Ecclesiastes 2:15
Strong's Lexicon
So I
אֲנִ֜י (’ă·nî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 589: 1) I (first pers. sing. -usually used for emphasis)

said
וְאָמַ֨רְתִּֽי (wə·’ā·mar·tî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 559: 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch

to myself,
בְּלִבִּ֗י (bə·lib·bî)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 3820: 1) inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding 1a) inner part, midst 1a1) midst (of things) 1a2) heart (of man) 1a3) soul, heart (of man) 1a4) mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory 1a5) inclination, resolution, determination (of will) 1a6) conscience 1a7) heart (of moral character) 1a8) as seat of appetites 1a9) as seat of emotions and passions 1a10) as seat of courage

“The fate
כְּמִקְרֵ֤ה (kə·miq·rêh)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's Hebrew 4745: 1) unforeseen meeting or event, accident, happening, chance, fortune 1a) accident, chance 1b) fortune, fate

of the fool
הַכְּסִיל֙ (hak·kə·sîl)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 3684: 1) fool, stupid fellow, dullard, simpleton, arrogant one

will also
גַּם־ (gam-)
Conjunction
Strong's Hebrew 1571: 1) also, even, indeed, moreover, yea 1a) also, moreover (giving emphasis) 1b) neither, neither...nor (with negative) 1c) even (for stress) 1d) indeed, yea (introducing climax) 1e) also (of correspondence or retribution) 1f) but, yet, though (adversative) 1g) even, yea, yea though (with 'when' in hypothetical case) 2) (TWOT) again, alike

befall me.
יִקְרֵ֔נִי (yiq·rê·nî)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 7136: 1) to encounter, meet, befall, happen, come to meet 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to encounter, meet 1a2) to befall 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to encounter, meet (without pre-arrangement) 1b2) to chance to be present 1b3) to come to meet 1c) (Hiphil) to cause to meet, appoint 2) to build with beams 2a) (Piel) to lay the beams of, furnish with beams

What
וְלָ֧מָּה (wə·lām·māh)
Conjunctive waw | Interrogative
Strong's Hebrew 4100: interr pron 1) what, how, of what kind 1a) (interrogative) 1a1) what? 1a2) of what kind 1a3) what? (rhetorical) 1a4) whatsoever, whatever, what 1b) (adverb) 1b1) how, how now 1b2) why 1b3) how! (exclamation) 1c) (with prep) 1c1) wherein?, whereby?, wherewith?, by what means? 1c2) because of what? 1c3) the like of what? 1c3a) how much?, how many?, how often? 1c3b) for how long? 1c4) for what reason?, why?, to what purpose? 1c5) until when?, how long?, upon what?, wherefore? indef pron 2) anything, aught, what may

then
אָ֣ז (’āz)
Adverb
Strong's Hebrew 227: 1) then, at that time 1a) temporal expressions 1a1) then (past) 1a2) then, if...then (future) 1a3) earlier 1b) logical expressions 1b1) in that case 1b2) that (being so)

have I
אֲנִ֣י (’ă·nî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 589: 1) I (first pers. sing. -usually used for emphasis)

gained
יוֹתֵ֑ר (yō·w·ṯêr)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 3148: n m 1) superiority, advantage, excess adv 2) excess, better conj 3) besides, moreover, more

by being wise ?”
חָכַ֛מְתִּי (ḥā·ḵam·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 2449: 1) to be wise 1a) (Qal) to be or become wise, act wisely 1b) (Piel) to make wise, teach wisdom, instruct 1c) (Pual) to be made wise 1d) (Hiphil) to make wise 1e) (Hithpael) to show oneself wise, deceive, show one's wisdom

אֲנִ֖י (’ă·nî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 589: 1) I (first pers. sing. -usually used for emphasis)

And I said
וְדִבַּ֣רְתִּי (wə·ḏib·bar·tî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 1696: 1) to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing 1a) (Qal) to speak 1b) (Niphal) to speak with one another, talk 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to speak 1c2) to promise 1d) (Pual) to be spoken 1e) (Hithpael) to speak 1f) (Hiphil) to lead away, put to flight

to myself
בְלִבִּ֔י (ḇə·lib·bî)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 3820: 1) inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding 1a) inner part, midst 1a1) midst (of things) 1a2) heart (of man) 1a3) soul, heart (of man) 1a4) mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory 1a5) inclination, resolution, determination (of will) 1a6) conscience 1a7) heart (of moral character) 1a8) as seat of appetites 1a9) as seat of emotions and passions 1a10) as seat of courage

that this
זֶ֖ה (zeh)
Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 2088: 1) this, this one, here, which, this...that, the one...the other, another, such 1a) (alone) 1a1) this one 1a2) this...that, the one...the other, another 1b) (appos to subst) 1b1) this 1c) (as predicate) 1c1) this, such 1d) (enclitically) 1d1) then 1d2) who, whom 1d3) how now, what now 1d4) what now 1d5) wherefore now 1d6) behold here 1d7) just now 1d8) now, now already 1e) (poetry) 1e1) wherein, which, those who 1f) (with prefixes) 1f1) in this (place) here, then 1f2) on these conditions, herewith, thus provided, by, through this, for this cause, in this matter 1f3) thus and thus 1f4) as follows, things such as these, accordingly, to that effect, in like manner, thus and thus 1f5) from here, hence, on one side...on the other side 1f6) on this account 1f7) in spite of this, which, whence, how

too
שֶׁגַּם־ (šeg·gam-)
Pronoun - relative | Conjunction
Strong's Hebrew 1571: 1) also, even, indeed, moreover, yea 1a) also, moreover (giving emphasis) 1b) neither, neither...nor (with negative) 1c) even (for stress) 1d) indeed, yea (introducing climax) 1e) also (of correspondence or retribution) 1f) but, yet, though (adversative) 1g) even, yea, yea though (with 'when' in hypothetical case) 2) (TWOT) again, alike

is futile.
הָֽבֶל׃ (hā·ḇel)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 1892: n m 1) vapour, breath 1a) breath, vapour 1b) vanity (fig.) adv 2) vainly

Parallel Strong's
Berean Study Bible
So I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will also befall me. What then have I gained by being wise?” And I said to myself that this too is futile.

Young's Literal Translation
and I said in my heart, ‘As it happeneth with the fool, it happeneth also with me, and why am I then more wise?’ And I spake in my heart{.htm" title="{">, that also this [is] vanity:

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So I said to myself , “ What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise? ” And I said to myself that this is also futile.

New American Standard Bible
Then I said to myself, "As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?" So I said to myself, "This too is vanity."

King James Bible
Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also [is] vanity.
Parallel Verses
New International Version
Then I said to myself, "The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?" I said to myself, "This too is meaningless."

New Living Translation
Both will die. So I said to myself, "Since I will end up the same as the fool, what's the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!"

English Standard Version
Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

New American Standard Bible
Then I said to myself, "As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?" So I said to myself, "This too is vanity."

King James Bible
Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So I said to myself, "What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise?" And I said to myself that this is also futile.

International Standard Version
Then I told myself, "Whatever happens to the fool will happen also to me. Therefore what's the point in being so wise?" And I told myself that this also is pointless.

NET Bible
So I thought to myself, "The fate of the fool will happen even to me! Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively wise?" So I lamented to myself, "The benefits of wisdom are ultimately meaningless!"

American Standard Version
Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then said I in my heart, that this also is vanity.

English Revised Version
Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also was vanity.

Young's Literal Translation
and I said in my heart, 'As it happeneth with the fool, it happeneth also with me, and why am I then more wise?' And I spake in my heart, that also this is vanity:
















Cross References
Ecclesiastes 2:16
For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.

Ecclesiastes 6:8
For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?

Ecclesiastes 6:11
Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?

Ecclesiastes 1:1
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

Ecclesiastes 2:14
The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.

Ecclesiastes 2:13
Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.

Ecclesiastes 2:12
And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.

Ecclesiastes 2:17
Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Ecclesiastes 2:18
Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
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