I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and do good while they live,
Parallel translations
- WEB I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice, and to do good as long as they live.
- KJV I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
- NKJV I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives,
- NASB I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime;
- NLT So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
There is nothing better than to rejoice and do good while we live. Contentment and righteous living are God's gifts to embrace.
Overview
Qoheleth again commends joy, now joined with doing good throughout life. This counsel directs us away from despair toward grateful, active goodness within our God-given days. It reflects the wisdom of receiving life as a gift and living it well before God, a posture deepened by the gospel call to do good and rejoice in the Lord.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ps 37:3Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
- Eccl 3:22I have seen that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will come after him?
- 1 Tim 6:18Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share,
- 1 Th 5:15–16Make sure that no one repays evil for evil. Always pursue what is good for one another and for all people.
- Phil 4:4–9Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
- Acts 20:35In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
- Luke 11:41But give as alms the things that are within you, and you will see that everything is clean for you.
- Isa 64:5You welcome those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways. Surely You were angry, for we sinned. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?
- Eccl 9:7–9Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works:
- Deut 28:63Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and multiply, so also it will please Him to annihilate you and destroy you. And you will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The search that finds everything 'under the sun' to be vapor exposes the emptiness of life without God and drives us to the one who alone gives meaning, the resurrection that makes our labor not in vain.
How Ecclesiastes 3:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.