The Meaning of Ecclesiastes 2:20 Explained

Ecclesiastes 2:20

KJV: Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.

YLT: And I turned round to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labour that I laboured at under the sun.

Darby: Then I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour wherewith I had laboured under the sun.

ASV: Therefore I turned about to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor wherein I had labored under the sun.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Therefore I went about  to cause  my heart  to despair  of all the labour  which I took  under the sun. 

What does Ecclesiastes 2:20 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 2:20 mean?

Therefore turned I and despaired - my heart of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun
וְסַבּ֥וֹתִֽי אֲנִ֖י לְיַאֵ֣שׁ אֶת־ לִבִּ֑י עַ֚ל כָּל־ הֶ֣עָמָ֔ל שֶׁעָמַ֖לְתִּי תַּ֥חַת הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ

וְסַבּ֥וֹתִֽי  Therefore  turned 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: סָבַב  
Sense: to turn, turn about or around or aside or back or towards, go about or arou nd, surround, encircle, change direction.
לְיַאֵ֣שׁ  and  despaired 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: יָאַשׁ  
Sense: to despair.
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.
לִבִּ֑י  my  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
הֶ֣עָמָ֔ל  the  labor 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עָמָל  
Sense: .
שֶׁעָמַ֖לְתִּי  in  which  I  had  toiled 
Parse: Pronoun, relative, Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: עָמַל  
Sense: to labour, toil.
תַּ֥חַת  under 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ  the  sun 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: שֶׁמֶשׁ  
Sense: sun.