Ecclesiastes 3:13 (DRB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Ecclesiastes 3:15 That which hath been made, the same continueth: the things that shall be, have already been: and God restoreth that which is past.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "And I have known that there was..." into verse 14's "I have learned that all the works...", so "gift of God" and "eateth" 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 "eateth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.