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The Anthropology of Qoheleth: The Man of ‘Anxiety’ and the Man of ‘Wú wéi’

  • Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies
  • Abbr : KJOTS
  • 2025, 31(4), pp.58~90
  • DOI : 10.24333/jkots.2025.31.4.58
  • Publisher : Korean Society of Old Testament Studies
  • Research Area : Humanities > Christian Theology
  • Received : October 20, 2025
  • Accepted : November 22, 2025

Soon-Young Kim 1

1스타선교회

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The core of this study is an anthropological inquiry into the Book of Ecclesiastes, focusing on the integration of Qoheleth’s reflection on human toil (or anxiety), the cyclical repetition of human life oscillating between the rhythms of opposing seasons(as articulated in 3:1-8), and Laozi’s concept of wu wei(無爲). Qoheleth encapsulates his concern for the human condition-tormented by labor and anxiety-into a concise question: “What profit do people gain from all the toil at which they labor under the sun?” (1:3). This question expresses a skeptical view of humanity’s inherent desire for gain and achievement. While this inquiry is linked to passages that invalidate all human endeavors “under the sun” (1:12–2:26), it is simultaneously connected to the poem of times(3:1–8) and its subsequent reflection in 3:9–15. In these verses, the alternating poles of affirmation and negation tied to the passage of time poetically portray the enigmatic pattern of life-one that compels humanity to accept even the times they wish to evade. Time here is structured as a multifaceted flow that approaches humanity from various directions. Qoheleth accepts these polarities of time as "natural," revealing a potential convergence with Daoist thought, particularly Laozi’s philosophy of wu wei (無爲), which stands in contrast to artificial human striving (ren wei, 人爲). This is because wu wei signifies balance or harmony achieved by refraining from forcing action against the natural order's flow. Accordingly, this paper explores the intimate relationship between human labor (toil) and the practice of wu wei within the flow of time, while reflecting on the human condition poised between eternity and the moment. Ultimately, it illuminates the theological implication of “everyday salvation” through the hope of a humanity entangled in anxiety yet capable of finding rest in wu wei.

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