The regular saying “this is hevel” in verse 21 is an indication that there is a break between that verse and this one. The fact that verse 22 repeats the “key question” from 1.3 also suggests a break in the flow of thought at this point. Translators may wish to indicate this by starting a new paragraph here.

What has a man…?: The Hebrew text of this verse begins with the particle ki, usually rendered “for” as in verse 21. We have already come to appreciate that this marker can be used in a variety of circumstances. As it does not advance Qoheleth’s argument by providing a motive for his actions, the particle probably should be regarded as the emphatic “indeed.” In this way he draws attention to the question he is about to repeat. Revised Standard Version and most versions omit it from translation. This is understandable, though something like “So then…” can express its meaning here.

What has a man: the interrogative pronoun “what, whatever” is followed by the rare use of the participle of the verb “exist, become.” Although this version of the key question does not use the term yithron, it is obvious that in its structure and in terms of its intention there is no difference between this form and the one in 1.3. So, having asked the question once in 1.3 and responded to it in the negative (in 2.11), Qoheleth repeats the question as a lead-in to the most positive piece of advice he is able to give. The question sets the stage for Qoheleth to give the advice that is the climax of his work: enjoy life in this problem-filled world.

From all the toil and strain with which he toils beneath the sun: see comments on “toil” in 1.3. The strain is literally “in the striving of his heart [or, mind],” so Revised Standard Version strain may not adequately convey that the anguish such a situation causes is also mental and not only physical. See New American Bible “anxiety of heart” and New International Version “anxious striving,” or Good News Translation, which uses verbs, “work and worry,” rather than nouns. These each draw attention to the mental stress that a wise person feels when confronting a problem of this nature. Some languages have only one term to refer to both physical and mental stress, in which case that term can be used.

The question is a rhetorical one, and so translators have the choice of preserving the question form or of rendering the sense as a negative statement. Suggestions:

• What does a person gain from a life of mental stress and physical striving?

• A person gains nothing from a life full of mental and physical toil.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .