Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageWhat profit does a man have from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GWhat lasting gain is there for a person in all their toil at which they toil under the sun?
KJV
King James VersionWhat profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
BSB
Berean Standard BibleWhat does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?
Footnotes
Yitron (יִּתְרוֹן) is a commercial and mercantile term meaning "surplus," "net profit," or "advantage left over after costs"—it appears only in Ecclesiastes in the entire Hebrew Bible, suggesting Qohelet deliberately employs economic language to interrogate whether life yields a net return. The word amal (עָמָל) carries not just "labour" but exhausting, grief-laden toil. The F.O.G renders yitron as "lasting gain" to hold both the commercial and existential dimensions; the F.O.G Message uses "profit" to keep the mercantile edge crisp.
