Ecclesiastes 3:12 (DRB)

Passage

And I have known that there was no better thing than to rejoice, and to do well in this life.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 3:10 I have seen the trouble, which God hath given the sons of men to be exercised in it.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He hath made all things good in their time, and hath delivered the world to their consideration, so that man cannot find out the work which God hath made from the beginning to the end.

Ecclesiastes 3:12 And I have known that there was no better thing than to rejoice, and to do well in this life.

Ecclesiastes 3:13 For every man that eateth and drinketh, and seeth good of his labour, this is the gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 3:14 I have learned that all the works which God hath made, continue for ever: we cannot add any thing, nor take away from those things which God hath made that he may be feared.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "known", "better", "than", "rejoice", "well", and "life". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "known" and "better", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "He hath made all things good in..." into verse 13's "For every man that eateth and drinketh...", so "known" and "better" 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 "known" and "better" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.