wind. 18 Futility 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. 19 Who 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! 20 So I began to despair about all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so hard on earth. 21 For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; however, he must hand over the fruit of his labor as an inheritance to someone else who did not work for it. This also is futile, and an awful injustice! 22 Painful Days and Restless Nights What does a man acquire from all his labor and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth? 23 For all day long his work produces pain and frustration, and even at night his mind cannot relax! This also is futile!
  • Hab 2:13 : 13 Be sure of this! The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has decreed: The nations’ efforts will go up in smoke; their exhausting work will be for nothing.
  • 1 Tim 6:6 : 6 Now godliness combined with contentment brings great profit.