Ecclesiastes 3:12 (DBY)

Passage

I know that there is nothing good for them but to rejoice and to do well in their life;

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 3:10 I have seen the travail that God hath given to the sons of men to toil in.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He hath made everything beautiful in its time; also he hath set the world in their heart, so that man findeth not out from the beginning to the end the work that God doeth.

Ecclesiastes 3:12 I know that there is nothing good for them but to rejoice and to do well in their life;

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

Ecclesiastes 3:14 I know that whatever God doeth, it shall be for ever; there is nothing to be added to it, nor anything to be taken from it; and God doeth [it], that [men] should fear before him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "nothing", "good", "rejoice", "well", and "life". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "nothing" and "good", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "He hath made everything beautiful in its..." into verse 13's "yea also that every man should eat...", so "nothing" and "good" 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 "nothing" and "good" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.