Bible Dictionary
VANITY, VANITIES
Vanity means emptiness, futility, falsehood, or transitoriness. Scripture uses the word for worthless idols, human efforts without lasting substance, and the frailty of the created order apart from God’s purpose.
Definition
Vanity denotes emptiness, futility, transitoriness, folly, falsehood, deceit, or worthlessness, depending on context. It may describe human works, speech, created frailty, calamity, or conduct lacking enduring substance.
Biblical Usage
Scripture uses vanity for the emptiness of idols, the transitoriness to which creation was subjected, and folly or emptiness in human conduct. In translation it may also represent concepts such as iniquity, falsehood, deceit, vapor, calamity, or breath.
Historical Background
English Bible revisions frequently replace vanity with more specific terms that clarify the sense of the underlying Hebrew or Greek word.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>"Vanity" does not often occur in the New Testament; but see VAIN, VAINGLORY. In Ac 14:15 we have mataios, "empty," translated "vanities" (of idols); mataiotes, "emptiness," "transitoriness" (Ro 8:20, "The creation was subjected to vanity," frailty, transitoriness); "emptiness," "folly" (Eph 4:17; 2Pe 2:18).</p><p>Among other changes for "vanity" the Revised Version (British and American) has "iniquity" (Job 15:35; Ps 10:7); "falsehood" (Ps 12:2; 41:6); "deceit" (Ps 144:8,11); "vapor" (Pr 21:6); "calamity" (Pr 22:8 margin "vanity"); "a breath" (Isa 57:13); "wickedly" (Isa 58:9). Conversely, for "Wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?" (Ps 89:47), "For what vanity hast thou created all the children of men!"; for "Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing" (Isa 41:29), "Behold, all of them, their works are vanity and nought," margin as the King James Version, with "nought" for "nothing."</p><p>W. L. Walker</p>