The Meaning of Ecclesiastes 2:18 Explained

Ecclesiastes 2:18

KJV: Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

YLT: And I have hated all my labour that I labour at under the sun, because I leave it to a man who is after me.

Darby: And I hated all my labour wherewith I had been toiling under the sun, because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

ASV: And I hated all my labor wherein I labored under the sun, seeing that I must leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Yea, I hated  all my labour  which I had taken  under the sun:  because I should leave  it unto the man  that shall be after  me. 

What does Ecclesiastes 2:18 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Thus far, Solomon had reflected on the futility of all human endeavor generally ( Ecclesiastes 1:3-11), and the futility of human achievement ( Ecclesiastes 1:12-15) and his own achievements in particular ( Ecclesiastes 2:1-17). Next, he turned to an evaluation of labor, his own ( Ecclesiastes 2:18-20), as well as that of all other people ( Ecclesiastes 2:21 to Ecclesiastes 6:9). What he described in this section did not require a privileged position; it can be observed by anyone.

Chapter Summary: Ecclesiastes 2

1  the vanity of human courses is the work of pleasure
12  Though the wise be better than the fool, yet both have one event
18  The vanity of human labor, in leaving it they know not to whom
24  Nothing better than joy in our labor but that is God's gift

What do the individual words in Ecclesiastes 2:18 mean?

And hated I - all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun because I must leave it to the man who will come after me
וְשָׂנֵ֤אתִֽי אֲנִי֙ אֶת־ כָּל־ עֲמָלִ֔י שֶׁאֲנִ֥י עָמֵ֖ל תַּ֣חַת הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ שֶׁ֣אַנִּיחֶ֔נּוּ לָאָדָ֖ם שֶׁיִּהְיֶ֥ה אַחֲרָֽי

וְשָׂנֵ֤אתִֽי  And  hated 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׂנֵא  
Sense: to hate, be hateful.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
עֲמָלִ֔י  my  labor 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עָמָל  
Sense: .
שֶׁאֲנִ֥י  in  which  I 
Parse: Pronoun, relative, Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
עָמֵ֖ל  had  toiled 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עָמֵל 
Sense: labourer, sufferer, wretched one.
תַּ֣חַת  under 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ  the  sun 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: שֶׁמֶשׁ  
Sense: sun.
שֶׁ֣אַנִּיחֶ֔נּוּ  because  I  must  leave  it 
Parse: Pronoun, relative, Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, first person common singular, third person masculine singular
Root: מֻנָּח  
Sense: to rest.
לָאָדָ֖ם  to  the  man 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
שֶׁיִּהְיֶ֥ה  who  will  come 
Parse: Pronoun, relative, Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
אַחֲרָֽי  after  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: אַחַר 
Sense: after the following part, behind (of place), hinder, afterwards (of time).