For the living know that they will die, but the dead don’t know anything, neither do they have any more a reward; for their memory is forgotten.
Parallel translations
- KJV For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
- BSB For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, because the memory of them is forgotten.
- NKJV For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten.
- NASB For the living know that they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor do they have a reward any longer, for their memory is forgotten.
- NLT The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered.
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
The living know they will die and can prepare, but the dead know nothing more and their memory fades from the world. Earthly life is the time to act, for death ends our work under the sun.
Overview
Qoheleth contrasts the conscious living with the dead, who have no more share in earthly affairs or remembrance. He speaks from the vantage point of life 'under the sun,' not delivering a full doctrine of the afterlife, which later revelation unfolds. The urgency he presses finds its answer in Christ, who brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (2 Timothy 1:10).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Isa 26:14The dead shall not live. The departed spirits shall not rise. Therefore you have visited and destroyed them, and caused all memory of them to perish.
- Eccl 1:11There is no memory of the former; neither shall there be any memory of the latter that are to come, among those that shall come after.
- Ps 6:5For in death there is no memory of you. In Sheol, who shall give you thanks?
- Ps 88:10–12Do you show wonders to the dead? Do the departed spirits rise up and praise you? Selah.
- Job 14:21His sons come to honor, and he doesn’t know it. They are brought low, but he doesn’t perceive it of them.
- Heb 9:27Inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment,
- Ps 109:15Let them be before Yahweh continually, that he may cut off their memory from the earth;
- Eccl 2:16For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no memory for ever, since in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. Indeed, the wise man must die just like the fool!
- Isa 63:16For you are our Father, though Abraham doesn’t know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, Yahweh, are our Father. Our Redeemer from everlasting is your name.
- Eccl 8:10So I saw the wicked buried. Indeed they came also from holiness. They went and were forgotten in the city where they did this. This also is vanity.
- Job 7:8–10The eye of him who sees me shall see me no more. Your eyes shall be on me, but I shall not be.
- Eccl 7:2It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men, and the living should take this to heart.
- Job 30:23For I know that you will bring me to death, To the house appointed for all living.
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 9:5 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.