I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime;
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.
- BSB I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and do good while they live,
- ESV I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live;
- NKJV I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives,
- NLT So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can.
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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 Yahweh, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture.
- Eccl 3:22Therefore I saw that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his works; for that is his portion: for who can bring him to see what will be after him?
- 1 Tim 6:18that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
- 1 Th 5:15–16See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good, for one another, and for all.
- Phil 4:4–9Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, “Rejoice!”
- Acts 20:35In all things I gave you an example, that so laboring you ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
- Luke 11:41But give for gifts to the needy those things which are within, and behold, all things will be clean to you.
- Isa 64:5You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned. We have been in sin for a long time. Shall we be saved?
- Eccl 9:7–9Go your way — eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.
- Deut 28:63It will happen that as Yahweh rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you, so Yahweh will rejoice over you to cause you to perish, and to destroy you. You will be plucked from off of the land where you go in to possess it.
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.