“The phrase “under the sun” is used twenty-nine times in Ecclesiastes. It is frequently paired with hebel. Many commentators take the phrase to be an expression of life without God. The reality is that “under the sun” is just life. It is life for everybody” – Brian Borgman

The most crucial aspect to understanding Ecclesiastes and how it connects with our life is to properly grasp the word which our translations translate “vanity,” “futility,” or “meaningless.”………. The Hebrew word translated “vanity” is hebel. It is used 38 times in this book, which is about half of all Old Testament uses. But when we consider that Solomon says twice, “Hebel of hebels. Hebel of hebels. Everything is hebel,” then we have a keyword and a key theme that helps us understand this book…..

We now understand that everything is hebel of hebels, but what does it mean?…….. One of the first things to observe is that Abel’s name is the Hebrew word hebel, depicting the brevity of his life. The word is used in many contexts and, according to the way words work, may have a variety of implications. The basic sense of hebel is breath, mist, fog, or vapor……

Based on the above understanding of hebel, it becomes apparent that Ecclesiastes should read: “Breath of breaths. Breath of breaths. Everything is breath.” Or, “Vapor of vapors. Vapor of vapors. Everything is vapor.” Or as David Gibson suggests, “The merest of breaths … the merest of breaths. Everything is a breath.”

Hebel Is for Everybody –  Hebel is a constant in everyone’s life. The life of the sinner and the life of the saint are both marked by hebel. Nobody escapes it. It is a reality for those who love God and those who hate Him. There is no escaping it. Life is short and elusive, for everyone. ……The point of the book is not how to get around hebel, but how to cope with it and thrive within it.

Hebel Is from God –  Hebel is not only a constant for everyone, but also the constant condition of this present life because of God’s judgment. Hebel is part of the curse. It is the graffiti written all over a fallen world. Therefore, God is the one who is in control of hebel.

Hebel and Life Under the Sun – The phrase “under the sun” is used twenty-nine times in Ecclesiastes. It is frequently paired with hebel. Many commentators take the phrase to be an expression of life without God. The reality is that “under the sun” is just life. It is life for everybody. Every mere mortal lives “under the sun.” It is the perspective, as one writer put it, of our death row cell existence.

Hebel and Chasing After the Wind – The phrase “striving after the wind” is used seven times, and six of those are paired with hebel. Chasing the wind, or shepherding the wind, is trying to do something impossible. It is trying to control the uncontrollable……..For those who think they have their future wrapped up with a neat bow, for those who have done everything right and made all the proper preparations for a life of joy, know this: the wind can shift. No one can shepherd the wind. Making plans is wise, but in a life that is a breath on a cold morning, you never know what awaits you at the next turn. This short life is unpredictable and uncontrollable.

Ecclesiastes stands out in our Bibles as an unusual gift. It is a book of inspired wisdom that sounds different from other books. It deals with the exceptions and mysteries of life. Ecclesiastes helps us break through the make-believe, pretend views of life, which are designed to anesthetize us. If we live anesthetized, fabricated lives, we will be unprepared when it is time to die. Ecclesiastes shouts, “Life is a gift, it is really short, you will die, and you need my wisdom to live it joyfully.” Ecclesiastes is an unexpected source of joy that warns us and equips us to not waste our breath before it ends in death. – Brian Borgman

Everyone gives mental assent to the fact that we will die oneday, but because the society has been designed to distract us from facing the reality of death, so many do not live as those ready to stand before God and give an account for their lives. Ecclesiastes challenges us to put first things, first. – Elizabeth

Soli Deo Gloria

Recommended Resources: 

“Living Life Backward: How Ecclesiastes Teaches us to Live in Light of the End”

By David Gibson

“Don’t Waste Your Breath: Ecclesiastes and the Joy of a Fleeting Life”

By Brian Borgman