Ecclesiastes 3:13 (ASV)

Passage

And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy good in all his labor, is the gift of God.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He hath made everything beautiful in its time: also he hath set eternity in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the beginning even to the end.

Ecclesiastes 3:12 I know that there is nothing better for them, than to rejoice, and to do good so long as they live.

Ecclesiastes 3:13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy good in all his labor, is the gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 3:14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it; and God hath done it, that men should fear before him.

Ecclesiastes 3:15 That which is hath been long ago; and that which is to be hath long ago been: and God seeketh again that which is passed away.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "gift of God", "should", "drink", "enjoy", "good", and "labor". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "gift of God" and "should", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "I know that there is nothing better..." into verse 14's "I know that whatsoever God doeth it...", so "gift of God" and "should" belong inside that flow. In Ecclesiastes context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "gift of God" and "should" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.