Ecclesiastes 3:12 (GNV)

Passage

I know that there is nothing good in them, but to reioyce, and to doe good in his life.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 3:10 I haue seene the trauaile that God hath giuen to ye sonnes of men to humble them thereby.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He hath made euery thing beautifull in his time: also he hath set the worlde in their heart, yet can not man finde out the worke that God hath wrought from the beginning euen to the end.

Ecclesiastes 3:12 I know that there is nothing good in them, but to reioyce, and to doe good in his life.

Ecclesiastes 3:13 And also that euery man eateth and drinketh, and seeth the commoditie of all his labour. this is the gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 3:14 I knowe that whatsoeuer God shall doe, it shalbe for euer: to it can no man adde, and from it can none diminish: for God hath done it, that they should feare before him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "nothing", "good", "reioyce", 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 euery thing beautifull in..." into verse 13's "And also that euery man eateth and...", 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.