Translation
What exists now will exist later, what is
done now
will be done later;
there is nothing truly new under the sun.
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
What exists now is what will be in existence later, what is accomplished now is no different than what will be accomplished later. Nothing we do or experience can truly be called “new.” Like a vapor, our lives do not accomplish big things; they are not as special as we once thought.
Footnotes
1: “nothing truly new under the sun”
This is a heavy-duty reality check. We think we are special and what we accomplish is special. Solomon, the guy who accomplished much more than most have ever dreamed of accomplishing, says it is all hollow; our accomplishments are not special after all.