The Meaning of Ecclesiastes 2:19 Explained

Ecclesiastes 2:19

KJV: And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.

YLT: And who knoweth whether he is wise or foolish? yet he doth rule over all my labour that I have laboured at, and that I have done wisely under the sun! this also is vanity.

Darby: And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour at which I have laboured, and wherein I have been wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

ASV: And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And who knoweth  whether he shall be a wise  [man] or a fool?  yet shall he have rule  over all my labour  wherein I have laboured,  and wherein I have shewed myself wise  under the sun.  This [is] also vanity. 

What does Ecclesiastes 2:19 Mean?

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 2:19 mean?

And who knows whether wise he will be or a fool and yet he will rule over all my labor in which toiled I and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun Also this [is] vanity
וּמִ֣י יוֹדֵ֗עַ הֶֽחָכָ֤ם יִהְיֶה֙ א֣וֹ ؟ סָכָ֔ל וְיִשְׁלַט֙ בְּכָל־ עֲמָלִ֔י שֶֽׁעָמַ֥לְתִּי וְשֶׁחָכַ֖מְתִּי תַּ֣חַת הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ גַּם־ זֶ֖ה הָֽבֶל

וּמִ֣י  And  who 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interrogative
Root: מִי  
Sense: who?, whose?, whom?, would that, whoever, whosoever.
יוֹדֵ֗עַ  knows 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
הֶֽחָכָ֤ם  whether  wise 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: חָכָם  
Sense: wise, wise (man).
יִהְיֶה֙  he  will  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
؟ סָכָ֔ל  a  fool 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: סָכָל  
Sense: fool.
וְיִשְׁלַט֙  and  yet  he  will  rule 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַט  
Sense: to domineer, exercise power over, dominate, have mastery, be master, lord it over.
בְּכָל־  over  all 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
עֲמָלִ֔י  my  labor 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עָמָל  
Sense: .
שֶֽׁעָמַ֥לְתִּי  in  which  toiled  I 
Parse: Pronoun, relative, Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: עָמַל  
Sense: to labour, toil.
וְשֶׁחָכַ֖מְתִּי  and  in  which  I  have  shown  myself  wise 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pr, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: חָכַם  
Sense: to be wise.
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.
גַּם־  Also 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
זֶ֖ה  this 
Parse: Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
הָֽבֶל  [is]  vanity 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: הֶבֶל  
Sense: vapour, breath.