Ecclesiastes 6:12
King James Version
10 Jun 2026
“For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun? ”
מָה
properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senses
טוֹב
is good
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טוֹב
Taste and see. David does not say understand or agree — he says taste. Towb is goodness you experience, not just believe in. God's goodness is not a theological position. It is something you encounter when you draw near to Him.
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הָיָה
will it be
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הָיָה
I AM. Hayah. The self-existent one. When Moses asked God His name God said I AM THAT I AM. Not I was or I will be but I AM. Always present always existing always enough. Jesus used the same words: before Abraham was I AM.
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הֶבֶל
futility/ his
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הֶבֶל
Vanity, breath, emptiness. Hebel. A breath that vanishes, emptiness. Ecclesiastes says everything apart from God is hebel. It looks solid but it is vapor. Only God endures.
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חַי
the life of
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חַי
Life, living. Chay. The quality of being alive. The same root as Chayim, life in its fullness. God breathed chay into Adam's nostrils and he became a living soul.
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נָגַד
will he tell
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נָגַד
To tell, to declare, to make known. Nagad. The heavens declare the glory of God. Everything in creation is telling the story of its Creator.
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מִי
who?
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מִי
who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix
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יָדַע
is knowing
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יָדַע
To know, to perceive, to be acquainted with. Yada. The deepest form of knowing. God knows you completely and loves you still.
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מִסְפָּר
the number of
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מִסְפָּר
a number, definite (arithmetical) or indefinite (large, innumerable; small, a few); also (abstractly) narration
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יוֹם
the days of
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יוֹם
Day. Yom. A period of time. This is the day the LORD has made. Every day is His gift.
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