Ecclesiastes 3:12

for a man to rejoice, and to do good There is no instance in O. T. language of the phrase "do good" being used, like the Greek εὖ πράττειν, in the sense of "prospering," or "enjoying one's self," and in ch. Ecclesiastes 7:20 it can only have its full ethical meaning, such as it has in Psalms 34:14; Psalms 37:3; Isaiah 38:3. On the whole, therefore, we are led to assign that meaning to it here. Over and above the life of honest labour and simple joys which had been recognised as good before, the seeker has learnt that "honesty is the best policy," that "doing good" (the term is more comprehensive in its range than our "beneficence") is in some sense the best way of getting good. It is not the highest ethical view of the end of life, but it was an advance on his previous conclusion.