Ecclesiastes 3:13 (LSB)

Passage

moreover, that every man who eats and drinks and sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.

Ecclesiastes 3:12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to be glad and to do good in one’s lifetime;

Ecclesiastes 3:13 moreover, that every man who eats and drinks and sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 3:14 I know that everything God does will be forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it—God has so worked that men should fear Him.

Ecclesiastes 3:15 That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, yet God seeks what is pursued.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "gift of God", "moreover", "eats", "drinks", "sees", "good", and "labor". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "gift of God" and "moreover", 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 nothing better..." into verse 14's "I know that everything God does will...", so "gift of God" and "moreover" 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 "moreover" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.