Ecclesiastes 1 · Verse 7

Ecclesiastes 1:7

All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
Ecclesiastes 1:7, King James Version

Ecclesiastes 1:7 in other translations

BSBAll the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place from which the streams come, there again they flow.
WEBAll the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.
ASVAll the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.
YLTAll the streams are going unto the sea, and the sea is not full; unto a place whither the streams are going, thither they are turning back to go.
DARBYAll the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full: unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again.
BBEAll the rivers go down to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the rivers go, there they go again.
WebsterAll the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; to the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

What does Ecclesiastes 1:7 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
7. By subterraneous cavities, and by evaporation forming rain clouds, the fountains and rivers are supplied from the sea, into which they then flow back. The connection is: Individual men are continually changing, while the succession of the race continues; just as the sun, wind, and rivers are ever shifting about, while the cycle in which they move is invariable; they return to the point whence they set out. Hence is man, as in these objects of nature which are his analogue, with all the seeming changes "there is no new thing" (Ec 1:9).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full - The reason is, nothing goes into it either by the; rivers or by rain, that does not come from it: and to the place whence the rivers come, whether from the sea originally by evaporation, or immediately by rain, thither they return again; for the water exhaled from the sea by evaporation is collected in the clouds, and in rain, etc., falls upon the tops of the mountains; and, filtered through their fissures, produce streams, several of which uniting, make rivers, which flow into the sea. The water is again evaporated by the sun; the vapors collected are precipitated; and, being filtered through the earth, become streams, etc., as before.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ecclesiastes 1:4-8

All things change, and never rest. Man, after all his labour, is no nearer finding rest than the sun, the wind, or the current of the river. His soul will find no rest, if he has it not from God. The senses are soon tired, yet still craving what is untried.

Read the full comment on Ecclesiastes 1:4-8 →

Ecclesiastes 1:7 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

כָּל\־kol-allH3605
הַנְּחָלִים֙ha.ne.cha.Limthe riversH5158
הֹלְכִ֣יםho.le.Khim[are] goingH1980
אֶל\־'el-toH413
הַיָּ֔םhai.Yamthe seaH3220
וְהַיָּ֖םve.hai.Yamand the seaH3220
אֵינֶ֣נּוּ'ei.Ne.nunot itH369
מָלֵ֑אma.Le'[is] fullH4392
אֶל\־'el-toH413
מְק֗וֹםme.Kom[the] placeH4725
שֶׁ֤הַנְּחָלִים֙she.ha.ne.cha.lim<of> where the riversH5158
הֹֽלְכִ֔יםho.le.Khim[are] goingH1980
שָׁ֛םshamthereH8033
הֵ֥םhemtheyH1992
שָׁבִ֖יםsha.Vim[are] returningH7725
לָלָֽכֶת\׃la.La.khetto goH1980

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Ecclesiastes 1:7

  • Job 38:10-11

    And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the rivers run.
Job 38:10,11; Ps 104:6-9
return again. Heb. return to go.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Ecclesiastes 1:6

    The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.

  • Ecclesiastes 1:7

    All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

  • Ecclesiastes 1:8

    All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

Read all of Ecclesiastes 1

Ecclesiastes 1:7 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Los ríos todos van á la mar, y la mar no se hinche; al lugar de donde los ríos vinieron, allí tornan para correr de nuevo.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Toutes les rivières vont vers la mer, et la mer n’est pas remplie; au lieu où les rivières allaient, là elles vont de nouveau.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Alle Flüsse gehen in das Meer, und das Meer wird nicht voll; an den Ort, wohin die Flüsse gehen, dorthin gehen sie immer wieder.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Omnia flumina intrant in mare, et mare non redundat; ad locum unde exeunt flumina revertuntur ut iterum fluant.