What is the meaning of Ecclesiastes 2:23? All his days are filled with grief “When a man labors,” Solomon observes, “Indeed, all his days are filled with grief” (Ecclesiastes 2:23). The burden he describes is not a rare moment of sadness but a steady undercurrent to daily existence. • Psalm 90:10 reminds us that “the years of our life are seventy… yet their pride is but labor and sorrow.” • Job captures the same tone: “Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7). Taken literally, Scripture teaches that apart from God’s purpose, earthly life—even the best of it—carries persistent grief. Success, status, or comfort cannot erase the reality of a fallen world (Romans 8:20–22). His task is sorrowful Solomon continues, “and his task is sorrowful.” Work itself, given originally as a gift (Genesis 2:15), became toil under the curse (Genesis 3:17–19). • Even when work is productive, it now bears frustration: unfinished projects, unfair criticism, diminishing returns. • Proverbs 23:4–5 warns against wearing ourselves out to get rich, because wealth can “sprout wings.” Without seeing labor as stewardship unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23–24), the task will inevitably feel sorrow-laden. Even at night, his mind does not rest “Even at night, his mind does not rest.” Anxiety travels home with us and into the dark. • Psalm 127:2 says, “He gives sleep to His beloved,” implying that sleepless striving signals misplaced trust. • Jesus speaks directly to nighttime worry in Matthew 6:25–34, urging us to seek first God’s kingdom and let tomorrow worry about itself. The literal picture is universal: the restless mind replaying conversations, balances, deadlines. Only confidence in God’s sovereign care quiets those midnight rehearsals (Philippians 4:6–7). This too is futile Solomon concludes, “This too is futile.” The word “futile” (or “vanity”) recurs in Ecclesiastes to describe what is fleeting and insubstantial. • James 4:14 echoes, “You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” • Without eternity in view, every human endeavor dissolves like breath on a cold morning. Yet the verdict is meant to drive us not to despair but to dependence on the One who “has set eternity in the hearts of men” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Only by fearing God and keeping His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13) does life, work, and even rest regain lasting meaning. summary Ecclesiastes 2:23 paints an honest portrait: persistent grief, sorrowful toil, sleepless anxiety, and the futility that shadows every effort under the sun. Scripture’s broader witness confirms these realities but also points to their remedy—trusting and obeying God, whose purpose redeems labor, grants true rest, and fills even fleeting days with eternal significance. |
    |