Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes Study Guide

Chapter 1
(Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes, pp. 1-6)

1. What is suggested by Solomon identifying himself as the Preacher (1:1)?

2. Compare Ecclesiastes 1:3 with Proverbs 14:23. Is the wise man contradicting himself?
Explain.

3. Explain the phrase, There is nothing new under the sun (1:9).

4. How did Solomons position help him to be able to search for purpose in life (1:12)?

5. What does the phrase under the sun indicate about the scope of the book of Ecclesiastes?

6. How was Solomon able to say that he had increased wisdom more than all who were over
Jerusalem before me (1:16)?

7. How does increasing wisdom increase grief/pain (1:18)?

Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes Study Guide

Chapter 2
(Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes, pp. 7-16)

1. Should verse 3 be seen as permission for Gods people to drink alcohol? Explain.

2. In verses 4-6, Solomon uses the phrase for myself four times. Why is this significant?

3. How does wisdom excel folly in this life (2:13)?

4. What is the common fate of both the wise man and the fool (2:14)?

5. Why did Solomon say he hated the fruit of his labor (2:18)?

6. Why does Solomon say it is a great evil for one to leave his legacy to another (2:21)?

7. In verses 24-25, what does Solomon recognize about the source of our blessings?

Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes Study Guide

Chapter 3
(Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes, pp. 17-26)

1. When Solomon says there is an appointed time for everything (3:1), is he referring to specific
events arranged by God or a pattern that exists in life? Explain.

2. Solomon mentions a time to kill (3:3). When was this justified under the old law?

3. What does the phrase He has also set eternity in their heart mean (3:11)?

4. What does Solomon say is the gift of God (3:13)?

5. What does the phrase, God seeks what has passed by mean (3:15)?

6. In what way are men but beasts (3:18)?

7. What is it about the breath of men and beasts that shows that they are different (3:21)?

Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes Study Guide

Chapter 4
(Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes, pp. 27-34)

1. Why is it significant to note that the oppressors had no one to comfort them (4:1)?

2. Why is it foolish for one to refuse to work (4:5)?

3. Is it possible to go to the extreme of overworking (4:8)? Explain.

4. Verses 9-12 are often applied to marriage. Is this a proper application? Should we limit these
verses to marriage?

5. What is the cord of three strands (4:12)?

6. Why is a poor wise lad better than an old foolish king (4:13)?

7. Does the phrase, he has come out of prison to become king (4:14) refer to a specific person?

Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes Study Guide

Chapter 5
(Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes, pp. 35-44)

1. What is the sacrifice of fools (5:1)?

2. What type of vows are under consideration in verses 4-5?

3. What had Solomon observed about government bureaucracy (5:8)?

4. Why is a king who cultivates the field...an advantage to the land (5:9)?

5. Why, when good things increase, do those who consume them increase (5:11)?

6. Why does the working man sleep pleasantly while the rich man loses sleep (5:12)?

7. Compare verses 10 and 19. Are riches themselves evil? Explain.

Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes Study Guide

Chapter 6
(Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes, pp. 45-50)

1. What had Solomon observed in regard to wealth that he called evil (6:1-2)?

2. Why would the man discussed in verse 3 not have a proper burial?

3. What is the one place to which all men go (6:6)?

4. Why is mans appetite never satisfied (6:7)?

5. What advantage, if any, does the wise man have over the fool in this life (6:8)?

6. Who is the stronger one with whom man cannot dispute (6:10)?

7. Why is mans life likened to a shadow (6:12)?

Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes Study Guide

Chapter 7
(Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes, pp. 51-62)

1. Why is the day of ones death better than the day of ones birth (7:1)?

2. Why is the rebuke of a wise man better than the song of fools (7:5)?

3. What warning is given in verse 10 about the good old days?

4. What do days of prosperity and days of adversity have in common (7:14)?

5. Explain the phrase, Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise (7:16).

6. Is verse 20 an excuse to justify sin? Explain.

7. How does verse 29 refute the Calvinistic doctrine of total depravity?

Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes Study Guide

Chapter 8
(Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes, pp. 63-70)

1. Why does Solomon say that one must obey the king (8:2)?

2. What limit to our obedience to civil law is suggested in verse 3?

3. What is the wind that no man can restrain (8:8)?

4. According to verse 11, why is the timing of punishment important?

5. Why is it better to fear God than to lengthen ones life in sin (8:12-13)?

6. Explain why the righteous are treated as wicked and the wicked are treated as righteous
(8:14).

7. In what way is man limited in his ability to acquire knowledge (8:16-17)?

Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes Study Guide

Chapter 9
(Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes, pp. 71-78)

1. What is the one fate for all men (9:3)?

2. What is meant by the phrase, The hearts of the sons of men are full of evil (9:3)?

3. Some argue that verse 5 teaches that there is no punishment for the wicked after this life.
What is this verse actually teaching?

4. When Solomon says, for God has already approved your works (9:7), does he mean that God
accepts anything we do, to include sin? Explain.

5. Why are we to do our work with all our might (9:10)?

6. What does verse 11 teach about divine foreordination of events?

7. In what way is wisdom better than weapons of war (9:18)?

Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes Study Guide

Chapter 10
(Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes, pp. 79-86)

1. What is the significance of the right hand in Scripture (10:2)?

2. Why should one not abandon his position in the face of a rulers wrath (10:4)?

3. What warning is contained in the examples of verses 8-9?

4. What point is Solomon making with his illustration of the serpent and the charmer (10:11)?

5. What is the difference between princes feasting in the morning and feasting at the
appropriate time (10:16-17)?

6. In what way is money...the answer to everything (10:19)?

7. Why should one not curse a king in his bedchamber (10:20)?

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Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes Study Guide

Chapter 11
(Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes, pp. 87-92)

1. What does Solomon mean in verse 1 about casting bread upon the water and finding it after
many days?

2. What does it mean to divide your portion and why is that important (11:2)?

3. What is it in verse 4 that prevents one from sowing and reaping? Why?

4. Why should one sow in the morning and the evening (11:6)?

5. What are the days of darkness (11:8)?

6. Are young people responsible for their actions (11:9)?

7. How can one remove grief and anger from his heart (11:10)?

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Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes Study Guide

Chapter 12
(Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes, pp. 93-100)

1. What danger exists if one fails to remember His Creator in the days of his youth (12:1)?

2. Explain the following illustrations in which Solomon describes how ones physical body
begins to fail late in life (12:3-5)
2.a. The watchmen of the house tremble
2.b. Mighty men stoop
2.c. The grinding ones stand idle because they are few
2.d. Windows grow dim
2.e. The doors on the street are shut
2.f. One will arise at the sound of the bird
2.g. The daughters of song will sing softly
2.h. Afraid of high places and of terrors on the road
2.i. The almond tree blossoms
2.j. The grasshopper drags himself along
2.k. The caperberry is ineffective

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Vanity of Vanities: Notes on Ecclesiastes Study Guide

3. What happens to mans spirit after death (12:7)?

4. Who is the one Shepherd (12:11)?

5. What is mans purpose in life (12:13)?

6. According to verse 14, why should man obey God?

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