Ecclesiastes 2 KJV
King James Version, Holy Bible
1 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.
2 I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?
3 I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.
4 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:
5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:
6 I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:
Ecclesiastes Chapter 2 (Old Testament)
7 I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:
8 I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.
9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.
10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
12 And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.
Ecclesiastes Chapter 2 (Old Testament)
13 Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.
14 The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.
15 Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.
16 For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.
17 Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
18 Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
19 And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.
20 Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.
21 For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.
22 For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?
23 For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.
24 There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.
25 For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I?
26 For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
| Hebrew Word + Transliteration | Verse + Snippet | Meaning | Scholarly Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| שְׂחוֹק — seḥoq | Verse 2 — “I said of laughter, It is mad…” | “Laughter,” merriment. | Seḥoq (“laughter”) represents superficial pleasure (“merriment”). Qoheleth exposes its inability to satisfy the soul. The term critiques hollow joy. — Delitzsch, Commentary on Ecclesiastes (1870) |
| מָשָׁל בְּיַיִן — mashal be-yayin | Verse 3 — “…give myself unto wine…” | “To draw toward wine,” experiment with pleasure. | Mashal be-yayin (“to guide oneself with wine”) reflects controlled indulgence (“engage with wine”). The phrase marks a philosophical experiment. The term reveals limits of sensory pleasure. — Ginsburg, Coheleth (1861) |
| גָּדַל — gadal | Verse 4 — “I made me great works…” | “Make great,” magnify. | Gadal (“to make great”) indicates expansion of achievements (“enlarge”). Qoheleth explores greatness as a potential source of meaning. The term highlights ambition’s emptiness. — Barton, Commentary on Ecclesiastes (1908) |
| פַּרְדֵּס — pardes | Verse 5 — “…made me gardens and orchards…” | “Park,” orchard, paradise. | Pardes (“orchard/park”) suggests cultivated luxury (“garden/park”). It evokes royal grandeur. The term portrays human attempts at Edenic restoration. — Wright, Book of Koheleth (1883) |
| עֶבֶד — ‘eved | Verse 7 — “I got me servants…” | “Servant,” bondman. | ‘Eved (“servant”) reflects socioeconomic status (“servant”). Qoheleth’s wealth extends to dominion. The term underscores disparity between mastery and mortality. — Angus, Bible Handbook (1891) |
| סְגֻלָּה — segullah | Verse 8 — “…peculiar treasure…” | “Valuables,” treasured possession. | Segullah (“treasured possession”) connotes prized wealth (“special treasure”). Yet Qoheleth finds no lasting joy in accumulation. The term exposes the limits of material glory. — Ginsburg, Coheleth (1861) |
| שִׂמְחָה — simchah | Verse 10 — “…my heart rejoiced…” | “Joy,” gladness. | Simchah (“joy”) describes emotional delight (“gladness”). Even joy’s apex proves temporary. The term highlights fleeting satisfaction. — Delitzsch, Ecclesiastes Commentary (1870) |
| מַעֲשֶׂה — ma‘aseh | Verse 11 — “…all my works…” | “Work,” deed. | Ma‘aseh (“work/deed”) reflects human achievement (“work”). Qoheleth surveys his accomplishments with sober realism. The term underscores existential futility. — Barton, Commentary on Ecclesiastes (1908) |
| רְעוּת רוּחַ — re‘ut ruach | Verse 11 — “…vexation of spirit.” | “Striving of wind,” chasing wind. | Re‘ut ruach (“chasing of wind”) symbolizes fruitless effort (“grasping wind”). Human striving produces no enduring profit. The term captures existential frustration. — Wright, Book of Koheleth (1883) |
| כִּסֵּל — kesel | Verse 19 — “…whether he be a wise man or a fool…” | “Foolishness,” dullness. | Kesel (“foolishness”) denotes moral and intellectual dullness (“fool”). Qoheleth observes the inevitability of death for both wise and foolish. The term intensifies the theme of mortality. — Ginsburg, Coheleth (1861) |
Ecclesiastes Chapter 2: Gritty pursuit devoid of God is a waste.
Memory verse: Ecclesiastes 2:11 (KJV) Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled, And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.
Man's life and achievements would be a waste if all he’s doing while he’s living isn’t in tandem with God's will. This is one of the salient facts that King Solomon was relatively naive and oblivious about while he was living his life. There’s no doubt about the fact that God himself blessed Solomon with what he had—wisdom. However, Solomon misused what God had bestowed on him by drifting away from God's way and yielding to his self-volition.
From the Bible text above, we’ll realize that King Solomon came to his common sense, and that was after he had chased after all that he felt could give him happiness, however, all was to no avail. As Christians in this dispensation, we ought not to tread the same path as King Solomon – the path that trivializes God's will and begin to quest for what bring no satisfaction – because King Solomon had become a typical example for us.
King Solomon still forged ahead to acquire knowledge outside the will of God, after God might have bestowed on him what is needed of him to live a life of satisfaction and happiness – his espousing pagan wives unequivocally portray this. This signifies that when a man isn’t contented with what God has graciously and benevolently bestowed on him, he would end up embarking on pursuits devoid of God, and by so doing, such a person will be having an insatiable appetite for worldly pursuits. Worldly things neither give happiness nor do they make people satisfied because they are temporal or ephemeral. It is only in Christ Jesus that we can experience satisfaction and it is to this end that we are advised to set our affection on the things above – eternal things – not on things on the earth – ephemeral things [Col. 3:2].
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