Ecclesiastes 1:2

English Standard Version

²^(A)Vanity^[a] of vanities, says ^(B)the Preacher,
^(C)vanity of vanities! ^(D)All is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 1:2 The Hebrew term hebel, translated vanity or vain, refers concretely to a “mist,” “vapor,” or “mere breath,” and metaphorically to something that is fleeting or elusive (with different nuances depending on the context). It appears five times in this verse and in 29 other verses in Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 1:2

New International Version

²“Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”^(A)

¹⁴I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is ^(A)vanity^[a] and a striving after wind.^[b]

Ecclesiastes 1:14 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (see note on 1:2)
Ecclesiastes 1:14 Or a feeding on wind; compare Hosea 12:1 (also in Ecclesiastes 1:17; 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4, 6, 16; 6:9)

¹⁴I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.^(A)

English Standard Version (ESV)

New International Version (NIV)