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== Famous sections ==

== Famous sections ==

Many phrases and passages in it are famous: "to eat, and to drink, and to be merry," "there is no new thing under the sun," "the race is not to the swift." The titles of [[Ernest Hemingway]]'s ''The Sun Also Rises'', [[Edith Wharton]]'s ''The House of Mirth'', and [[George Stewart]]'s ''Earth Abides'' are all phrases from Ecclesiastes. Folksinger [[Pete Seeger]] made a passage from it into the song "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" which, when recorded by The Byrds, was a #1 hit in the United States in 1965.

Many phrases and passages in it are famous: "to eat, and to drink, and to be merry," "there is no new thing under the sun," "the race is not to the swift." The titles of [[Ernest Hemingway]]'s ''The Sun Also Rises'', [[Edith Wharton]]'s ''The House of Mirth'', and George Stewart's ''Earth Abides'' are all phrases from Ecclesiastes. Folksinger [[Pete Seeger]] made a passage from it into the song "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" which, when recorded by The Byrds, was a #1 hit in the United States in 1965.

The speaker begins "Vanity of vanities(הבל הבלים), saith Qohelet, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." (Ecc 1:2) Here, ''vanity'' means "empty" or "useless" or "in vain." The speaker says that everything that can be accomplished by human effort is empty, fleeting, and repetitious: "Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us." (Ecc 1:10) "I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit." יֵשׁ דָּבָר שֶׁיֹּאמַר רְאֵה-זֶה, חָדָשׁ הוּא:  כְּבָר הָיָה לְעֹלָמִים, אֲשֶׁר הָיָה מִלְּפָנֵנוּ(Ecc 1:14)

The speaker begins "Vanity of vanities(הבל הבלים), saith Qohelet, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." (Ecc 1:2) Here, ''vanity'' means "empty" or "useless" or "in vain." The speaker says that everything that can be accomplished by human effort is empty, fleeting, and repetitious: "Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us." (Ecc 1:10) "I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit." יֵשׁ דָּבָר שֶׁיֹּאמַר רְאֵה-זֶה, חָדָשׁ הוּא:  כְּבָר הָיָה לְעֹלָמִים, אֲשֶׁר הָיָה מִלְּפָנֵנוּ(Ecc 1:14)

''Ecclesiastes'' should not be confused with the completely different [[apocrypha]]l book of ''Ecclesiasticus'', which is found in some editions of the Bible.  (While Roman Catholics consider the Apocrypha canonical, Protestants consider it sometimes valuable but not authoritative, inspired [[Holy Scripture|Scripture]].)

''Ecclesiastes'' should not be confused with the completely different [[apocrypha]]l book of ''Ecclesiasticus'', which is found in some editions of the Bible.  (While Roman Catholics consider the Apocrypha canonical, Protestants consider it sometimes valuable but not authoritative, inspired [[Holy Scripture|Scripture]].)

==References==

==References==