Ecclesiastes 1:1–11 serve as the introduction to the entire book. This verse indicates that a new section is starting. Solomon again presents himself as king in Jerusalem.

The Preacher is a well-known king in the Ancient Near East. So much so that even the Queen of Sheba visits Solomon to see for herself whether the stories about him are true. In 1 Kings 10 we read about the meeting between Solomon and this queen. As a conclusion we read in 1 Kings 10: ”Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind” (1 Kings 10:23–24).

In this verse the section begins in which the general and impersonal is replaced by the personal pronoun I. This personal style of writing continues up until Ecclesiastes 12:8. This is then again followed by a more general section: the general conclusion of the book as a whole found in Ecclesiastes 12:9–14.