Ecclesiastes 1

The book begins with the words of "the Preacher" (Qoheleth), who declares that everything under the sun is "vanity of vanities"—meaning meaningless, fleeting, and absurd. The Preacher laments that all human effort and labor is pointless because nothing changes: the sun rises, the wind circles, and all rivers flow to the sea, yet the sea is never full. The Preacher, identifying himself as King in Jerusalem (Solomon), states that his pursuit of wisdom only brought him sorrow and led him to conclude that even wisdom is merely grasping for the wind.