Vanity

The Hebrew word 'hevel' (used 38 times in Ecclesiastes) literally means 'vapor' or 'breath' — something that appears and vanishes. The Teacher in Ecclesiastes declares 'Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!' It's not nihilism — it's the honest admission that life 'under the sun' (apart from God) is ultimately meaningless. Wealth, pleasure, achievement — they all evaporate. The book's conclusion: 'Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man' (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Only God gives life lasting substance.