Ecclesiastes 3:9 (GNV)

Passage

What profite hath hee that worketh of the thing wherein he trauaileth?

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 3:7 A time to rent, and a time to sowe: a time to keepe silence, and a time to speake.

Ecclesiastes 3:8 A time to loue, and a time to hate: a time of warre, and a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:9 What profite hath hee that worketh of the thing wherein he trauaileth?

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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "profite", "hath", "worketh", "wherein", and "trauaileth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "profite" and "hath", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "A time to loue and a time..." into verse 10's "I haue seene the trauaile that God...", so "profite" and "hath" 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 "profite" and "hath" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.