The writer of Ecclesiastes is one of those Bible mysteries that refuses to give a straight answer, and honestly, that feels pretty on-brand for a book like Ecclesiastes.

If you’ve ever opened it and thought, “Wait, this doesn’t sound like the rest of the Bible,” you’re right. Ecclesiastes feels like it was written by someone pacing a rooftop at midnight, asking hard questions. It sounds more like Nietzsche than Moses.

And that’s exactly why people have been wondering for centuries: Who was this person? Was it Solomon? Someone writing as Solomon? A philosopher in disguise?

Traditionally, the book is attributed to King Solomon, based on the opening verse: “The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem.” (Ecclesiastes 1:1). But many scholars believe it was written later, possibly by an anonymous philosopher or sage using Solomon’s voice as a literary device. As someone who studied the Bible during university, this is one of those biblical mysteries that kept me reading study after study, and article after article. Because of that, I feel uniquely prepared to offer a neutral view on the authorship of this text.

If you skip over this article, you might miss what could be one of the most honest, unfiltered voices in Scripture. Ecclesiastes doesn’t preach from a mountaintop, but speaks from the valley. And sometimes, that’s where the real wisdom lives.

In this article, we’ll walk through the traditional attribution to Solomon, the scholarly suspicions that challenge that view, the meaning behind the name “Qohelet,” and what all of this says about the kind of wisdom Ecclesiastes offers.

Solomon: The Traditional Writer (and the Most Obvious One)

If you grew up reading the Bible, chances are, you’ve heard Ecclesiastes linked to King Solomon. And it makes sense, at first glance. The very first line sets the tone:

“The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem.” - Ecclesiastes 1:1 NRSV-CE

That’s a pretty specific calling card. “Son of David” and “king in Jerusalem” narrow the field significantly, and Solomon is the only one who fits that description perfectly. Not only was he David’s son and Israel’s third king, but he was also famously associated with wisdom.

In fact, the Bible practically shouts it from the rooftops:

“God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.” - 1 Kings 4:29 NRSV-CE

Solomon is said to have written 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs (1 Kings 4:32 NRSV-CE), and Ecclesiastes fits that legacy since it’s a poetic, wisdom-driven reflection on life, meaning, and mortality. 

He’s also the credited author of Proverbs and Song of Songs (though authorship is debated there, too). So by the time readers hit Ecclesiastes, they’re primed to hear Solomon’s voice.

And the internal clues keep piling up. Take this one, where the author describes his pursuit of wisdom and pleasure:

“I said to myself, ‘Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.’” - Ecclesiastes 1:16 NRSV-CE

 “I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.” - Ecclesiastes 2:4 NRSV-CE

 “I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.” - Ecclesiastes 2:8 NRSV-CE

These are classic Solomonic bragging rights. If you line these up next to the historical Solomon described in 1 Kings 10 NRSV-CE (with his palaces, gardens, riches, and international fame), the match is striking.

But (and this is a big “but), just because the text sounds like Solomon, doesn’t mean he wrote it. Some scholars argue that the narrator might be adopting a Solomonic persona, a kind of literary mask. 

If that’s the case, it’s important to understand why Solomon became the default author for so many generations. In Jewish tradition, wisdom literature was often associated with kings, especially Solomon, who was seen as the ultimate sage.

Even Jesus himself referred to Solomon’s legendary status:

“The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment... for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom.” - Matthew 12:42 NRSV-CE

So, for ancient readers, the assumption was simple: Ecclesiastes is wise, it sounds kingly, it talks about palaces and gold…must be Solomon.

Representation of King Solomon writing Ecclesiastes (image generated with Midjourney)

But… the Language Doesn’t Match the Man

While the opening of Ecclesiastes practically screams “Solomon”, the deeper you dig, the less it sounds like a text from the 10th century BCE. In fact, it sounds suspiciously like something written centuries after Solomon was gone.

Let’s start with the Hebrew. The language of Ecclesiastes doesn’t line up with what we’d expect from Solomon’s time, not even close. Scholars point out that the Hebrew here is late, filled with grammatical structures and vocabulary that only appeared in the post-exilic period. 

The style is closer to the Hebrew you’d find in books like Ezra or Chronicles than in Judges or Samuel.

And then there’s the loanwords. Ecclesiastes has vocabulary borrowed from Aramaic and Persian, languages that didn’t influence Hebrew until after the Babylonian exile. 

For example, the word pardes (Ecclesiastes 2:5 NRSV-CE), meaning “park” or “orchard,” is actually of Persian origin. Which raises a big question: why would Solomon, living in the 10th century BCE, be using post-exilic Persian terms that wouldn’t have been in use for another 500 years?

Then there’s the worldview. Ecclesiastes famously repeats the phrase:

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” - Ecclesiastes 1:2 NRSV-CE

That’s not exactly the tone of Proverbs, or the sweeping optimism of Solomon’s temple dedication in 1 Kings 8 NRSV-CE. Ecclesiastes sounds less like a monarch at the height of his power and more like a disillusioned philosopher, possibly living in a time when Israel was under foreign rule and the glory days were long gone.

Some scholars even date the book to around the 4th or 3rd century BCE, during or just after the Persian Empire, when Jewish thinkers were beginning to wrestle more publicly with suffering, justice, and the apparent randomness of life.

This doesn’t make the book any less powerful. It might make it even more so. Because what we’re seeing isn’t just one man’s lament, it’s the echo of generations grappling with what happens when the old answers don’t quite hold anymore.

Still, we have to ask: if it’s not Solomon, who is it? And what kind of person would write a book like this?

Qohelet: The Voice Behind the Curtain

So if it’s not Solomon… who is it? Well, technically, it’s Qohelet. That’s the name the author uses for himself or the name the narrator is given, depending on how you read it. The word appears several times throughout the book, often translated as “Teacher” or “Preacher.” 

The original Hebrew word, however,  קֹהֶלֶת (Qohelet), is more complex. It comes from the root qahal, which means “to assemble” or “to gather,” so it may imply “one who gathers people” or “one who speaks to an assembly.”

Qohelet isn’t a proper name. It’s a title or role, which only deepens the mystery. Is this person a proto-philosopher using the Solomon persona to say the quiet parts out loud?

It wouldn’t be the first time a biblical author used a pen name or constructed a persona. Pseudonymous writing was fairly common in the ancient world. It gave authors the freedom to explore ideas that might be too risky or radical if shared under their real name.

After all, Qohelet says a lot of things that don’t exactly fit the mold.

“For the fate of the children of man and the fate of the beasts is the same… All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.” - Ecclesiastes 3:19–20 NRSV-CE

“In much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” - Ecclesiastes 1:18 NRSV-CE

“I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong… but time and chance happen to them all.” - Ecclesiastes 9:11 NRSV-CE

This isn’t the confident voice of the psalmist or the thunderous authority of the prophets. This is someone deeply unsure and deeply honest about it.

Qohelet questions everything: pleasure, success, wisdom, even righteousness. At times, he borders on cynicism. At others, he sounds eerily modern.

But then something strange happens near the end of the book: the voice shifts. It’s subtle, but unmistakable, which means someone else has taken the pen.

Image with an open scroll representing a scriptural manuscript (image generated with Midjourney)

The Strange Ending: Someone Else Steps In?

You’re reading Ecclesiastes, getting used to the moody rhythms of Qohelet’s voice (the poetic despair, the flashes of clarity, the philosophical spirals) and then suddenly, right at the end, the tone… changes.

After chapter after chapter of “everything is meaningless,” we get this:

“Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs.”

“The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails - given by one shepherd.”

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” - Ecclesiastes 12:9–10, 13 NRSV-CE

Wait…what? (This was my reaction when reading it for the first time.)

For eleven and a half chapters, Qohelet has questioned everything: the value of wisdom, the fairness of life, the purpose of toil, the finality of death. And then suddenly, the book ends with something very orthodox, very safe, almost like a disclaimer.

It’s a shift many scholars have noticed. Some believe that Ecclesiastes originally ended with verse 8, the final cry of:

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Everything is meaningless!” - Ecclesiastes 12:8 NRSV-CE

That would’ve been a showstopper moment. But instead, we get this tidy little bow with “Fear God and keep his commandments.”

This ending obviously raises questions. Was it added by a later editor who loved the book but worried it wouldn’t make it past the theological gatekeepers? Or was it part of the original text all along, and Qohelet was just more layered than we give him credit for?

There’s no consensus, but it does make Ecclesiastes so powerful in the end.

Final Thoughts: Do We Need to Know?

The Bible doesn’t offer a clear consensus on the authorship of Ecclesiastes.  Maybe it was Solomon. Maybe it was someone writing centuries later, borrowing Solomon’s voice. Or maybe it was a literary persona, designed to ask the questions no one else would dare.

As someone who’s studied these texts, I’ve come to think that Ecclesiastes is less about knowing and more about listening. The author might be anonymous, but the questions he raises are deeply personal. They meet us where we are, in the doubt, the restlessness, the longing for meaning.

So yes, the debate over authorship matters. It shapes how we read and how we relate. But maybe what matters more is that a book like this even exists, preserved and canonized.

If these are the type of biblical mysteries that stir something in you, welcome to the club. Feel free to join me as we uncover all the hidden layers of the Bible here and on the Bible Chat App.

You can explore verses, ask questions, and dig deeper into the parts of the Bible that don’t come with easy answers. Because sometimes, that’s where the real wisdom shows up.

A modern Bible, bookmarked at Ecclesiastes (image generated with Midjourney)

FAQs

Who wrote Ecclesiastes?

Traditionally, the book is attributed to King Solomon, based on the opening verse: “The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem.” (Ecclesiastes 1:1). But many scholars believe it was written later, possibly by an anonymous philosopher or sage using Solomon’s voice as a literary device.

What are some words of wisdom from the Bible in Ecclesiastes?

 Ecclesiastes is full of raw, reflective wisdom. Some well-known lines include:

• “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” - Ecclesiastes 3:1 NRSV-CE
• “Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.” - Ecclesiastes 4:6 NRSV-CE
• “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” - Ecclesiastes 12:13 NRSV-CE

Is the writer of Ecclesiastes the wisest man in the Bible?

If Solomon wrote it, then yes, the Bible calls him the wisest man who ever lived (1 Kings 4:29–31 NRSV-CE). But if it were someone else writing in his voice, the author still shows deep, hard-earned wisdom.

Why was Ecclesiastes written?

To wrestle with the big questions like purpose, mortality, injustice, time, and what really matters in life. It’s not a book of easy answers, but of honest reflection.

Why is Ecclesiastes in the Bible?

Ecclesiastes shows us that Scripture isn’t afraid of complexity. It gives voice to frustration and meaninglessness,  and then quietly points us back to God.

Who was Ecclesiastes written for?

For anyone who's ever wondered if they’re doing life wrong. It speaks to thinkers, questioners, burned-out idealists, and anyone tired of pretending everything’s fine.

Who is the Teacher in Ecclesiastes?

 “The Teacher” (or Qohelet in Hebrew) is the narrator of the book. It might be Solomon, or it might be a literary character meant to represent a wise, world-weary voice reflecting on life.

Where is Ecclesiastes in the Bible?

Ecclesiastes is found in the Old Testament, between Proverbs and Song of Songs. It’s part of the Bible’s Wisdom Literature, along with Job and Psalms.

When was Ecclesiastes written?

Most scholars date the book between 450–180 BCE, based on the language and historical references. That’s long after Solomon’s time, which is why some believe it was written in his voice, not by his hand.

What is the message of Ecclesiastes?

Life is unpredictable. Success is fleeting. Death is certain. And yet, there is beauty in the small things: in eating, working, loving, and fearing God. Ecclesiastes reminds us that even in the mess, meaning is possible.

 References

• Bartholomew, Craig G., Ecclesiastes. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009.
• Fox, Michael V., A Time to Tear Down and a Time to Build Up: A Rereading of Ecclesiastes. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999.
• Seow, Choon-Leong, Ecclesiastes: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. New York: Doubleday, 1997.
• Loader, James A., Polar Structures in the Book of Qohelet. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1979.