H6001b H6001b
toiling, laboring — one who works with wearisome effort (Ecclesiastes only)
A verbal adjective used exclusively in Ecclesiastes to describe the person engaged in toilsome labor. Qoheleth uses it to probe the futility of human exertion: what does the toiler gain from all his striving (Eccl 3:9)? The word carries a note of weariness absent from neutral work-terms. Spanish 'trabaja' (he labors) and French 'labeur' (toil) both capture the exhausting quality, while German 'Muehe' (effort, trouble) highlights the burden side of the semantic range.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Describes the person who toils with wearisome, burdensome labor — used predicatively in Ecclesiastes to characterize human striving under the sun. In Eccl 2:18 and 9:9, the toiler confronts the irony that his labor's fruit passes to another. The multilingual evidence converges: Spanish 'trabaja,' French 'labeur,' and German 'Muehe' all stress effortful exertion rather than simple activity. 5×
AR["عَامِلٌ", "عَمِلْتُهُ", "عَمِيل", "هُوَ-", "يَعْمَلُ"]·ben["পরিশ্রম-করছ", "পরিশ্রম-করছি", "পরিশ্রম-করে"]·DE["Muehe"]·EN["toiling"]·FR["labeur"]·heb["עמל"]·HI["परिश्रम-करता-हूँ", "परिश्रम-करता-है"]·ID["bekerja", "kerjakan"]·IT["lavoratore"]·jav["kangelan", "nglampahi"]·KO["수고하는", "수고하는가", "수고한다"]·PT["trabalha", "trabalhas", "trabalho"]·RU["трудится", "трудится?", "трудишься", "тружусь"]·ES["trabaja", "trabaja?", "trabajaba", "trabajas", "trabajo"]·SW["anafanya", "anafanya-kazi", "ninafanya", "ninafanya-kazi", "unafanya"]·TR["emek-ceken", "emek-ceker"]·urd["محنت-کرتا-ہوں", "محنت-کرتا-ہے"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)H???? 1. (4670×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)G4160 1. do, act, perform (473×)H5221 1. Hifil: to strike in battle, smite enemies (362×)H0899b 1. garment, article of clothing (216×)H6213a 2. make, construct, fabricate (148×)H3772 1. cut a covenant / make a pact (97×)H5060 1. touch physically (Qal) (96×)H3615 1. complete a task (Piel) (85×)H3772 2. cut off / destroy (Hifil causative) (81×)H3920 1. capture, seize (Qal) (76×)H???? 12. (76×)H3772 3. be cut off / be eliminated (Niphal) (74×)H6213a 3. be done, be made (Niphal) (73×)G4160 2. make, construct, create (62×)H3847 1. Qal: put on, wear (60×)H8210 1. pour out (liquid/libation) (59×)G2440 1. garment or clothing (general) (54×)H4191 4. kill / put to death (Hifil causative) (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† II. עָמֵל adj. verb. toiling, only Ec, as pred.;—Ec 2:18, 22; 3:9; 4:8; 9:9.