Ecclesiastes 2:23
For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.
Original Language Analysis
Historical Context
Ancient agricultural and mercantile labor was precarious—drought, locusts, theft, war, or market fluctuations could destroy livelihoods. Anxiety about survival was rational and constant. Solomon's description of sleepless nights resonated with farmers worrying about crops, merchants about debts, and laborers about tomorrow's bread. Job's comforters reflected conventional wisdom: suffering indicates divine displeasure, so work harder to appease God (Job 4:7-8). Ecclesiastes rejects this—even successful labor produces anxiety because it cannot provide ultimate security. Jesus's teaching that anxiety cannot add a single hour to life (Matthew 6:27) echoes Ecclesiastes' wisdom.
Questions for Reflection
- Does your heart 'take rest in the night,' or do anxieties about work, achievement, and security rob you of sleep and peace?
- How does Jesus's invitation to 'come unto me and find rest' address the relentless striving Ecclesiastes describes?
Analysis & Commentary
For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief (כָּל־יָמָיו מַכְאֹבִים וָכַעַס עִנְיָנוֹ, kol-yamav mach'ovim vacha'as inyanо)—the Hebrew 'mach'ovim' (מַכְאֹבִים) means pain or sorrows, while 'ka'as' (כַעַס) indicates vexation or grief. Labor pursued as ultimate meaning produces not satisfaction but chronic suffering. The verse continues with a striking observation: his heart taketh not rest in the night (גַּם־בַּלַּיְלָה לֹא־שָׁכַב לִבּוֹ, gam-balailah lo-shachav libo). Even sleep provides no respite—the anxious heart continues churning.
This describes modern workaholism with prophetic precision: days filled with grief, nights robbed of rest, the mind unable to cease striving. The body may lie down but the heart doesn't rest. This is vanity (הֶבֶל, hevel)—vapor that evaporates, leaving nothing solid. The verse exposes labor's tyranny when elevated to ultimate meaning. Jesus later offered the antidote: 'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest' (Matthew 11:28). True rest comes not from ceasing work but from working within God's purposes, receiving each day as His gift.