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Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

King James Version (1611 Edition)

Ecclesiastes 1:12

I the Preacher was king ouer Israel in Ierusalem.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Preaching;   Solomon;   The Topic Concordance - Vanity;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Vanity;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ecclesiastes;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Winter ;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher;   Wisdom of Solomon, the;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Aggei, the Proud King;   Asmodeus;   Solomon;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for October 2;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Hebrew Names Version
I, Kohelet, was king over Yisra'el in Yerushalayim.
King James Version
I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
English Standard Version
I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
New American Standard Bible
I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
New Century Version
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Amplified Bible
I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
World English Bible
I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Geneva Bible (1587)
I the Preacher haue bene King ouer Israel in Ierusalem:
Legacy Standard Bible
I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Berean Standard Bible
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Contemporary English Version
I said these things when I lived in Jerusalem as king of Israel.
Complete Jewish Bible
I, Kohelet, have been king over Isra'el in Yerushalayim.
Darby Translation
I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Easy-to-Read Version
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
George Lamsa Translation
I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Good News Translation
I, the Philosopher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Lexham English Bible
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Literal Translation
I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I myself ye Preacher, beynge kynge of Israel & Ierusale,
American Standard Version
I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Bible in Basic English
I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
I Koheleth have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
I my selfe the preacher was kyng of Israel at Hierusalem,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
English Revised Version
I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
I Ecclesiastes was king of Israel in Jerusalem;
Update Bible Version
I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Webster's Bible Translation
I the preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
New English Translation
I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
New King James Version
I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
New Living Translation
I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem.
New Life Bible
I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
New Revised Standard
I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
I, the Proclaimer, was king over Israel, in Jerusalem.
Douay-Rheims Bible
I Ecclesiastes was king over Israel in Jerusalem,
Revised Standard Version
I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Young's Literal Translation
I, a preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
THE MESSAGE
Call me "the Quester." I've been king over Israel in Jerusalem. I looked most carefully into everything, searched out all that is done on this earth. And let me tell you, there's not much to write home about. God hasn't made it easy for us. I've seen it all and it's nothing but smoke—smoke, and spitting into the wind.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

Contextual Overview

12 I the Preacher was king ouer Israel in Ierusalem. 13 And I gaue my heart to seeke and search out by wisedome, concerning all things that are done vnder heauen: this sore trauell hath God giuen to the sonnes of man, to be exercised therewith. 14 I haue seene all the workes that are done vnder the Sunne, and behold, all is vanitie, and vexation of spirit. 15 That which is crooked, cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbred. 16 I communed with mine owne heart, saying, Loe, I am come to great estate, and haue gotten more wisedome then all they that haue beene before me in Ierusalem: yea my heart had great experience of wisedome & knowledge. 17 And I gaue my heart to know wisedome, and to know madnesse and folly: I perceiued that this also is vexation of spirit. 18 For in much wisedome is much griefe: and hee that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Ecclesiastes 1:1, 1 Kings 4:1-19

Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 17:7 - he sent 2 Chronicles 34:30 - he read Ecclesiastes 12:10 - Preacher 1 Timothy 2:7 - a preacher

Cross-References

Genesis 1:10
And God called the drie land, Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called hee, Seas: and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:11
And God said, Let the Earth bring foorth grasse, the herbe yeelding seed, and the fruit tree, yeelding fruit after his kinde, whose seed is in it selfe, vpon the earth: and it was so.
Genesis 1:24
And God said, Let the earth bring forth the liuing creature after his kinde, cattell, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kinde: and it was so.
Genesis 1:26
And God said, Let vs make man in our Image, after our likenesse: and let them haue dominion ouer the fish of the sea, and ouer the foule of the aire, and ouer the cattell, and ouer all the earth, and ouer euery creeping thing that creepeth vpon the earth.
Isaiah 61:11
For as the earth bringeth foorth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sowen in it, to spring foorth: so the Lord God will cause righteousnes and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
Mark 4:28
For the earth bringeth foorth fruite of herselfe, first the blade, then the eare, after that the full corne in the eare.
Luke 6:44
For euery tree is knowen by his owne fruit: for of thornes men doe not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
2 Corinthians 9:10
Now he that ministreth seede to the sower, both minister bread for your foode, and multiply your seede sowen, and encrease the fruites of your righteousnesse)
Galatians 6:7
Be not deceiued, God is not mocked: for whatsoeuer a man soweth, that shall he also reape.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I the preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. Solomon having given a general proof of the vanity of all things here below, and of the insufficiency of them to make men happy, proceeds to particular instances, and begins with human wisdom and knowledge, which of all things might be thought to be most conducive to true happiness; and yet it falls short of it: he instances in himself for proof of it; and he could not have pitched on anyone more proper and pertinent to the purpose, who had all the advantages of obtaining wisdom, was assiduous in his pursuit of it, and made a proficiency in it above all mankind; wherefore he must be owned to be a proper judge, and whatever is concluded by him may be taken for granted as certain; and this is the sum of the following verses to the end of the chapter. Now let it be observed, that he was a "preacher", not a private person, and must have a good share of knowledge to qualify him for teaching and instructing others; and, more than this, he was a king, and did not want money to purchase books, and procure masters to instruct him in all the branches of literature; and when he entered upon the more profound study of wisdom, and especially when he said this, it was not in his infancy or childhood, or before he came to the throne, but after; even after he had asked, wisdom of God to govern, and it had been given him; yea, after he had been a long time king, as he now was; though the Jewish writers, as the Targum, Jarchi, and others, conclude from hence that he was not now a king, but become a private person, deposed or driven from his throne, which does not appear: moreover, he was king of Israel, not over a barbarous people, where darkness and ignorance reigned, but over a "wise and understanding people", as they are called Deuteronomy 4:6; and he was king over them in Jerusalem too, the metropolis of the nation; there he had his royal palace, where were not only the temple, the place of divine worship, but a college of prophets, and a multitude of priests, and an abundance of wise and knowing men, whom he had opportunity of conversing with frequently; to which may be added, his large correspondence abroad; persons from all kings and kingdoms came to hear his wisdom, as the queen of Sheba; and by putting questions to him, and so exercising his talents, not a little contributed to the improvement of them. Now a person so qualified must be a judge of wisdom, and what he says deserves attention; and it may be observed, that what he says, as follows, is "in verbo regis et sacerdotis", on the word of a king and preacher, who would never risk his honour, or forfeit his character, by saying an untruth.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Solomon relates his personal experience Ecclesiastes 2:0; the result of which was “no profit,” and a conviction that all, even God’s gifts of earthly good to good men, in this life are subject to vanity. His trial of God’s first gift, wisdom, is recounted in Ecclesiastes 1:12-18.

Was - This tense does not imply that Solomon had ceased to be king when the word was written. See the introduction to Ecclesiastes. He begins with the time of his accession to the throne, when the gifts of wisdom and riches were especially promised to him 1 Kings 3:12-13.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ecclesiastes 1:12. I the Preacher was king — This is a strange verse, and does not admit of an easy solution. It is literally, "I, Choheleth, have been king over Israel, in Jerusalem." This book, as we have already seen, has been conjectured by some to have been written about the time that Ptolemy Philadelphus formed his great library at Alexandria, about two hundred and eighty-five years before our Lard; and from the multitude of Jews that dwelt there, and resorted to that city for the sake of commerce, it was said there was an Israel in Alexandria. See the introduction. Ecclesiastes 1:1.

It has also been conjectured from this, that if the book were written by Solomon, it was intended to be a posthumous publication. "I that was king, still continue to preach and instruct you." Those who suppose the book to have been written after Solomon's fall, think that he speaks thus through humility. "I was once worthy of the name of king: but I fell into all evil; and, though recovered, I am no longer worthy of the name." I am afraid this is not solid.


 
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