Ecclesiastes 3:13 (YLT)

Passage

yea, even every man who eateth and hath drunk and seen good by all his labour, it <FI>is<Fi> a gift of God.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 3:11 The whole He hath made beautiful in its season; also, that knowledge He hath put in their heart without which man findeth not out the work that God hath done from the beginning even unto the end.

Ecclesiastes 3:12 I have known that there is no good for them except to rejoice and to do good during their life,

Ecclesiastes 3:13 yea, even every man who eateth and hath drunk and seen good by all his labour, it <FI>is<Fi> a gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 3:14 I have known that all that God doth is to the age, to it nothing is to be added, and from it nothing is to be withdrawn; and God hath wrought that they do fear before Him.

Ecclesiastes 3:15 What is that which hath been? already it is, and that which <FI>is<Fi> to be hath already been, and God requireth that which is pursued.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "I have known that there is no..." into verse 14's "I have known that all that God...", so "gift of God" and "even" 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 "even" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.