EVERYTHING IS MEANINGLESS: What Does It Mean?

 

The Teacher mentioned one of the most shocking descriptions about life: Everything is meaningless. “‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’” (Ecc 1:2). Truthfully, the book of Ecclesiastes is very heavy to read! Many find it hard to discover its meaning, especially since it repeatedly says that everything is pointless. No wonder there was a time when this book was doubted if it was truly inspired or not, because it appears so negative. How then should we better understand the wisdom of Ecclesiastes? Its meaning lies in the word “meaningless.”

Though usually translated today as “meaningless” (NIV, NLT), “vanity” (ESV, KJV), or “futile” (HCSB), Ecclesiastes used a picture word to describe everything he observed: hevel. This word, mentioned almost forty times, is the key to unlocking the Teacher’s wisdom. It is the Hebrew word for breath, vapor, or smoke. So when we read in our Bibles “Everything is meaningless,” what it really wants to say is “Everything is hevel,” or simply, “Everything is like a breath/ vapor/ smoke.” This image is consistent with what the Teacher often says about “chasing the wind” (1:14, 17; 2:11, 17, 26; etc.). If everything is like smoke, it means all human pursuits are like chasing the wind. Why does the Teacher want to describe everything this way? By reading the whole book, we can recognize that hevel is indeed a perfect metaphor for life.

Like hevel, life is temporary.

Just as smoke quickly vanishes, so does life. The Teacher wants us to recognize how fleeting life is. “Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other.” (3:19). Death is the “great equalizer” because it is the destiny of all, whether rich or poor (6:6), wise or fool (2:14-16), righteous or wicked (9:2-3). For the Teacher, life makes no sense, because despite everything one can accomplish, we’re all going to die someday and soon be forgotten, leaving everything behind (1:11; 2:17–23; 5:15-16).

Like hevel, life is elusive.

Like smoke, life is difficult to grasp. Life is so uncertain that everything seems beyond our control! No matter what people do, nothing truly new happens in the world (1:3-4, 9-10). No matter what efforts we make, we cannot change what God has already determined (3:14). Everything is unpredictable, and none of us knows what will really happen next (6:12; 7:13-14; 8:7-8). Our best efforts do not guarantee that we’ll achieve what we want (9:11; 11:6).

Like hevel, life is filled with mystery.

The image of smoke is puzzling. It cannot be seen clearly nor touched. For the Teacher, life is also deeply mysterious. It is a paradox, an enigma we cannot fully understand. The Filipino Pinoy Version translates Ecc 1:2 beautifully: “Sabi ng Teacher, sobrang hirap, lahat ay parang mystery sobrang hirap ma-gets.” Life is full of contradictions. No matter our efforts, life’s imperfections cannot be fixed (1:15). Good things coexist with bad ones, each with their own appointed time (3:1–8). Righteousness and wisdom do not always guarantee a long satisfying life (7:15-18). Positive results are not always based on skill, strength, or wisdom (9:11). People do not always get what seems to be due to them (4:1; 8:14; 10:6-7). Life is very hard to grasp!

Like hevel, life seems empty.

The word hevel can also mean “empty.” Smoke appears formless and weightless, just drifting. That is why it is also often used as a description for idols (Deut 32:21; 1 Kings 16:26), which may seem alive but are actually nothing. Even when people pursue happiness, they realize it is still not enough to give lasting purpose (2:10-11). Accumulating wealth is also meaningless (5:10-11). Since both the wise and the fool share the same end, even the pursuit of wisdom seems pointless (2:12-16). Because everything feels futile, life becomes frustrating (1:8-9, 13-14; 2:10-11, etc.).

________

The Teacher wants us to recognize and accept that life is hevel. Whether we like it or not, that is how life is. But that is not the only thing the Teacher wants to show us. Even though life is hevel, we can still find the satisfaction and purpose we seek. Even though everything is hevel, we can still enjoy it! God can give us the joy we need in life (2:24-26; 3:13; 5:18-20; 9:7-9). And our ultimate duty in life is to fear Him (12:13-14). Life seems meaningless because its true meaning is not found in itself but rather in God. So what is the Teacher’s advice? Remember your Creator (12:1).

The beautiful truth is that the same Creator who gave us life also gave His life for us so that we can truly live. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (Jn 10:10). 

Sources and Studies:

Walton, J. and, Keener, C. (2016). “See footnotes for Ecc 1;2”. 𝘕𝘐𝘝 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. Zondervan
Eaton, M. (1999). Ecclesiastes. In P. Alexander and D. Alexander (Eds). 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. OMFLit
𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘤𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘴: 𝘒𝘦𝘺 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴. BibleProject. Retrieved from https://bibleproject.com/guides/book-of-ecclesiastes/