The Meaning of Ecclesiastes 1:7 Explained

Ecclesiastes 1:7

KJV: All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

YLT: All the streams are going unto the sea, and the sea is not full; unto a place whither the streams are going, thither they are turning back to go.

Darby: All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full: unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.

ASV: All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.

Discover Ecclesiastes 1:7

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Ecclesiastes 1:7?

MEANING: What does Ecclesiastes 1:7 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Ecclesiastes 1:7 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Ecclesiastes 1:7?

What is the context of Ecclesiastes 1:7?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea [is] not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

What does Ecclesiastes 1:7 Mean?

Context Summary

Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 - The Testimony Of An Unsatisfied Soul

All is vanity! This cry finds an echo in human hearts of every age and clime. Clod meant man to be happy. "These things," said our Lord, "I have spoken to you, that your joy may be full." "The fruit of the Spirit is joy." Yet the air is laden with complaint and bitterness. Men are asking constantly, "Is life worth living?" The present age is full of unrest and weariness, of war and strife, of unsatisfied yearnings and desires. The mistake is that men seek to solve the mystery of life and to find their happiness apart from God, who has made us for Himself.

This book was written and incorporated in the Bible to show that man's quest for happiness is vain, so long as it is apart from God. Solomon had unbounded opportunities for pursuing his quest. Youth, wealth, wisdom, royalty, human love were his, but when all were mixed in the golden cup of his life, he turned from the draught unsatisfied and sad. Listen to the sigh of the sated voluptuary: Vanity of vanities! Let us turn from these bitter experiences to 1 John 2:15-17. [source]

Chapter Summary: Ecclesiastes 1

¹ the preacher shows that all human courses are vain
⁴ because the creatures are restless in their courses
⁹ they bring forth nothing new, and all old things are forgotten
¹² and because he has found it so in the studies of wisdom

What do the individual words in Ecclesiastes 1:7 mean?

All the rivers run into the sea and yet the sea [is] not full to the place from which the rivers come there they return again

כָּל־ הַנְּחָלִים֙ הֹלְכִ֣ים אֶל־ הַיָּ֔ם וְהַיָּ֖ם אֵינֶ֣נּוּ מָלֵ֑א אֶל־ מְק֗וֹם שֶׁ֤הַנְּחָלִים֙ הֹֽלְכִ֔ים שָׁ֛ם הֵ֥ם שָׁבִ֖ים לָלָֽכֶת

הַנְּחָלִים֙	the rivers
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural Root: נַחַל Sense: torrent, valley, wadi, torrent-valley.
הֹלְכִ֣ים	run
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural Root: הָלַךְ Sense: to go, walk, come.
אֶל־	into
Parse: Preposition Root: אֶל Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הַיָּ֔ם	the sea
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular Root: יָם Sense: sea.
וְהַיָּ֖ם	and yet the sea
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine singular Root: יָם Sense: sea.
אֵינֶ֣נּוּ	[is] not
Parse: Adverb, third person masculine singular Root: אַיִן Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
מָלֵ֑א	full
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular Root: מָלֵא Sense: full, fullness, that which fills.
מְק֗וֹם	the place
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct Root: מָקֹום Sense: standing place, place.
שֶׁ֤הַנְּחָלִים֙	from which the rivers
Parse: Pronoun, relative, Article, Noun, masculine plural Root: נַחַל Sense: torrent, valley, wadi, torrent-valley.
הֹֽלְכִ֔ים	come
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural Root: הָלַךְ Sense: to go, walk, come.
שָׁבִ֖ים	return
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural Root: שׁוּב Sense: to return, turn back.
לָלָֽכֶת	again
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct Root: הָלַךְ Sense: to go, walk, come.

What are the major concepts related to Ecclesiastes 1:7?

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Similar Scriptures for Ecclesiastes 1:7

		Job 38:10-11 [2]
		Psalms 104:6-9 [0]