Ecclesiastes 2 · Verse 12

Ecclesiastes 2:12

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.
Ecclesiastes 2:12, King James Version

Ecclesiastes 2:12 in other translations

BSBThen I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what more can the king’s successor do than what has already been accomplished?
WEBI turned myself to consider wisdom, madness, and folly; for what can the king’s successor do? Just that which has been done long ago.
ASVAnd 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.
YLTAnd 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!
DARBYAnd I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly; for what shall the man do that cometh after the king? — that which hath already been done.
BBEAnd I went again in search of wisdom and of foolish ways. What may the man do who comes after the king? The thing which he has done before.
WebsterAnd 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.

What does Ecclesiastes 2:12 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
12. He had tried (worldly) wisdom (Ec 1:12-18) and folly (foolish pleasure) (Ec 2:1-11); he now compares them (Ec 2:12) and finds that while (worldly) wisdom excelleth folly (Ec 2:13, 14), yet the one event, death, befalls both (Ec 2:14-16), and that thus the wealth acquired by the wise man's "labor" may descend to a "fool" that hath not labored (Ec 2:18, 19, 21); therefore all his labor is vanity (Ec 2:22, 23). what can the man do ... already done--(Ec 1:9). Parenthetical. A future investigator can strike nothing out "new," so as to draw a different conclusion from what I draw by comparing "wisdom and madness." Holden, with less ellipsis, translates, "What, O man, shall come after the king?" &c. Better, Grotius, "What man can come after (compete with) the king in the things which are done?" None ever can have the same means of testing what all earthly things can do towards satisfying the soul; namely, worldly wisdom, science, riches, power, longevity, all combined.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 12 For what can the man do that cometh after the king? - I have examined every thing proposed by science, by maddening pleasure, and by more refined and regulated mirth. I seized on the whole, and used them to the uttermost; and so far, that none ever shall be able to exceed me; as none can, in the course of things, ever have such power and means of gratification.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ecclesiastes 2:12-17
Solomon found that knowledge and prudence were preferable to ignorance and folly, though human wisdom and knowledge will not make a man happy. The most learned of men, who dies a stranger to Christ Jesus, will perish equally with the most ignorant; and what good can commendations on earth do to the body in the grave, or the soul in hell? And the spirits of just men made perfect cannot want them. So that if this were all, we might be led to hate our life, as it is all vanity and vexation of spirit.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Ecclesiastes 2:12 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.

וּפָנִ֤יתִֽיu.fa.Ni.tiand I turnedH6437
אֲנִי֙'a.NiIH589
לִרְא֣וֹתlir.'otto considerH7200
חָכְמָ֔הchokh.mahwisdomH2451
וְהוֹלֵל֖וֹתve.ho.le.Lotand madnessH1947
וְסִכְל֑וּתve.sikh.Lutand follyH5531
כִּ֣י\׀kiforH3588
מֶ֣הmehwhat?H4100
הָאָדָ֗םha.'a.Dam[is] the personH120
שֶׁיָּבוֹא֙shei.ya.Vo'who <he >will comeH935
אַחֲרֵ֣י'a.cha.ReiafterH310
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
אֵ֥ת'et<obj.>H853
אֲשֶׁר\־'a.Sher-[that] whichH834
כְּבָ֖רke.VaralreadyH3528
עָשֽׂוּהוּ\׃'a.Su.hupeople have done itH6213

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

Cross references for Ecclesiastes 2:12

  • Ecclesiastes 1:17

    And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

  • Ecclesiastes 7:25

    I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:

  • Ecclesiastes 1:9-10

    The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
I turned.
1:17; 7:25
even that which hath already been done. or, in those thingswhich have been already done.
25

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

Context

  • Ecclesiastes 2:11

    Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

  • Ecclesiastes 2:12

    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.

  • Ecclesiastes 2:13

    Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.

Read all of Ecclesiastes 2

Ecclesiastes 2:12 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Después torné yo á mirar para ver la sabiduría y los desvaríos y la necedad; (porque ¿qué hombre hay que pueda seguir al rey en lo que ya hicieron?)
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et je me suis tourné pour voir la sagesse, et les choses déraisonnables et la folie; car que fera l’homme qui viendra après le roi? – ce qui a été déjà fait.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und ich wandte mich, um Weisheit und Unsinn und Torheit zu betrachten. Denn was wird der Mensch tun, der nach dem Könige kommen wird? Was man schon längst getan hat.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Transivi ad contemplandam sapientiam, erroresque, et stultitiam. (Quid est, inquam, homo, ut sequi possit regem, factorem suum?)