--- title: Ecclesiastes 6:12 — For who knoweth what is good for man in his life, all the days of hi… · Hebrew, tree and pragmatics description: For who knoweth what is good for man in his life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun? Who acts: appetite. Ecclesiastes 6:12 in Hebrew with its dependency tree, the Targum, JPS 1917 and the pragmatics of every clau --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC.6.12/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tanakh/) / [Ketuvim](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/) / [Ecclesiastes](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC/) / [chapter 6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC/6/) / 6:12 # Ecclesiastes 6:12 קֹהֶלֶת **Who acts:** appetite · **What happens:** know, be, spend, tell · **To what, where:** life, vain life, man, sun · **Speech:** someone speaks in this verse This is Ecclesiastes 6:12 from Mova's open Bible corpus, the Tanakh in three languages (Ketuvim — the Writings). The page gives the verse in Hebrew as the Westminster Leningrad Codex has it, its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, built from MACULA Hebrew — and its pragmatics: who acts — appetite — and what happens in the verse to life, vain life, man, sun, read clause by clause by Mova's frames. Beside it stand the Aramaic of the Targum and the English of the Jewish Publication Society's 1917 translation, each English sentence with a tree of its own. It is one of the 12 chapters of Ecclesiastes on this site, all built by Mova itself from its own trees, with no large model in between. כִּ֣י מִֽי־יוֹדֵעַ֩ מַה־טּ֨וֹב לָֽאָדָ֜ם בַּֽחַיִּ֗ים מִסְפַּ֛ר יְמֵי־חַיֵּ֥י הֶבְל֖וֹ וְיַעֲשֵׂ֣ם כַּצֵּ֑ל אֲשֶׁר֙ מִֽי־יַגִּ֣יד לָֽאָדָ֔ם מַה־יִּהְיֶ֥ה אַחֲרָ֖יו תַּ֥חַת הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃ [For who knoweth what is good for man in his life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/ECC.122/) ## The tree {#tree} Right to left, as the Hebrew is read; a prefix or suffix is a word of its own, and a line under the words joins those written as one. Under each word its part of speech and MACULA's English gloss. ```conllu rtl gloss # sent_id = wlc:ECC:113 # text = כִּ֣י מִֽי־יוֹדֵעַ֩ מַה־טּ֨וֹב לָֽאָדָ֜ם בַּֽחַיִּ֗ים מִסְפַּ֛ר יְמֵי־חַיֵּ֥י הֶבְל֖וֹ וְיַעֲשֵׂ֣ם כַּצֵּ֑ל אֲשֶׁר֙ מִֽי־יַגִּ֣יד לָֽאָדָ֔ם מַה־יִּהְיֶ֥ה אַחֲרָ֖יו תַּ֥חַת הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃ # verse = ECC.6.12 1 כִּ֣י כִּי SCONJ _ _ 3 mark _ Gloss=(dm)|Ref=ECC_6:12!1|MId=o210060120011|Strong=3588 2 מִֽי־ מִי PRON _ PronType=Int 3 nsubj _ Gloss=who?|Ref=ECC_6:12!2|MId=o210060120021|Strong=4310|Type=interrogative|SpaceAfter=No 3 יוֹדֵעַ֩ יָדַע VERB _ Gender=Masc|HebBinyan=QAL|Number=Sing 0 root _ Gloss=[is].knowing|Ref=ECC_6:12!3|MId=o210060120031|Strong=3045|Frame=A0:210060120021;A1:210060120051;|Type=participle_active 4 מַה־ מָה PRON _ PronType=Int 5 nsubj _ Gloss=what?|Ref=ECC_6:12!4|MId=o210060120041|Strong=4100|Type=interrogative|SpaceAfter=No 5 טּ֨וֹב טוֹב ADJ _ Gender=Masc|Number=Sing 3 ccomp _ Gloss=[is].good|Ref=ECC_6:12!5|MId=o210060120051|Strong=2896|Type=adjective 6-8 לָֽאָדָ֜ם _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6 לָֽ לְ ADP _ _ 8 case _ Gloss=for|Ref=ECC_6:12!6|MId=o210060120061|Strong=3807a 7 ה הַ DET _ PronType=Art 8 det _ Gloss=(the)|Ref=ECC_6:12!6|MId=o210060120061ה|Strong=1886a|Type=definite_article 8 אָדָ֜ם אָדָם NOUN _ Gender=Masc|Number=Sing 5 obl _ Gloss=person|Ref=ECC_6:12!6|MId=o210060120062|Strong=0120 9-11 בַּֽחַיִּ֗ים _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 9 בַּֽ בְּ ADP _ _ 11 case _ Gloss=in|Ref=ECC_6:12!7|MId=o210060120071|Strong=0871a 10 ה הַ DET _ PronType=Art 11 det _ Gloss=(the)|Ref=ECC_6:12!7|MId=o210060120071ה|Strong=1886a|Type=definite_article 11 חַיִּ֗ים חַיִּים NOUN _ Gender=Masc|Number=Plur 5 obl _ Gloss=life|Ref=ECC_6:12!7|MId=o210060120072|Strong=2416 12 מִסְפַּ֛ר מִסְפָּר NOUN _ Gender=Masc|Number=Sing 18 dislocated _ Gloss=the.number|Ref=ECC_6:12!8|MId=o210060120081|Strong=4557 13 יְמֵי־ יוֹם NOUN _ Gender=Masc|Number=Plur 12 compound:smixut _ Gloss=of.the.days|Ref=ECC_6:12!9|MId=o210060120091|Strong=3117|SpaceAfter=No 14 חַיֵּ֥י חַיִּים NOUN _ Gender=Masc|Number=Plur 13 compound:smixut _ Gloss=of.the.life|Ref=ECC_6:12!10|MId=o210060120101|Strong=2416 15-16 הֶבְל֖וֹ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 15 הֶבְל הֶבֶל NOUN _ Gender=Masc|Number=Sing 14 compound:smixut _ Gloss=his.futility|Ref=ECC_6:12!11|MId=o210060120111|Strong=1892 16 ֖וֹ הוּא PRON _ Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 15 nmod:poss _ Gloss=his|Ref=ECC_6:12!11|MId=o210060120112|Strong=2050c|Type=pronominal 17-19 וְיַעֲשֵׂ֣ם _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 17 וְ וְ CCONJ _ _ 18 cc _ Gloss=and|Ref=ECC_6:12!12|MId=o210060120121|Strong=2050b 18 יַעֲשׂ עָשָׂה VERB _ Gender=Masc|HebBinyan=QAL|Number=Sing|Person=3 3 parataxis _ Gloss=he|Ref=ECC_6:12!12|MId=o210060120122|Strong=6213|Frame=A0:210060120063;A1:210060120123;|Type=yiqtol 19 ֵ֣ם הוּא PRON _ Gender=Masc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 18 obj _ Gloss=spends.them|Ref=ECC_6:12!12|MId=o210060120123|Strong=3963a|Type=pronominal 20-22 כַּצֵּ֑ל _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 20 כַּ כְּ ADP _ _ 22 case _ Gloss=like|Ref=ECC_6:12!13|MId=o210060120131|Strong=3509a 21 ה הַ DET _ PronType=Art 22 det _ Gloss=(the)|Ref=ECC_6:12!13|MId=o210060120131ה|Strong=1886a|Type=definite_article 22 צֵּ֑ל צֵל NOUN _ Gender=Masc|Number=Sing 18 obl _ Gloss=shadow|Ref=ECC_6:12!13|MId=o210060120132|Strong=6738 23 אֲשֶׁר֙ אֲשֶׁר SCONJ _ _ 25 mark _ Gloss=that|Ref=ECC_6:12!14|MId=o210060120141|Strong=0834|Type=relative 24 מִֽי־ מִי PRON _ PronType=Int 25 nsubj _ Gloss=who?|Ref=ECC_6:12!15|MId=o210060120151|Strong=4310|Type=interrogative|SpaceAfter=No 25 יַגִּ֣יד נָגַד VERB _ Gender=Masc|HebBinyan=HIPHIL|Number=Sing|Person=3 3 parataxis _ Gloss=will.he.tell|Ref=ECC_6:12!16|MId=o210060120161|Strong=5046|Frame=AA:210060120151;A0:210060120191;|Type=yiqtol 26-28 לָֽאָדָ֔ם _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 26 לָֽ לְ ADP _ _ 28 case _ Gloss=to|Ref=ECC_6:12!17|MId=o210060120171|Strong=3807a 27 ה הַ DET _ PronType=Art 28 det _ Gloss=(the)|Ref=ECC_6:12!17|MId=o210060120171ה|Strong=1886a|Type=definite_article 28 אָדָ֔ם אָדָם NOUN _ Gender=Masc|Number=Sing 25 obl _ Gloss=person|Ref=ECC_6:12!17|MId=o210060120172|Strong=0120 29 מַה־ מָה PRON _ PronType=Int 32 nsubj _ Gloss=what?|Ref=ECC_6:12!18|MId=o210060120181|Strong=4100|Type=interrogative|SpaceAfter=No 30 יִּהְיֶ֥ה הָיָה AUX _ Gender=Masc|HebBinyan=QAL|Number=Sing|Person=3 32 cop _ Gloss=will.it.be|Ref=ECC_6:12!19|MId=o210060120191|Strong=1961|Frame=A0:210060120181;|Type=yiqtol 31-32 אַחֲרָ֖יו _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 31 אַחֲרָ֖י אַחַר ADP _ _ 32 case _ Gloss=after|Ref=ECC_6:12!20|MId=o210060120201|Strong=0310 32 ו הוּא PRON _ Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 25 ccomp _ Gloss=him|Ref=ECC_6:12!20|MId=o210060120202|Strong=2050c|Type=pronominal 33 תַּ֥חַת תַּחַת NOUN _ _ 32 obl _ Gloss=under|Ref=ECC_6:12!21|MId=o210060120211|Strong=8478 34-35 הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 34 הַ הַ DET _ PronType=Art 35 det _ Gloss=the|Ref=ECC_6:12!22|MId=o210060120221|Strong=1886a|Type=definite_article 35 שָּֽׁמֶשׁ שֶׁמֶשׁ NOUN _ Number=Sing 33 compound:smixut _ Gloss=sun|Ref=ECC_6:12!22|MId=o210060120222|Strong=8121 36 ׃ ׃ PUNCT _ _ 35 punct _ Ref=ECC_6:12!22 ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} - form: wh-question - act: ask - voice: character - speech: inside a quote begun earlier - negation: no | verb | form · stem | who (A0) | what, whom (A1) | to whom, further (A2) | who makes it happen (AA) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | יוֹדֵעַ *\[is\] knowing* | participle active · qal | מִֽי־ *who?* | טּוֹב *\[is\] good* | | | | יַעֲשׂ *he* | yiqtol · qal | | ֵם *spends them* | | | | יַגִּיד *will he tell* | yiqtol · hiphil | יִּהְיֶה *will it be* | | | מִֽי־ *who?* | | יִּהְיֶה *will it be* | yiqtol · qal | מַה־ *what?* | | | | MACULA's semantic frames: for each verb the head word of each participant. A0 is the one who acts, A1 what the act is done to or is about, A2 a further participant; AA, with a causative verb, the one who makes it happen. ## The Targum {#onkelos} אֲרוּם מַן הוּא דִי יִנְדַע מַה יוֹטִיב לֶאֱנָשָׁא בְּעַלְמָא הָדֵין אֱלָהֵין לְמִעְסַק בְּאוֹרָיְתָא דִי אִנּוּן חַיֵי עַלְמָא וְכָל מִנְיַן יוֹמֵי חַיֵּי הֶבְלוֹ דִי יְחֵי בְּעִדָּן מוֹתֵיהּ אִנּוּן חֲשִׁיבִין בְּעֵינוֹי כִּטְלַלָא דְּמַן הוּא דִי יְחַוִי לֶאֱנָשָׁא מַה דְעָתִיד לְמֶהֱוֵי בְּאַפּוֹהִי \[בָּתְרוֹהִי\] בְּעַלְמָא הָדֵין תְּחוֹת שִׁמְשָׁא: The Aramaic translation read beside the Hebrew. Text only: Mova has no Aramaic parser yet. ## English, JPS 1917 {#english} Each sentence on its own page, with its tree and pragmatics. A sentence that runs on into the next verse is listed under the verse it begins in. 1. [For who knoweth what is good for man in his life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/ECC.122/) **Hebrew text:** Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. **Tree, glosses and frames:** MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets, available at [github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-hebrew](https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-hebrew/), [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); converted to Universal Dependencies by Mova (words in text order, a prefix its own word). **Speech act:** Mova's rules on the MACULA words (`macula prag`). **Targum:** Onkelos (Torat Emet), Jonathan and the Writings (Mikraot Gedolot), from Sefaria, public domain. **English:** JPS 1917, public domain; trees and speech acts by Mova's cycle, frames by Mova's reader (Elamur Cosmic License). Hebrew sentence `wlc:ECC:113`. - ← previous: [Ecclesiastes 6:11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC.6.11/) - next →: [Ecclesiastes 7:1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC.7.1/) - ↑ back to [Ecclesiastes 6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC/6/)