Ecclesiastes 3:13 (KJV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

Ecclesiastes 3:12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

Ecclesiastes 3:13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it 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 any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

Ecclesiastes 3:15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "gift of God", "should", "drink", "enjoy", "good", and "labour". 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 no good..." 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.