Ecclesiastes 2:21 · Bible study
Ecclesiastes 2:21 Commentary: The Great Evil of Unearned Inheritance
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does the Teacher call it a 'great evil' when a wise worker's inheritance goes to someone who never labored?
Research Summary
- Meaning: The Teacher laments that a wise, skilled laborer must leave his inheritance to someone who never worked for it.
- Key words: ‘skill’ (kishron, also success), ‘vanity’ (hebel, vapour), ‘great evil’ (ra’ah rabbah).
- Main debate: Whether the verse is autobiographical (Solomon to Rehoboam) or a general observation, and whether the ‘evil’ is moral or practical.
- Theological theme: The limits of human labour and the need to receive life as a gift from God.
- Best use: A candid exploration of frustration, leading to a pastoral invitation to find joy in the present.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great evil.
WEB World English Bible 2000
For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skillfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.
KJV King James Version 1769
For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skilfulness; yet to a man that hath not labored therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity, and to a man who hath not laboured therein he giveth it--his portion! Even this is vanity and a great evil.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
For there is a man whose labour hath been with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skill, and who leaveth it to a man that hath not laboured therein, to be his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
For when a man laboureth in wisdom, and knowledge, and carefulness, he leaveth what he hath gotten to an idle man: so this also is vanity, and a great evil.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
¡ Que el hombre trabaje con sabiduría, y con ciencia, y con rectitud, y que haya de dar su hacienda á hombre que nunca trabajó en ello! También es esto vanidad y mal grande.
Porque há um tipo de homem que trabalha com sabedoria, conhecimento e habilidade; porém deixará tudo como herança a um outro homem que não trabalhou naquilo; também isto é fútil e muito desagradável.
Car tel homme a travaillé avec sagesse et science et avec succès, et il laisse le produit de son travail à un homme qui ne s’ en est point occupé. C’ est encore là une vanité et un grand mal.
Denn es muß ein Mensch, der seine Arbeit mit Weisheit, Vernunft und Geschicklichkeit getan hat, sie einem andern zum Erbteil lassen, der nicht daran gearbeitet hat. Das ist auch eitel und ein großes Unglück.
Want er is een mens, wiens arbeid in wijsheid, en in wetenschap, en in geschikkelijkheid is; nochtans zal hij die overgeven tot zijn deel, aan een mens, die daaraan niet gearbeid heeft. Dit is ook ijdelheid en een groot kwaad.
Poiché, ecco un uomo che ha lavorato con saviezza, con intelligenza e con successo e lascia il frutto del suo lavoro in eredità a un altro, che non v’ha speso intorno alcuna fatica! Anche questo è vanità, e un male grande.
Nie jeden zaiste człowiek pracuje mądrze, i umiejętnie, i sprawiedliwie; a wszakże to innemu, który nie robił na to, za dział zostawi. I toć marność i wielka bieda.
потому что иной человек трудится мудро, с знанием и успехом, и должен отдать все человеку, не трудившемуся в том, как бы часть его. И это - суета и зло великое!
因為 有 人 用智慧、知識、靈巧 所勞碌得來的，卻要留給 未 曾勞碌 的人 為分。這 也 是虛空，也是大 患。
Because there is a man whose work has been done with wisdom, with knowledge, and with an expert hand; but one who has done nothing for it will have it for his heritage. This again is to no purpose and a great evil.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Ecclesiastes 2:21
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree this verse captures a deep frustration: the wise, skilled worker must leave his portion to someone who never worked for it. Clarke sees it as autobiographical, Solomon anticipating Rehoboam. Gill calls it 'vexatious and distressing' more than sinful. Keil and Delitzsch note that the Hebrew kishron (skill or success) makes the loss sting more sharply: what one gained by ability and good fortune falls to another who may squander it. Wesley terms it a 'great disorder' and a torment to a thinking mind. None of them conclude that wisdom is worthless. Rather, the verse exposes the limits of earthly labor, a frustration the Teacher names honestly, not to discourage effort, but to point beyond it.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Autobiographical reading: Clarke and Gill suggest the 'man' is Solomon himself, with Rehoboam as the likely heir who did not labour.
- Generic human condition: Keil & Delitzsch and the Cambridge Bible treat it as a universally applicable observation, not specific to the author.
What is clear: The verse unambiguously presents the transfer of hard-earned inheritance to an undeserving person as a source of deep frustration and calls it 'vanity and a great evil.'
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Autobiographical vs. general observation | The verse describes a real and frustrating human experience that the Teacher wants readers to feel. | Clarke and Gill see the 'man' as Solomon himself, leaving to Rehoboam. Keil and Delitzsch and the Cambridge Bible treat it as a universally applicable type, not necessarily the author. |
| Meaning of 'equity' / 'skill' | The term indicates the manner of labour, done well and capably. | Older translations (KJV, Geneva) read 'equity,' implying moral uprightness. Modern versions (WEB, BSB, Keil) read 'skill' or 'success,' drawing on usage in 4:4 and 5:11 where the Hebrew kishron carries that sense. |
| Does this verse undermine the value of wisdom? | The Teacher still affirms that wisdom is better than folly (2:13). He is not commending laziness. | Some conclude wisdom is pointless under the sun. Others see the critique as limited to the 'under the sun' perspective; wisdom remains valuable but cannot guarantee security. |
| Nature of the 'great evil' | The phrase signals something deeply troubling, but not necessarily sin in the moral sense. | Wesley calls it a 'great disorder' and torment. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown say it is evil 'as regards the chief good.' Some focus on injustice, others on emotional distress. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The Teacher (Qoheleth) writes from the vantage of a wealthy king, traditionally Solomon, who had tried every path to meaning. In Ecclesiastes 2, he recounts experiments with pleasure, great works, and wealth. Each time he returns the same verdict: ‘vanity.’ Verse 21 sits at the peak of his frustration. Verses 17, 20 show him hating life and despairing of his labor because he must leave it to an unknown successor. Now he sharpens the point: the heir did not labour at all.
The Hebrew word kishron is critical. It can mean both ‘skill’ (the ability to do something well) and ‘success’ (the favourable outcome). The laborer worked ‘with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skill’, the best human resources. Yet the result passes to a man who ‘has not laboured in it.’ The verb yittenennu (he will give it) is a Qal imperfect, pointing to a future that feels inevitable under the fixed order of things. The word for ‘portion’ (cheleq) is the same term used for an inheritance allotment in Israel’s land-division traditions.
Historically, Solomon’s son Rehoboam is the haunting backdrop. Rehoboam inherited everything and lost most of it through foolish counsel (1 Kings 12). The Teacher felt the sting personally, but his observation is universal: under the sun, the most excellent labor cannot guarantee that its fruit will end up in worthy hands. The ‘great evil’ (ra’ah rabbah) is not sin per se but a profound disorder in the way the world works. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown call it an ‘evil as regards the chief good’, a disappointment that shakes the very point of wise effort. And that shaking is exactly what the Teacher wants his readers to feel, because it drives them to look beyond ‘under the sun.’
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Ecclesiastes 2:21. The Hebrew text is consistent across major manuscripts.
Reception History
This verse has been read across church history as a sobering reminder that earthly labor cannot secure lasting satisfaction or a worthy legacy. Early and medieval interpreters, including Jerome and the Glossa Ordinaria, used it to encourage detachment from worldly wealth and to direct hope toward eternal treasure. Protestant commentators (Luther, Calvin, the Geneva annotators) read it within the broader arc of Ecclesiastes as exposing the vanity of life 'under the sun' and preparing the heart for faith. In the Wesleyan tradition, Wesley called it a torment to a considering mind, urging believers to look beyond material outcomes. The verse has often been cited in sermons on inheritance, stewardship, and the freedom of receiving daily good from God.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The best of human effort. The laborer uses wisdom, knowledge, and skill. This is not lazy or foolish work, it is excellent work, done with every advantage.
- The bitter outcome. He leaves his portion to someone who never worked for it. The injustice is felt as a ‘great evil.’
- The bigger perspective. The Teacher does not stop at frustration. In verse 24 he points to receiving enjoyment as a gift from God. The verse is a stepping stone, not a dead end.
Five-point outline
- The labor described: wise, knowledgeable, skillful (v. 21a).
- The inheritance given: to one who has not laboured (v. 21b).
- The verdict: vanity and a great evil (v. 21c).
- The temptation: despair or cynicism (vv. 17, 20).
- The turn: enjoyment as God’s gift (v. 24).
Illustration hooks
- An employee watches a younger, less diligent colleague get the promotion they worked years for.
- A farmer clears and cultivates land, only for the property to pass to a relative who sells it for development.
- A parent works two jobs to build a college fund, and the child drops out after one semester.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this verse mean I should stop working so hard?
- Why does God let hard workers lose the fruit of their labor to undeserving people?
- How can I keep from becoming bitter when my efforts seem wasted?
Leading a Discussion
This verse names one of life’s hardest frustrations: that effort and reward so often come disconnected. The Teacher calls it a ‘great evil’, not to make us cynical, but to help us see that the meaning of our work cannot rest only on its outcome. The passage invites honesty about disappointment while pointing toward the good that God gives right now.
Discussion questions
- In what specific ways does the Teacher describe the laborer’s efforts?
- Why do you think the inheritance passing to a non-worker is called a ‘great evil’ rather than simply ‘unfortunate’?
- Have you experienced a situation that felt like this verse? What emotions did it stir?
- How does this passage challenge the common belief that hard work always pays off?
- Read verse 24. How does the Teacher’s advice shift your focus when you feel the frustration of verses 18, 23?
- What would it look like to ‘enjoy good in your labour’ without being consumed by where it ends up?
- How might trusting God as the giver of daily good help you face the unfairness described here?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| II Chronicles 31:20 | Hezekiah did so throughout all Judah; and he did that which was good, right, and faithful before Yahweh his God. |
| II Chronicles 31:21 | In every work that he began in the service of God’s house, in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart and prospered. |
| II Chronicles 33:2 | He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, after the abominations of the nations whom Yahweh cast out before the children of Israel. |
| II Chronicles 33:9 | Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that they did more evil than did the nations whom Yahweh destroyed before the children of Israel. |
| II Chronicles 34:2 | He did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, and walked in the ways of David his father, and didn’t turn away to the right hand or to the left. |
| II Chronicles 35:18 | There was no Passover like that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet, nor did any of the kings of Israel keep such a Passover as Josiah kept—with the priests, the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. |
| II Chronicles 36:5 | Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did that which was evil in Yahweh his God’s sight. |
| II Chronicles 36:10 | At the return of the year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the valuable vessels of Yahweh’s house, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes the writer refers to himself in this verse. He says he tried to gain wisdom and knowledge and to practice justice. He also says he will give his work to a person who did not work for it.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Some read this as a literal historical account showing that a wise man who earned great wealth still loses it to someone else (such as a stranger). Others understand it as pointing to deeper spiritual realities. Both seek to be faithful to Scripture.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
A person who works hard to gain wisdom knowledge and fairness still loses his share to someone who does not work. This situation is also considered meaningless and causes great sorrow. You may find hope in Christ and the resurrection.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill reads this as Solomon describing his own experience: a man works with utmost wisdom and integrity, yet someone who never shared the labor inherits everything. He calls this a great evil, not because it is sinful, but because it is deeply troubling and unfair.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Some read this verse as a literal historical account; others understand it as pointing to deeper spiritual realities. Christians who hold the former view see toil leading to success while those with the latter view see it as teaching about life’s ultimate purpose.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch note that skill and success are not permanent possessions. What one gains through ability and good fortune can be given to another who wastes it. This loss is especially harmful because of the effort put into achieving that gain.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees this verse as the negative proof that life's true aim cannot be found in selfish wisdom or worldly success. Even a man who labors with wisdom, knowledge, and equity must leave everything to someone who never worked for it. This exposes the futility and injustice of making earthly gain life's goal.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that a person who works with wisdom and knowledge still gives his efforts to someone else who did not work for them. He sees this as great emptiness.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley contrasts the wise person who manages affairs with industry, prudence, and justice, with the one who has spent life in sloth and folly. He calls this a great evil: a deep disorder that becomes a torment to any reflective mind.