Ecclesiastes 1:2

"Vanity of vanities" says the Preacher, "Vanity of vanities!", All is vanity"."Vanity of vanities" -"Utterly vain, utterly vain, everything is vain!" (Mof); "Emptiness, emptiness…all is empty" (NEB); "Futility of futilities" (Ber). "A wisp of vapour,. puff of wind,. mere breath-nothing you could get your hands on; the nearest thing to zero. That is the 'vanity' this book is about…..It will no longer mean simply what is slight and passing, but more ominously, what is pointless" (Kidner p. 22).

Primarily the word "vanity" means "breath", in contrast to that which is firm and enduring. Something which has no support. "transitory, evanescent, frail" (Gesenius p. 214). The phrase "vanity of vanities", means that which is most utterly vain, complete vanity, vanity in the highest degree. "futile, empty, meaninglessness, fleeting, pointless, unfulfilling, striving after wind" (Kidwell p. 10).

"All is vanity" -Early on in the book the writer makes it clear that spiritual realities aren't vain (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25). This is reinforced at the end of the book (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). In fact, in light of God's searching judgment, everything isn't vain, rather, everything matters!

Points To Note:

1 "Ecclesiastes is really intended to be. tract for the conversion of the self-sufficient intellectual; it compels him to discard his comfortable, self-flattering illusions and face honestly the instability of all those materialistic props on which he attempts to base his security. At the end of the road for the 'hard-headed' materialist lies death and physical dissolution" (Zond. Ency. p. 188). 2. "In other words, it is as if this wise, wealthy, and powerful king had undertaken. trial of Jesus' later challenge: 'What shall it profit. man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?' (Matthew 16:26). And so he set about gaining the whole world and the full enjoyment of all the pleasures and satisfaction that this life could give him" (Bible Difficulties, Archer, p. 255).

"All" -the next verse defines what Solomon means by "all". We are told "where" all is vanity.