Ecclesiastes 1:13
BSB · Public Domain (CC0)“And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!”
A short, plain-language explanation of Ecclesiastes 1:13 goes here — the kind of answer a reader (or an AI assistant) can quote in one breath. Original meaning coming soon.
“And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!”
Berean Standard Bible · Public Domain (CC0)“And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.”
King James Version · Public Domain“And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven: it is a sore travail that God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.”
American Standard Version · Public Domain“And I have given my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that hath been done under the heavens. It <FI>is<Fi> a sad travail God hath given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.”
Young's Literal Translation · Public DomainOther passages that echo Ecclesiastes 1:13 — 19 related verses from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Genesis 3:19By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground— because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
- Psalms 111:2Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
- Proverbs 2:2if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding,
- Proverbs 4:7Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom. And whatever you may acquire, gain understanding.
- Proverbs 18:1He who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment.
- Proverbs 18:15The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks it out.
- Proverbs 23:26My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes delight in my ways.
- Proverbs 25:2It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to search it out.
- Ecclesiastes 1:17So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.
- Ecclesiastes 2:23Indeed, all his days are filled with grief, and his task is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.
- Ecclesiastes 2:26To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
- Ecclesiastes 3:10I have seen the burden that God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them.
- Ecclesiastes 4:4I saw that all labor and success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
- Ecclesiastes 4:8There is a man all alone, without even a son or brother. And though there is no end to his labor, his eyes are still not content with his wealth: “For whom do I toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?” This too is futile—a miserable task.
- Ecclesiastes 7:25I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness.
- Ecclesiastes 8:9All this I have seen, applying my mind to every deed that is done under the sun; there is a time when one man lords it over another to his own detriment.
- Ecclesiastes 8:16When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the task that one performs on the earth—though his eyes do not see sleep in the day or even in the night—
- Ecclesiastes 12:12And by these, my son, be further warned: There is no end to the making of many books, and much study wearies the body.
- 1 Timothy 4:15Be diligent in these matters and absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.
Cross-reference data: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain) via OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).