Introduction to Ecclesiastes 1:3: Questioning the Value of Labor
This verse serves as the thematic thesis of Ecclesiastes, casting doubt on human toil through a penetrating rhetorical question. Unlike typical interrogatives in Biblical Hebrew that seek information, this one delivers existential irony. The grammatical backbone is the interrogative particle מַה followed by an imperfect verb, coupled with an existential clause and the frequent idiom תַּ֥חַת הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ (“under the sun”). This lesson explores how interrogative grammar structures philosophical discourse.
מַה־יִּתְרֹ֖ון לָֽאָדָ֑ם בְּכָל־עֲמָלֹ֔ו שֶֽׁיַּעֲמֹ֖ל תַּ֥חַת הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃
Key Grammatical Elements and Interpretation
1. מַה־יִּתְרֹ֖ון – “What profit…?”
- מַה – interrogative pronoun: “what” (posing a rhetorical question)
- יִּתְרֹ֖ון – noun from the root י־ת־ר: “advantage,” “surplus,” “profit”
The particle מַה introduces a rhetorical question. Unlike real questions seeking an answer, this interrogative assumes a negative or ambiguous reply. The noun יִּתְרֹ֖ון is rare and poetic, used almost exclusively in Ecclesiastes. Its placement at the start sets a philosophical tone, conveying futility without needing to state it directly.
2. לָֽאָדָ֑ם – “to man / for a person”
- לְ – preposition: “to / for”
- אָדָם – noun: “man,” “human” (used generically)
The preposition לְ indicates beneficiary or possession. Thus, the question becomes: “What advantage is there for man?” This shifts the query from abstraction to personal relevance—each human’s labor is in view.
3. בְּכָל־עֲמָלֹ֔ו – “in all his toil”
- בְּכָל – preposition + noun: “in all / through all”
- עֲמָלֹו – noun + 3ms suffix: “his toil / his labor”
עֲמָל does not simply mean work; it connotes toilsome effort, often burdensome or vain. The phrase בְּכָל־עֲמָלֹו evokes the totality of human striving, intensifying the irony of the question: is there any gain from all this work?
4. שֶֽׁיַּעֲמֹ֖ל – “that he labors”
- שֶׁ – relative particle: “that / which”
- יַּעֲמֹל – Qal imperfect 3ms of ע־מ־ל: “he labors / toils”
The imperfect verb יַּעֲמֹל conveys habitual or continuous action, reinforcing the endless nature of toil. It is not a single act but a persistent human condition. The relative clause introduced by שֶׁ links the labor with the search for gain, anchoring the question in daily human reality.
5. תַּ֥חַת הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ – “under the sun”
- תַּ֥חַת – preposition: “under”
- הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ – definite noun: “the sun”
This idiom is a hallmark of Ecclesiastes, appearing nearly 30 times. It functions as both a cosmic location and a philosophical qualifier. It implies life within the bounds of earthly existence, absent of heavenly or eternal perspective. The phrase critiques purely secular pursuits, bounded by mortality and futility.
Existential Interrogatives as Literary Structure
Ecclesiastes 1:3 opens with a deceptively simple question but is crafted with precision. The use of the interrogative מַה not for inquiry but for rhetorical reflection turns the verse into a philosophical aphorism. Hebrew allows questions to function as arguments, and this grammatical choice sets the tone for the entire book.
Syntax as Skepticism in Ecclesiastes
By combining rhetorical questioning, participial labor vocabulary, and existential prepositions like תַּ֥חַת, Kohelet’s Hebrew becomes the vehicle of structured philosophical doubt. This verse’s grammar is not accidental; it is crafted to unsettle. It turns the tools of language into the voice of human limitation.
