The Preacher poses this question to expose the futility of labor when assessed purely by earthly gain, forcing both himself and his audience to confront the inadequacy of toil as life’s ultimate purpose. By asking rather than declaring, he creates space for honest reckoning with what every person secretly suspects but hesitates to admit.

The Preacher answers his own question in verses 23-26, concluding that all toil results in pain, grief, and vexation, with even nights bringing no rest to the mind. He then pivots to assert that the only good is eating, drinking, and finding satisfaction in work as gifts from God’s hand, distinguishing between meaningless striving and God-given enjoyment.

The Preacher’s question challenges the universal human assumption that hard work yields proportional satisfaction. By highlighting both ‘toil’ (amal) and ‘striving of heart’ (ra’yon libo), he addresses not just physical labor but the anxious mental energy we pour into achievement. The interrogative form rather than a declarative statement invites self-examination, forcing readers to audit their own lives rather than simply hearing a verdict. The phrase ‘under the sun’ restricts the perspective to earthly, temporal calculation, deliberately excluding divine consideration. This rhetorical strategy exposes how secular success formulas collapse when measured solely by visible returns. The question’s theological weight lies in its implicit call to seek meaning beyond horizontal human effort, anticipating the book’s conclusion that fearing God and keeping His commandments constitutes the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13).