Nothing Is Gained Under the Sun. With the phrase “nothing is gained under the sun,” Qohelet reflects on his earlier experiments. What are the outcomes of his attempts to acquire wealth and wisdom? 1. First (12-14a), although wisdom is superior to foolishness, it offers no real advantage because death equalizes wise men and fools (3:19; 9:2f). 2. Second (14b-17), all of this leads to pain and emptiness (cf. Jr 20:14, 18; Job 3:1-3). 3. Third (18-21), and what seems most significant here, the anguish of striving to achieve things—‘yitron’ refers to effort in a broad sense—is worsened by having to leave them to those who have not worked for them, with the added frustration that they may be either ‘wise’ or “foolish.” In conclusion (22-26): “the only good thing for man is to eat…” (the text parallels 3:12.22 and 8:15, cf. Is 56:12; 1 Chr 29:22; Neh 8:10; 1 Cor 15:32).
With these conclusions, the Preacher departs from traditional wisdom, as seen in Proverbs 10:7, 9, 16, 17, and even mocks the inadequacy of the doctrine that justified the scandal of riches given to the wicked (Prov 11:8; 13:22; Job 27:16f). The author does not discuss survival after death but instead shows that the wise and the foolish share the same fate, unlike in Wisdom 2-5. However, Qohelet remains within the most orthodox of the Israelite faith when he affirms that everything is a gift from God (25).
If we try to read this section starting from the end, we would see: “The only good thing for man is to eat and drink and enjoy the fruit of his labor, and even this I have seen to be a gift from God…” Here, the wise man has reached after examining what remains of his wisdom and possessions, as if to say that the place where the desired treasure is hidden is in the most everyday things: in the God of small things.