ECC 2:19 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Καὶ τίς εἶδεν εἰ σοφὸς ἔσται ἢ ἄφρων; καὶ εἰ ἐξουσιάζεται ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ μου, ᾧ ἐμόχθησα καὶ ᾧ ἐσοφισάμην ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον; καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης.
(Kai tis eiden ei sofos estai aʸ afrōn; kai ei exousiazetai en panti moⱪthōi mou, hō emoⱪthaʸsa kai hō esofisamaʸn hupo ton haʸlion; kai ge touto mataiotaʸs. )

BrTr And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? and whether he will have power over all my labour in which I laboured, and wherein I grew wise under the sun? this is also vanity.

ULT And who knows: will he be wise or a fool? And he will have authority over all my toil that I have toiled and for which I have acted wisely under the sun. Also this is vapor.

UST And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? But even if he is foolish, he will acquire all the things that I worked very hard and wisely to get.

BSB And who knows whether that man will be wise or foolish? Yet he will take over all the labor at which I have worked skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.

OEB leave it to my successor; and who can tell whether it will be a wise man or a fool that will have the disposal of the results of all my wise and earnest toil under the sun? Here is another illusion.

WEBBE Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labour in which I have laboured, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool?
⇔ Yet he will be master over all the fruit of my labor
⇔ for which I worked so wisely on earth!
⇔ This also is futile!

LSV And who knows whether he is wise or foolish? Yet he rules over all my labor that I have labored at, and that I have done wisely under the sun! This [is] also vanity.

FBV And who knows whether he will be wise or foolish? Yet he will rule over everything I accomplished through my wisdom here on earth. This is just so frustrating, so hard to understand![fn]

2:19 This is a good example of what the Teacher is trying to say. He is not saying it is “meaningless” to leave a legacy, the problem is that you cannot know how it will be used, and that this hard to take!

T4T And ◄who/no one► knows [RHQ] whether he will be wise or whether he will be foolish. But even if he is foolish, he will acquire all the things that I worked very hard and wisely to get.

LEB And who knows whether he will be wise or foolish? Yet he will exercise control of all the fruit of my toil with which I toiled wisely under the sun. This also is vanity!

BBE And who is to say if that man will be wise or foolish? But he will have power over all my work which I have done and in which I have been wise under the sun. This again is to no purpose.

Moff No Moff ECC book available

JPS And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

ASV And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

DRA Whom I know not whether he will be a wise man or a fool, and he shall have rule over all my labours with which I have laboured and been solicitous: and is there any thing so vain?

YLT And who knoweth whether he is wise or foolish? yet he doth rule over all my labour that I have laboured at, and that I have done wisely under the sun! this also [is] vanity.

Drby And who knoweth whether he will be a wise [man] or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour at which I have laboured, and wherein I have been wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

RV And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity.

Wbstr And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have showed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.

KJB-1769 And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.
(And who knoweth/knows whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity. )

KJB-1611 [fn]And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a foole? yet shall he haue rule ouer all my labour, wherein I haue laboured, and wherein I haue shewed my selfe wise vnder the Sunne. This is also vanitie.
(And who knoweth/knows whether he shall be a wise man or a foole? yet shall he have rule over all my labour, wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the Sunne. This is also vanitie.)

2:19 Psal.49. 11. &c.

Bshps And who knoweth whether he shalbe a wise man or a foole? And yet shall he be lorde of all my laboures which I with such wisdome haue taken vnder the sunne: This is also a vayne thyng.
(And who knoweth/knows whether he shall be a wise man or a foole? And yet shall he be lord of all my laboures which I with such wisdom have taken under the sunne: This is also a vayne thing.)

Gnva And who knoweth whether he shalbe wise or foolish? yet shall hee haue rule ouer all my labour, wherein I haue trauailed, and wherein I haue shewed my selfe wise vnder the sunne. This is also vanitie.
(And who knoweth/knows whether he shall be wise or foolish? yet shall he have rule over all my labour, wherein I have trauailed, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sunne. This is also vanitie. )

Cvdl for who knoweth, whether he shalbe a wyse ma or a foole? And yet shal he be lorde of all my labours, which I with soch wy?dome haue taken vnder the Sonne. Is not this a vayne thinge?
(for who knoweth, whether he shall be a wise man or a foole? And yet shall he be lord of all my labours, which I with such wisdom have taken under the Sonne. Is not this a vayne thing?)

Wycl whom Y knowe not, whether he schal be wijs ether a fool; and he schal be lord in my trauels, for whiche Y swatte greetli, and was bisi; and is ony thing so veyn?
(whom I know not, whether he shall be wijs ether a fool; and he shall be lord in my trauels, for which I swatte greatly, and was bisi; and is any thing so veyn?)

Luth Denn wer weiß, ob er weise oder toll sein wird? Und soll doch herrschen in aller meiner Arbeit, die ich weislich getan habe unter der Sonne. Das ist auch eitel.
(Because who weiß, ob he weise or toll his wird? And should though/but herrschen in aller my Arbeit, the I weislich did have under the/of_the sun. The is also eitel.)

ClVg quem ignoro utrum sapiens an stultus futurus sit, et dominabitur in laboribus meis, quibus desudavi et sollicitus fui: et est quidquam tam vanum?
(quem ignoro utrum sapiens an stultus futurus let_it_be, and dominabitur in laboribus mine, to_whom desudavi and sollicitus fui: and it_is quidquam tam vanum? )

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

(Occurrence 0) For who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool?

(Some words not found in UHB: and,who knows whether,wise will_belong or fool and,have_control in=all work,my which,toiled and,which,used_~_wisdom below/instead_of the,sun also/yet this Heⱱel/(Abel) )

The author uses this rhetorical question to emphasize that no one knows the character the man who will inherit his wealth. Alternate translation: “For no one knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool.”

(Occurrence 0) he will be

The word “he” refers to the author’s heir.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

(Occurrence 0) under the sun

This refers to things that are done on earth. See how you translated this in Ecclesiastes 1:3. Alternate translation: “on the earth”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

(Occurrence 0) that my work and wisdom have built

Here the author’s “work” and “wisdom” represent himself and the things he did in his wisdom. He probably had help with the literal buildings. Alternate translation: “that I worked very hard and wisely to build”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

(Occurrence 0) vapor

The author speaks of useless and meaningless things as if they were mist. See how you translated this in Ecclesiastes 1:14. Alternate translation: “as useless as vapor” or “meaningless”

Parallel ECC 2:19