Original Word: רַעְיוֹן
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: ra`yown
Pronunciation: rah-yohn
Phonetic Spelling: (rah-yone')
KJV: vexation
NASB: striving
Word Origin: [from H7462 (רָעָה - To shepherd) in the sense of H7469 (רְעוּת - striving)]

1. desire

vexation

From ra'ah in the sense of r'uwth; desire -- vexation.

see HEBREW ra'ah

see HEBREW r'uwth

Word Origin
from the same as rea
Definition
longing, striving
NASB Translation
striving (3).

רַעְיוֺן noun [masculine] id.; — construct, רַעְיוֺן רוּחַ Ecclesiastes 1:17, רוּחַ ׳הֶבֶל וְר Ecclesiastes 4:16 (compare foregoing), לִבּוֺ ׳בְּכָלעֲֿמָלוֺ וּבְר Ecclesiastes 2:22.

רֹעָה see II. רעע.

Occurrences and Literary Setting

רַעְיוֹן appears only three times in the Old Testament, and all are found in the discourse of Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes 1:17; 2:22; 4:16). This limited distribution ties the term inseparably to the theme of vanity that dominates Ecclesiastes. Each occurrence stands at a strategic point in the argument: first, when the Preacher records his personal experiment with wisdom (1:17); second, when he weighs the fruit of human labor (2:22); and finally, when he surveys the rise and fall of leaders and the fickleness of public applause (4:16). The repeated use functions as an exclamation mark, accenting the fleeting character of all merely human striving “under the sun.”

Semantic Nuance in Context

In Ecclesiastes the word gathers connotations such as “striving,” “preoccupation,” “vexation,” and “pursuit.” It is paired twice with רוּחַ (“wind”), yielding the vivid idiom “chasing after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:17; 4:16) and once with עָמָל (“toil”) to depict restless labor (Ecclesiastes 2:22). The imagery highlights the intangible, ungraspable nature of human ambition divorced from eternal purpose. While הֶבֶל (“vanity”) stresses transience and emptiness, רַעְיוֹן underscores the frenetic motion that accompanies that emptiness.

Theological Significance

1. Limitation of Human Wisdom: “I perceived that this too is chasing after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:17). Even the noblest intellectual quest becomes רַעְיוֹן when conducted without reference to the fear of the Lord (see Proverbs 1:7).
2. Futility of Self-Focused Labor: “For what does a man get for all the toil and striving with which he labors under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 2:22). Apart from God, labor cannot satisfy because the heart was designed for fellowship with its Creator (Genesis 2:15; compare Colossians 3:23-24).
3. Ephemeral Popularity: Ecclesiastes 4:16 shows that public acclaim slips through one’s fingers like wind; it is רַעְיוֹן to build an identity on the crowd’s applause (compare John 12:43).

Relation to the Broader Wisdom Tradition

Job, Proverbs, and Psalms often warn against fretful striving (Job 7:7; Proverbs 23:4; Psalm 39:6). רַעְיוֹן provides the Old Testament’s most concentrated diagnosis of this disease, exposing the frenetic heartbeat of a life centered on self. It stands as a foil to the “rest for your souls” promised in Jeremiah 6:16 and ultimately fulfilled by the Messiah (Matthew 11:28-30).

Practical Ministry Applications

• Pastoral Counseling: The word invites counselors to help believers differentiate between diligent stewardship and anxious striving.
• Preaching on Contentment: Sermons that trace רַעְיוֹן through Ecclesiastes can contrast worldly ambition with the New Testament call to “godliness with contentment” (1 Timothy 6:6).
• Discipleship and Work: Small-group studies may use Ecclesiastes 2:22 to explore a theology of vocation that values labor yet resists idolatrous overwork.

Historical Reception in Judaism and the Church

Second Temple scribes linked רַעְיוֹן with the larger vanity motif, motivating hearers to treasure the Torah as the true path to fulfillment. Early Christian interpreters (e.g., Augustine, Gregory of Nyssa) treated Ecclesiastes as apologetic groundwork, exposing the hollowness of pagan pursuits and preparing hearts for the gospel. The Reformation fathers likewise appealed to Ecclesiastes to critique excessive trust in human reason and merit.

Christological and Eschatological Perspective

Jesus Christ, the incarnate Wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:24), embodies the antidote to רַעְיוֹן. His cross reveals the futility of worldly power (1 Corinthians 2:6-8) and His resurrection guarantees that “your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Revelation 14:13 finally resolves the tension by assuring that the deeds of the redeemed “follow them,” forever escaping the verdict of futility.

Key Insights for Contemporary Believers

1. Examine motives: Even commendable activities can drift into רַעְיוֹן when pursued for self-glory.
2. Embrace limitations: Human projects are bounded by finitude; only what is done in fellowship with God bears enduring weight.
3. Find rest in Christ: The One who calms the wind offers rest from “chasing after the wind.”
4. Serve with eternity in view: Integrating Ecclesiastes with passages such as Colossians 3:1-4 reorients labor toward heavenly reward.

רַעְיוֹן thus serves as a prophetic mirror, exposing restless ambition while steering the reader to the only source of lasting purpose—the fear of God and faith in His Son, which transforms toil into worship and fleeting breath into eternal fruit.

וְרַעְי֥וֹן וּבְרַעְי֖וֹן וברעיון ורעיון רַעְי֥וֹן רעיון ra‘·yō·wn ra‘yōwn raYon ū·ḇə·ra‘·yō·wn ūḇəra‘yōwn uveraYon veraYon wə·ra‘·yō·wn wəra‘yōwnInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts