van'-i-ti, van'-i-tiz (hebhel, ‘awen, shaw'; kenos; mataiotes): The words "vain," "vanity," "vanities" are frequent in the Bible. Their idea is almost exclusively that of "evanescence," "emptiness," including "idolatry" and "wickedness" as being not only evil but vain and empty things. They also signify falseness. The chief word translated "vanity," "vanities" is hebhel, a "breath of air, or of the mouth," often applied to idolatry (
De 32:21;
1Ki 16:13;
Ps 31:6;
Jer 8:19, etc.); to man's days and to man himself (
Job 7:16;
Ps 39:5,
11, etc.); to man's thoughts (
Ps 94:11); to wealth and treasures (
Pr 13:11;
21:6); to everything, in Ecclesiastes, where the word occurs frequently in various applications: "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity" (
Ec 1:2;
12:8). Hebhel is also the name of Adam's second son (
Ge 4:2). ‘Awen, meaning also "breath," is likewise translated "vanity" in similar connections, but it inclines more to "iniquity" (so often rendered); it is joined with mischief and iniquity (
Isa 41:29;
58:9;
Zec 10:2); another frequent word is shaw', having also the idea of "falsity,.... wickedness" (
Ex 20:7;
De 5:11;
Ps 31:6, etc.).