Hebrew word · H7469

רְעוּת

ure'ut

longing

The phrase occurs only in Ecclesiastes (with the related raʿyôn rûaḥ).

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

longing, striving

Aramaic equivalent: re.ut (רְעוּ "pleasure" H7470)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Ecclesiastes 4:4

Range of meaning

The phrase occurs only in Ecclesiastes (with the related raʿyôn rûaḥ). Rĕʿût is either (1) from rāʿâ, 'to shepherd, herd, graze,' so 'herding the wind' (compare Hos 12:1 [Eng.], 'Ephraim feeds on/shepherds the wind'), or (2) from the Aramaic rĕʿût, 'will, desire, pleasure' (Ezra 5:17; 7:18), so 'longing for wind.' Rûaḥ here is wind.

Against the English

KJV 'vexation of spirit' follows the Vulgate afflictio spiritus and reads rûaḥ as the human spirit, giving the sense of emotional frustration. Modern versions ('striving after wind,' 'chasing after the wind,' 'a pursuit of the wind') rightly read rûaḥ as physical wind and the phrase as pointless pursuit.

How it drifted

Latin 'affliction of spirit' turned an image of a pointless task into a description of inner distress. English 'vexation' now sounds like mild annoyance.

Used elsewhere in the period

Septuagint renders it proairesis pneumatos, 'a choosing / preference of wind,' which supports the 'desire' sense. Hosea 12:2 (Heb.) uses the shepherding image with rûaḥ. The Aramaic sense is attested in Ezra.

From the study of Ecclesiastes 1:14

Range of meaning

The noun re'ut appears in Hebrew only in Ecclesiastes, always in this phrase: 1:14; 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4, 6; 6:9. A related form, ra'yon ruach, appears in 1:17; 4:16. There are two main ways to explain it: (1) from Hebrew ra'ah, "to shepherd, graze, feed", giving "herding the wind" or "feeding on wind" (compare Hos 12:1 [Heb. 12:2], "Ephraim feeds on wind"; Prov 15:14, "the mouth of fools feeds on folly"); (2) from the Aramaic re'ut, "will, wish, pleasure" (Ezra 5:17; 7:18), giving "desire for wind" or "craving for wind." Both end in the same place: putting your effort or your longing into something made of air.

Against the English

KJV and YLT have "vexation of spirit." WEB has "chasing after wind." BSB has "a pursuit of the wind." ESV and NASB have "striving after wind." NIV and NLT speak of chasing the wind. The modern versions agree that ruach here means wind, not the human spirit.

How it drifted

The Vulgate has adflictio spiritus, "affliction of spirit," probably reading the root as r-'-', "be bad, distress." KJV followed it with "vexation of spirit." Modern readers hear that as inner emotional frustration, a troubled soul, which loses the outdoor picture of herding the wind.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint has proairesis pneumatos, "choice or purpose of wind/spirit," which follows the "will, desire" explanation. Aquila and Theodotion have nomē anemou, "grazing of the wind." Symmachus has boskēsis anemou, "feeding on wind." Both of these follow the shepherding explanation. The image of "wind" for emptiness is common in wisdom literature: Prov 11:29 ("inherit the wind"); Job 7:7 ("my life is a breath/wind").

From the study of Ecclesiastes 2:26

Range of meaning

Found only in Ecclesiastes (1:14; 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4, 6; 6:9), with the related ra'yon ruach in 1:17; 4:16. The two main explanations: (1) from ra'ah, 'to shepherd, tend', so 'herding the wind', compare Hos 12:1 [Heb 12:2] 'Ephraim shepherds the wind'; (2) from an Aramaic word re'ut, 'will, desire' (Ezra 5:17; 7:18), so 'longing for wind'.

Against the English

KJV/YLT 'vexation of spirit'. BSB 'pursuit of the wind'. WEB 'chasing after wind'. ESV/NASB 'striving after wind'. NIV 'chasing after the wind'.

How it drifted

KJV's 'vexation' probably comes from tying the word to a different root meaning 'to break' or 'be grievous', and it took ruach as the inner human 'spirit'. A modern reader hears 'emotional distress', which turns a picture of a hopeless effort into a mood.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint has proairesis pneumatos, roughly 'a choosing of wind', which leans toward the 'desire/will' derivation. Hosea's 'shepherding the wind' is the closest biblical image for the 'herding' derivation.

Where it appears

Ecclesiastes · 7

  1. Ecclesiastes 1:14 וּרְע֥וּת and striving of

    I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.

    Here: "And a shepherding of", or "a desire for". It probably comes from the verb for herding or grazing a flock. That gives the picture of trying to herd the wind or feed on it, which is effort that gets nowhere.

  2. Ecclesiastes 2:11 וּרְע֣וּת and striving of

    Yet when I considered all the works that my hands had accomplished and what I had toiled to achieve, I found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind; there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

    Here: "And a chasing / desire of": a rare word used only in Ecclesiastes. It is either "desire for" or "herding, chasing" (see studies). Either way, it pictures effort spent on something that cannot be caught.

  3. Ecclesiastes 2:17 וּרְע֥וּת and striving of

    So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

    Here: Either 'shepherding' (from ra'ah, to herd or graze) or 'longing, striving' (from an Aramaic word for will or desire). Either way the picture is effort spent on something that cannot be caught or held.

  4. Ecclesiastes 2:26 וּרְע֥וּת and striving of

    To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

    Here: 'And a herding / chasing of'. It probably means trying to herd or pursue something that cannot be caught. A minority link it to an Aramaic word for 'desire'.

  5. Ecclesiastes 4:4 וּרְע֥וּת and striving of

    I saw that all labor and success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

    Here: A rare late word. It is taken either as 'herding' (trying to shepherd the wind) or as 'longing, desire' (wanting wind). Either way it means pointless effort.

  6. Ecclesiastes 4:6 וּרְע֥וּת and striving of

    Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of the wind.

    Here: Part of Qohelet's refrain 're'ut ruach'. It is either 'chasing/shepherding' (from ra'ah, to herd) or 'longing/desire' (as in Aramaic re'ut, 'will'). Either way it is effort aimed at something no one can hold.

  7. Ecclesiastes 6:9 וּרְע֥וּת and striving of

    Better what the eye can see than the wandering of desire. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.