--- title: Ecclesiastes 8:17 (JPS 1917) — then I beheld all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work… · tree and pragmatics description: then I beheld all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun; because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further, though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it. Who acts: I, man, wise man, God. 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The page gives the sentence's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, parsed by Mova and checked by a teacher model — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (I, man, wise man, God), what happens, when and where, as Mova's frames read it. The original of the verse links back to its own tree and to the Targum. ## The tree {#tree} ```conllu # sent_id = jps:ECC:169 # text = then I beheld all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun; because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further, though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it. 1 then then ADV RB PronType=Dem 3 advmod _ _ 2 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 3 beheld behold VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 4 all all DET PDT PronType=Tot 6 det:predet _ _ 5 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 6 det _ _ 6 work work NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 obj _ _ 7 of of ADP IN _ 8 case _ _ 8 God God PROPN NNP Number=Sing 6 nmod _ _ 9 , , PUNCT , _ 14 punct _ _ 10 that that SCONJ IN _ 14 mark _ _ 11 man man NOUN NN Number=Sing 14 nsubj _ _ 12 can can AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 14 aux _ _ 13 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 14 advmod _ _ 14 find find VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 3 ccomp _ _ 15 out out ADP RP _ 14 compound:prt _ _ 16 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 17 det _ _ 17 work work NOUN NN Number=Sing 14 obj _ _ 18 that that PRON WDT PronType=Rel 20 nsubj:pass _ _ 19 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 20 aux:pass _ _ 20 done do VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 17 acl:relcl _ _ 21 under under ADP IN _ 23 case _ _ 22 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 23 det _ _ 23 sun sun NOUN NN Number=Sing 20 obl _ _ 24 ; ; PUNCT : _ 39 punct _ _ 25 because because SCONJ IN _ 39 mark _ _ 26 though though SCONJ IN _ 29 mark _ _ 27 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 28 det _ _ 28 man man NOUN NN Number=Sing 29 nsubj _ _ 29 labour labour VERB VB Mood=Sub|VerbForm=Fin 39 advcl _ _ 30 to to PART TO _ 31 mark _ _ 31 seek seek VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 29 xcomp _ _ 32 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 31 obj _ _ 33 out out ADP RP _ 31 compound:prt _ _ 34 , , PUNCT , _ 39 punct _ _ 35 yet yet CCONJ CC _ 39 cc _ _ 36 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 39 nsubj _ _ 37 shall shall AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 39 aux _ _ 38 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 39 advmod _ _ 39 find find VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 14 advcl _ _ 40 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 39 obj _ _ 41 ; ; PUNCT : _ 43 punct _ _ 42 yea yea INTJ UH _ 43 discourse _ _ 43 further far ADV RBR Degree=Cmp 59 advmod _ _ 44 , , PUNCT , _ 49 punct _ _ 45 though though SCONJ IN _ 49 mark _ _ 46 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 48 det _ _ 47 wise wise ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 48 amod _ _ 48 man man NOUN NN Number=Sing 49 nsubj _ _ 49 think think VERB VB Mood=Sub|VerbForm=Fin 39 advcl _ _ 50 to to PART TO _ 51 mark _ _ 51 know know VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 49 xcomp _ _ 52 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 51 obj _ _ 53 , , PUNCT , _ 59 punct _ _ 54 yet yet CCONJ CC _ 59 cc _ _ 55 shall shall AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 59 aux _ _ 56 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 59 nsubj _ _ 57 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 59 advmod _ _ 58 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 59 cop _ _ 59 able able ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 39 conj _ _ 60 to to PART TO _ 61 mark _ _ 61 find find VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 59 xcomp _ _ 62 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 61 obj _ _ 63 . . PUNCT . _ 3 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} - form: statement - act: assert - voice: character - polarity: neg - teacher: changed polarity=neg | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **behold** | past | I | all work of God | | | then | | tree rules | | 2 | **not** **find out** | can | man | the work | | | | | vn learn-14-2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent work=Topic | | 3 | **do** | present · passive | | the work | | the sun | | | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Eventuality | | 4 | **labour** | infinitive | a man | | | | | | tree rules | | 5 | **seek out** | to-infinitive | a man *not said here* | work | | | | | vn hunt-35.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme | | 6 | **not** **find** | shall | man | work | | | | | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Topic | | 7 | **think** *speech: other* | infinitive | a wise man | | | | | | vn consider-29.9-2 «NP V how S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Theme | | 8 | **know** | to-infinitive | a wise man *not said here* | work | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Experiencer it=Stimulus | | 9 | **not** **is** | shall | man | | | | | able, far *property* | tree rules | | 10 | **find** | to-infinitive | man *not said here* | work | | | | | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Topic | | 11 | **work** | | God | | | | | | nom work «act intransitive»: of=agent | One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree. ## The Hebrew of this verse {#hebrew} וְרָאִיתִי֮ אֶת־כָּל־מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה הָאֱלֹהִים֒ כִּי֩ לֹ֨א יוּכַ֜ל הָאָדָ֗ם לִמְצוֹא֙ אֶת־הַֽמַּעֲשֶׂה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נַעֲשָׂ֣ה תַֽחַת־הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ בְּ֠שֶׁל אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַעֲמֹ֧ל הָאָדָ֛ם לְבַקֵּ֖שׁ וְלֹ֣א יִמְצָ֑א וְגַ֨ם אִם־יֹאמַ֤ר הֶֽחָכָם֙ לָדַ֔עַת לֹ֥א יוּכַ֖ל לִמְצֹֽא׃ [Ecclesiastes 8:17: the Hebrew tree, its pragmatics and the Targum →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC.8.17/) **Source.** The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic Text, Jewish Publication Society, 1917, from eBible.org: public domain. Sentence `jps:ECC:169` of Mova's parse database. **The tree and the speech act** come from Mova's cycle: the small model's draft, read by a large model as teacher, passed by Mova's gates (Elamur Cosmic License). **The frames** are read from the tree by Mova's frames reader (`prag`) when this page is built, the chapter read in order, so a pronoun may be resolved from an earlier sentence of the chapter. - ← previous: [Ecclesiastes 8:16 (JPS)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/ECC.168/) - next →: [Ecclesiastes 9:1 (JPS)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/ECC.170/) - ↑ back to [Ecclesiastes 8:17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC.8.17/)