Passage

Ecclesiastes 1.15

Book: Ecclesiastes · NASB95

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV

13. And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven: it is a sore travail that God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith. 14. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

15. That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I have gotten me great wisdom above all that were before me in Jerusalem; yea, my heart hath had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. 17. And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also was a striving after wind. (Ecclesiastes 1:13-17, ASV)

WEB

13. I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the sky. It is a heavy burden that God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with. 14. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

15. That which is crooked can’t be made straight; and that which is lacking can’t be counted.

I said to myself, “Behold, I have obtained for myself great wisdom above all who were before me in Jerusalem. Yes, my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17. I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind. (Ecclesiastes 1:13-17, WEB)

KJV

13. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. ^{to be: or, to afflict them} 14. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

15. That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. ^{that which is wanting: Heb. defect}

I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. ^{had: Heb. had seen much} 17. And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. (Ecclesiastes 1:13-17, KJV)

YLT

13. And I have given my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that hath been done under the heavens. It [is] a sad travail God hath given to the sons of man to be humbled by it. 14. I have seen all the works that have been done under the sun, and lo, the whole [is] vanity and vexation of spirit!

15. A crooked thing [one] is not able to make straight, and a lacking thing is not able to be numbered.

I, I spake with my heart, saying, 'I, lo, I have magnified and added wisdom above every one who hath been before me at Jerusalem, and my heart hath seen abundantly wisdom and knowledge. 17. And I give my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I have known that even this [is] vexation of spirit; (Ecclesiastes 1:13-17, YLT)

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Setting

Speaker: TBD
Audience: TBD
Location: TBD
Time period: TBD

Theological reading

Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word.

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Notes

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Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.