# Ecclesiastes 2.14-15 **Book:** [Ecclesiastes](/codex/ecclesiastes/) · NASB95 ## Immediate context (±2 verses) **ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/)) > 12. And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been done long ago. 13. Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. > > **14. The wise man's eyes are in his head, and the fool walketh in darkness: and yet I perceived that one event happeneth to them all. 15. Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then said I in my heart, that this also is vanity.** > > 16. For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no remembrance for ever; seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. And how doth the wise man die even as the fool! 17. So I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and a striving after wind. (Ecclesiastes 2:12-17, ASV) **WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/)) > 12. I turned myself to consider wisdom, madness, and folly: for what can the king’s successor do? Just that which has been done long ago. 13. Then I saw that wisdom excels folly, as far as light excels darkness. > > **14. The wise man’s eyes are in his head, and the fool walks in darkness, and yet I perceived that one event happens to them all. 15. Then I said in my heart, “As it happens to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise?” Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity.** > > 16. For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no memory for ever, since in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. Indeed, the wise man must die just like the fool! 17. So I hated life, because the work that is worked under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind. (Ecclesiastes 2:12-17, WEB) **KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/)) > 12. And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done. even: or, in those things which have been already done 13. Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. that: Heb. that there is an excellency in wisdom more than in folly, etc > > **14. The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all. 15. Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity. happeneth even: Heb. happeneth to me, even to me** > > 16. For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool. 17. Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit. (Ecclesiastes 2:12-17, KJV) **YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/)) > 12. And I turned to see wisdom, and madness, and folly, but what [is] the man who cometh after the king? that which [is] already, they have done it! 13. And I saw that there is an advantage to wisdom above folly, like the advantage of the light above the darkness. > > **14. The wise!, his eyes [are] in his head, and the fool in darkness is walking, and I also knew that one event happeneth with them all; 15. and I said in my heart, 'As it happeneth with the fool, it happeneth also with me, and why am I then more wise?' And I spake in my heart, that also this [is] vanity:** > > 16. That there is no remembrance to the wise, with the fool, to the age, for that which [is] already, [in] the days that are coming is all forgotten, and how dieth the wise? with the fool! 17. And I have hated life, for sad to me [is] the work that hath been done under the sun, for the whole [is] vanity and vexation of spirit. (Ecclesiastes 2:12-17, YLT) ## 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._ - _TBD_ - _TBD_ - _TBD_ - _TBD_ ## Notes _Your annotations._ ## 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](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition. - **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English. - **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base. - **[YLT](/codex/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](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.