What is the meaning of Ecclesiastes 2:19?

And who knows whether that man will be wise or foolish?

Solomon stares at the mystery that comes after him.

• We cannot predict the character of the next steward; “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring” (Proverbs 27:1).

• History confirms the anxiety: Hezekiah’s faithful reign was followed by Manasseh’s wickedness (2 Kings 20–21).

• God alone sees the heart and future actions (1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Corinthians 4:5).

• The verse confronts our illusion of control, reminding us that human wisdom is insufficient without the Lord’s oversight (Proverbs 3:5–6).

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Yet he will take over all the labor at which I have worked skillfully under the sun

Solomon’s lifetime of brilliant administration will pass to another, regardless of their fitness.

• “When he dies he will carry nothing away” (Psalm 49:17).

• Even careful planning cannot guarantee faithful heirs; see the rich farmer who “stored up things for himself” and still lost it all overnight (Luke 12:16-21).

• The phrase “under the sun” signals earthly toil apart from eternal perspective, echoing Genesis 3:19, where labor is marked by sweat and brevity.

• The transfer of wealth is certain: “You will leave your wealth to another, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor” (Psalm 39:6).

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This too is futile

Solomon’s conclusion is not cynicism but realism about a fallen world.

• Futility (“hebel”) pictures vapor—real yet vanishing, just as life “appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14).

• Creation itself “was subjected to futility” (Romans 8:20), pushing us to seek meaning beyond the temporal.

• The statement prepares the reader for the book’s remedy: “Fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

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summary

Ecclesiastes 2:19 exposes the fragile link between our hard-won achievements and the unknown people who will inherit them. Because no one can guarantee the wisdom of the next generation, and because every earthly gain slips from our grasp, trusting in labor alone is empty. The verse drives us to hold possessions loosely, work diligently yet humbly, and anchor our hope in the unchanging God whose purposes outlast us all.