◄ Ecclesiastes 3:10 ►
I have seen the burden that God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them.
Study Bible
I have seen the burden

Solomon speaks as one who has examined life under the sun with unusual privilege, wisdom, and experience. Human labor was given before the Fall, but sin brought painful toil, frustration, and mortality into humanity’s daily work (Genesis 2:15; 3:17–19). The burden includes the recurring demands, unanswered questions, and limited results that mark life in a fallen world.

Job 5:7 Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.
Psa 90:10 The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty…
Rom 8:20-22 For the creation was subjected to futility,…

that God has laid

God remains sovereign over the seasons, responsibilities, and limitations of human life. His rule does not make life meaningless; it establishes that even difficult providences are within His wise purpose. The Lord uses toil and limitation to expose the insufficiency of earthly pursuits and to direct hearts toward reverence, dependence, and eternal realities.

Gen 3:17-19 And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened…
Job 34:23 For God need not examine a man further…
Isa 45:7 I form the light and create the darkness;…

upon the sons of men

Every person shares this condition, regardless of wealth, rank, wisdom, or strength. Solomon’s own life demonstrated that prosperity and achievement cannot remove the deeper burdens of mortality and the search for lasting purpose. Humanity stands alike before God as dependent creatures accountable to their Creator.

Psa 8:4 what is man that You are mindful of him?…
Psa 144:3 O LORD, what is man, that You regard him…
Job 25:6 how much less man, who is but a maggot, and the son of man,…

to occupy them.

God has assigned mankind work and responsibilities within the changing times He appoints. Such labor keeps people engaged in their God-given calling while reminding them that no human effort can master the whole course of life. The burdens of life can become instruments of spiritual maturity when they lead people to fear God, receive His gifts gratefully, and trust His final work beyond what can be seen.

Psa 104:23 Man goes forth to his work and to his labor until evening.
Exo 20:9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
Pro 14:23 There is profit in all labor, but mere talk…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Solomon
Traditionally considered the author of Ecclesiastes, Solomon was the king of Israel known for his wisdom, wealth, and writings. He reflects on the human experience and the divine order.

2. Sons of Men
This phrase refers to humanity in general, emphasizing the universal nature of the human condition and the burdens that all people face.

3. God
The Creator who has established the order of the world and the tasks that occupy human beings.

4. The Burden
Represents the tasks, responsibilities, and challenges that God has given to humanity, which are part of the human experience.

5. The World
The setting in which humans live and experience the burdens and tasks given by God.
Teaching Points
Understanding the Human Condition
Recognize that burdens and labor are part of the human experience as ordained by God. This understanding can lead to acceptance and reliance on God's wisdom.

Purpose in Labor
While burdens can seem overwhelming, they serve a purpose in God's divine plan. Seek to find meaning and fulfillment in the tasks God has given.

Dependence on God
In the face of life's burdens, turn to God for strength and guidance. Acknowledge that human effort alone is insufficient without divine support.

Eternal Perspective
Keep an eternal perspective in mind. The burdens of this life are temporary, and God has a greater plan that transcends our immediate struggles.

Rest in Christ
Jesus offers rest and relief from the burdens of life. Embrace His invitation to find peace and rest in Him.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding the burdens God has placed on humanity change your perspective on daily challenges?

2. In what ways can you find purpose and meaning in the tasks and responsibilities you face?

3. How can the invitation of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30 provide comfort in times of burden?

4. What practical steps can you take to rely more on God's strength rather than your own in dealing with life's burdens?

5. How does keeping an eternal perspective help you navigate the temporary struggles and burdens of this life?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 3
The fall of man introduces toil and labor as part of the human condition, which connects to the burdens mentioned in Ecclesiastes.

Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus invites those who are weary and burdened to find rest in Him, offering a contrast to the burdens of life.

Romans 8:20-22
Paul speaks of creation being subjected to frustration, which aligns with the burdens and futility described in Ecclesiastes.

Psalm 90:10
Reflects on the brevity and toil of human life, echoing the themes of labor and burden.
Sermons
Opportunity; Opportuneness; OrdinationW. Clarkson Ecclesiastes 3:1-10
Autumn MusingsW. Burkitt Dalby.Ecclesiastes 3:9-11
Desiderium CeternitatisJ. Willcoc Ecclesiastes 3:9-11
The Mystery and the Meaning of LifeD. Thomas Ecclesiastes 3:9-13
People
Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Afflicted, Burden, Business, Busy, Exercised, Humbled, Labor, Laid, Occupy, Sons, Task, Themselves, Therewith, Toil, Travail
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ecclesiastes 3:10

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Library
Eternity in the Heart
'He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also He hath set the world in their heart.'--ECCLES. iii. 11. There is considerable difficulty in understanding what precise meaning is to be attached to these words, and what precise bearing they have on the general course of the writer's thoughts; but one or two things are, at any rate, quite clear. The Preacher has been enumerating all the various vicissitudes of prosperity and adversity, of construction and destruction, of society and solitude, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

'A Time to Plant'
'A time to plant.'--Eccles. iii. 2. The writer enumerates in this context a number of opposite courses of conduct arranged in pairs, each of which is right at the right time. The view thus presented seems to him to be depressing, and to make life difficult to understand, and aimless. We always appear to be building up with one hand and pulling down with the other. The ship never heads for two miles together in the same direction. The history of human affairs appears to be as purposeless as the play …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

For what Christian Men of Our Time Being Free from the Marriage Bond...
15. For what Christian men of our time being free from the marriage bond, having power to contain from all sexual intercourse, seeing it to be now "a time," as it is written, "not of embracing, but of abstaining from embrace," [1977] would not choose rather to keep virginal or widowed continence, than (now that there is no obligation from duty to human society) to endure tribulation of the flesh, without which marriages cannot be (to pass over in silence other things from which the Apostle spares.) …
St. Augustine—On the Good of Marriage

But Thou who Both Hast Sons, and Livest in that End of the World...
11. But thou who both hast sons, and livest in that end of the world, wherein now is the time not of casting stones, but of gathering; not of embracing, but of abstaining from embracing; [2244] when the Apostle cries out, "But this I say, brethren, the time is short; it remains, that both they who have wives be as not having;" [2245] assuredly if thou hadst sought a second marriage, it would have been no obedience of prophecy or law, no carnal desire even of family, but a mark of incontinence alone. …
St. Augustine—On the Good of Widowhood.

Letter xxvi. (Circa A. D. 1127) to the Same
To the Same He excuses the brevity of his letter on the ground that Lent is a time of silence; and also that on account of his profession and his ignorance he does not dare to assume the function of teaching. 1. You will, perhaps, be angry, or, to speak more gently, will wonder that in place of a longer letter which you had hoped for from me you receive this brief note. But remember what says the wise man, that there is a time for all things under the heaven; both a time to speak and a time to keep …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

The Conclusion of the Matter
'Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 2. While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain; 3. In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, 4. And the doors shall be shut in …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Of Self-Annihilation
Of Self-Annihilation Supplication and sacrifice are comprehended in prayer, which, according to S. John, is "an incense, the smoke whereof ascendeth unto God;" therefore it is said in the Apocalypse that "unto the Angel was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints'' (Chap. viii. 3). Prayer is the effusion of the heart in the Presence of God: "I have poured out my soul before God" saith the mother of Samuel. (1 Sam. i. 15) The prayer of the wise men at the feet of …
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

Introductory Note.
[a.d. 145-220.] When our Lord repulsed the woman of Canaan (Matt. xv. 22) with apparent harshness, he applied to her people the epithet dogs, with which the children of Israel had thought it piety to reproach them. When He accepted her faith and caused it to be recorded for our learning, He did something more: He reversed the curse of the Canaanite and showed that the Church was designed "for all people;" Catholic alike for all time and for all sorts and conditions of men. Thus the North-African …
Tertullian—Apology

The Lapse of Time.
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."--Eccles. ix. 10. Solomon's advice that we should do whatever our hand findeth to do with our might, naturally directs our thoughts to that great work in which all others are included, which will outlive all other works, and for which alone we really are placed here below--the salvation of our souls. And the consideration of this great work, …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII

"For they that are after the Flesh do Mind,"
Rom. viii. s 5, 6.--"For they that are after the flesh do mind," &c. "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." There are many differences among men in this world, that, as to outward appearance, are great and wide, and indeed they are so eagerly pursued, and seriously minded by men, as if they were great and momentous. You see what a strife and contention there is among men, how to be extracted out of the dregs of the multitude, and set a little higher …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

How the Silent and the Talkative are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 15.) Differently to be admonished are the over-silent, and those who spend time in much speaking. For it ought to be insinuated to the over-silent that while they shun some vices unadvisedly, they are, without its being perceived, implicated in worse. For often from bridling the tongue overmuch they suffer from more grievous loquacity in the heart; so that thoughts seethe the more in the mind from being straitened by the violent guard of indiscreet silence. And for the most part they …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

The Holy War,
MADE BY SHADDAI UPON DIABOLUS, FOR THE REGAINING OF THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD; OR, THE LOSING AND TAKING AGAIN OF THE TOWN OF MANSOUL. THE AUTHOR OF 'THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS.' 'I have used similitudes.'--Hosea 12:10. London: Printed for Dorman Newman, at the King's Arms in the Poultry; and Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1682. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Bunyan's account of the Holy War is indeed an extraordinary book, manifesting a degree of genius, research, and spiritual …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

A Sermon on Isaiah xxvi. By John Knox.
[In the Prospectus of our Publication it was stated, that one discourse, at least, would be given in each number. A strict adherence to this arrangement, however, it is found, would exclude from our pages some of the most talented discourses of our early Divines; and it is therefore deemed expedient to depart from it as occasion may require. The following Sermon will occupy two numbers, and we hope, that from its intrinsic value, its historical interest, and the illustrious name of its author, it …
John Knox—The Pulpit Of The Reformation, Nos. 1, 2 and 3.

"Who Walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the Flesh,"
Rom. viii. 4, 5.--"Who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh," &c. If there were nothing else to engage our hearts to religion, I think this might do it, that there is so much reason in it. Truly it is the most rational thing in the world, except some revealed mysteries of faith, which are far above reason, but not contrary to it. There is nothing besides in it, but that which is the purest reason. Even that part of it which is most difficult to man, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Appendix 2 Extracts from the Babylon Talmud
Massecheth Berachoth, or Tractate on Benedictions [76] Mishnah--From what time is the "Shema" said in the evening? From the hour that the priests entered to eat of their therumah [77] until the end of the first night watch. [78] These are the words of Rabbi Eliezer. But the sages say: Till midnight. Rabban Gamaliel says: Until the column of the morning (the dawn) rises. It happened, that his sons came back from a banquet. They said to him: "We have not said the Shema.'" He said to them, "If the column …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Ecclesiastes
It is not surprising that the book of Ecclesiastes had a struggle to maintain its place in the canon, and it was probably only its reputed Solomonic authorship and the last two verses of the book that permanently secured its position at the synod of Jamnia in 90 A.D. The Jewish scholars of the first century A.D. were struck by the manner in which it contradicted itself: e.g., "I praised the dead more than the living," iv. 2, "A living dog is better than a dead lion," ix. 4; but they were still more …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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