What does “what profit hath he that worketh” mean in this passage?

The question “what profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?” is asking what lasting gain a person really gets from all their hard work. The writer has watched people toil and struggle, and sees that much of what they build passes away. Work is still a duty and part of God’s plan, but by itself it does not give deep or permanent profit. This pushes us to look beyond our efforts to God, who gives both the work and any true enjoyment that comes from it.

What does “he hath made everything beautiful in his time” mean?

When it says God has made everything beautiful in its time, it means that God fits events and seasons together in a way that is right and proper, even when we cannot see it. There is a right time for joy and a right time for sorrow, for building and for letting go. Many things may look harsh or pointless to us, but in God’s ordering they have a place. This verse calls us to trust that God’s timing is wise, even when life feels confusing.

What does it mean that God has “set the world in their heart”?

The phrase about God setting the world in people’s hearts points to the deep sense people have of the wide world and of something beyond this life. People think, plan, and search. They feel there is more than what they can see in one moment. Yet, even with this longing and awareness, they still cannot trace out all that God is doing from beginning to end. So, we live with a desire to understand, but also with limits that keep us humble before God.

How is eating, drinking, and enjoying work the gift of God?

The passage says it is good for a person to eat, drink, and enjoy the good of all their labour, and that this is God’s gift. This means simple, daily joys are not just earned, they are given. The power to enjoy food, family, rest, and work comes from God’s kindness. This pushes us away from greed or despair. We do our work, receive what comes, and take it with gratitude and self-control, knowing these moments of joy are given by God, not guaranteed by our effort.

What does “whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever” teach about God?

This line shows that God’s actions and plans are firm and lasting. What God chooses to do cannot be undone, improved, or weakened by people. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken away. This does not mean we are robots, but that God’s purpose stands above human change. The result should be a deep, healthy fear of God, a sense of awe and respect. We see that our work fades, but God’s work abides, so we bow before him.

How should a believer respond to this passage about work and God’s sovereignty?

A believer should respond with humility, trust, and thankful enjoyment. Humility, because our plans and efforts are limited and passing. Trust, because God orders times and seasons, and his work cannot fail. Thankful enjoyment, because God wants us to receive food, drink, and the fruit of our labour as his gifts, not as idols. Rather than chase control over every outcome, we can do good, rejoice in what God gives today, and walk in reverent fear before him.

Why does this passage say no one can fully understand God’s work?

The passage explains that God has given people a sense of the world and of something larger than themselves, yet still no one can trace out what God is doing from beginning to end. This shows that God is far greater than we are. We see only a small part of his plan, like looking at one thread instead of the whole pattern. This limit is not to crush us, but to teach us to rely on God, enjoy what he gives, and accept the seasons and tasks he sends.

Eccl.3.9

Ecclesiastes 3:9

Q: What is meant by “that which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been”?

Here the writer is saying that there is a kind of cycle in human affairs. The same kinds of events and patterns keep coming back in different forms. What has happened before comes around again, and what will be has its roots in what has already been. Over all this, God is the one who “requires” what is past, meaning he brings things back around and calls past deeds into account. This reminds us that nothing is hidden from God’s rule and judgment.

KJV

What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

God’s Works Remain Forever

What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.