The Chief Purpose Of Life

Everything Is Different, but Nothing Has Changed.

Everything has changed, but nothing is new.

Everything old is new again new once

It’s the same old, same old. The same old stuff, same old song, same old story, same old day, same old blues, same old fears, same old grind, same old mistakes, same old routine, same old results. A sign says, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”

Verse 9 and 11 are the main parallel points; there is nothing new under the sun, and there is no remembrance of old things. That is why we never create new things; we just invent things – we only discover, devise and develop things.

Verses 9 contrasts the same “been” in the perfect tense with the imperfect tense “will be,” the same passive (niphal) “is done” in the perfect tense with imperfect tense “will be done,” and verse 10 “new” with “old” and two more “been/is” in the perfect tense, so there are four “been” in the perfect tense altogether,” of which one is passive voice.

Some things seem new, but our genesis is the same, human genes are the same, generations are the same. What is new is the presentation, the packaging and perspective.

Long ago or old (v 10) is not long or old enough, it should be translated as forever, always (Gen 6:3), perpetual (Lev 3:17), old (Deut 32:7), lasting (Deut 33:15), evermore (2 Sam 22:51), continuance (Isa 64:5), ancient (Jer 5:15). The word occurs 439 times in the Bible,of which the most frequent are ever (272x), everlasting (63x), old (22x), perpetual (22x), and evermore (15x).

Nothing is new because of man’s selfishness, sin, and sufficiency. It’s not new; you’ve just weren’t aware, not done it, or seen it or heard about it before. In movie it is either a comedy or tragedy. Life is either a comedy, tragedy, or mystery.

Verse 11’s “remembrance” (zikrown) is not memory but memorial, a memento or memorable thing, day or writing. It is to speak of you highly, honorable and heartily.

The list of “no” in the chapter includes:

Eccl 1:8 not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

Eccl 1:11 neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

Eccl 1:15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

Three times “cannot” :

Eccl 1:8 cannot utter it:

Eccl 1:15 cannot be made straight:

Eccl 1:15 cannot be numbered.

If you see Chinese dramas enough it is the same old stuff, story, song, blues thing, results., day, thing, feeling, grind, mistakes, A sign says, “meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”

Ayin “no”:

Eccl 1:7 not full;

Eccl 1:9 there is no new thing under the sun

Eccl 1:11 There is no remembrance of former things;

Life is lots of additions, adaptation with no advance, advantage, or adequacy.

Life is As Perplexing As it is Promising

12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 15 What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted. 16 I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. 18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.