Ecclesiastes 2

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The Preacher recounts his extensive pursuit of pleasure, great works, and wisdom, seeking what is good for mankind. Despite achieving immense wealth and power, he concludes that all these endeavors are ultimately "vanity and vexation of spirit." He observes that both the wise and the fool share the same fate, leading him to despair over his labour. Ultimately, he finds that enjoying one's work is a gift from God, though the sinner's toil remains vanity.

Testing Pleasure and Folly 1–3

I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also was vanity.

I said of laughter, It is mad; and of mirth, What doeth it?

I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine, my heart yet guiding me with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what it was good for the sons of men that they should do under heaven all the days of their life.

Testing Achievements and Wealth 4–11

I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards;

I made me gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit;

I made me pools of water, to water therefrom the forest where trees were reared;

I bought men-servants and maid-servants, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of herds and flocks, above all that were before me in Jerusalem;

I gathered me also silver and gold, and the treasure of kings and of the provinces; I gat me men-singers and women-singers, and the delights of the sons of men, musical instruments, and that of all sorts.

So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.

And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced because of all my labor; and this was my portion from all my labor.

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do; and, behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

The Futility of Wisdom and Folly 12–17

And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for whatcanthe mandothat cometh after the king? even that which hath been done long ago.

Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.

The wise man’s eyes are in his head, and the fool walketh in darkness: and yet I perceived that one event happeneth to them all.

Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then said I in my heart, that this also is vanity.

For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no remembrance for ever; seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. And how doth the wise man die even as the fool!

So I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

The Anxiety of Labor and Inheritance 18–23

And I hated all my labor wherein I labored under the sun, seeing that I must leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

Therefore I turned about to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor wherein I had labored under the sun.

For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skilfulness; yet to a man that hath not labored therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

For what hath a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he laboreth under the sun?

For all his days are but sorrows, and his travail is grief; yea, even in the night his heart taketh no rest. This also is vanity.

The Gift of Enjoyment from God 24–26

There is nothing better for a manthanthat he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?

For to the man that pleaseth him God giveth 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 pleaseth God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Ecclesiastes 2

Verse 1

I will prove thee with mirth — 'Prove' is nasah, to test, as one tries a thing to learn what it is. 'Enjoy pleasure' is literally 'see good' (tov), the phrase behind 'enjoy good' in v.24. The result is stated at once: 'this also is vanity' (hebel, a breath), the word of 1:2, 'Vanity of vanities'.

Verse 2

I said of laughter, It is mad — 'Mad' is halal, the verb that elsewhere means to praise or boast, here in its sense of raving, as in 'they that are mad against me' (Ps 102:8). 'Laughter' returns in 7:3–6, 'the laughter of the fool' like 'the crackling of thorns under a pot', and in Prov 14:13, 'Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful'.

Verse 3

acquainting mine heart with wisdom — 'Give myself' is literally to draw the flesh (basar) with wine, while 'acquainting' is nahag, to lead, the verb used of Moses who 'led the flock' (Ex 3:1). 'Folly' is sikluth, found only in Ecclesiastes (1:17; 2:3, 12, 13; 7:25; 10:1, 13).

Verse 4

I made me great works — 'Made great' is gadal, the verb of 'So I was great' in v.9. The works are listed through v.6: houses, vineyards, gardens, orchards and pools of water. The Preacher is 'the son of David, king in Jerusalem' (1:1), and a king's house could take years to build (1 Kings 7:1, thirteen years).

Verse 8

the peculiar treasure of kings — Segullah, 'peculiar treasure', is the word the LORD uses of Israel, 'a peculiar treasure unto me above all people' (Ex 19:5; Mal 3:17). Here it is the wealth kings keep for themselves; 666 talents of gold came to Solomon in one year (1 Kings 10:14). 'Musical instruments' is shiddah, a doubled word found only here.

Verse 9

my wisdom remained with me — 'Great' is gadal, as in v.4, and 'remained' is amad, to stand. The claims match what Scripture says of Solomon: 'king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom' (1 Kings 10:23), and 'the LORD magnified Solomon exceedingly' (1 Chr 29:25).

Verse 11

no profit under the sun — 'Profit' is yitron, a word found only in Ecclesiastes (nine verses), and it answers the question of 1:3, 'What profit hath a man of all his labour?' 'Vexation' is ra'ut, also found only in this book. John gives the New Testament's account of such works: 'the world passeth away, and the lust thereof' (1 John 2:17).

Verse 12

wisdom, and madness, and folly — The same three objects as in 1:17, 'to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly'. 'Madness' (holelah) occurs only in Ecclesiastes (1:17; 2:12; 7:25; 9:3; 10:13). The man who comes after the king can do only 'that which hath been already done', as in 1:9, 'there is no new thing under the sun'.

Verse 14

one event happeneth to them all — 'Event' is miqreh, what befalls a person, found in 2:14–15; 3:19; 9:2–3 and outside this book only in Ruth 2:3 and 1 Sam 6:9; 20:26. The wise man's eyes 'in his head' stand against 'the eyes of a fool… in the ends of the earth' (Prov 17:24).

Verse 16

no remembrance of the wise — 'Remembrance' is zikaron, the word of 1:11, 'There is no remembrance of former things'. 'How dieth the wise man? as the fool' recalls Ps 49:10, 'wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish'. 9:5 adds that 'the memory of them is forgotten'.

Verse 17

Therefore I hated life — 'Hated' (sane) returns in v.18, 'I hated all my labour'. 'Grievous' is ra, 'evil', the word of 'a great evil' in v.21. The Preacher also says in 4:2, 'I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive'.

Verse 18

I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me — 'Labour' is amal, toil, the word of 1:3. 'Leave' is nuach, to set down. The psalms describe the same fact: wise men 'leave their wealth to others' (Ps 49:10), and a man 'heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them' (Ps 39:6).

Verse 19

who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? — 'Fool' is sakal, a different word from the kesil of v.14, and 'rule' is shalat, to have lordship. The king's successor was Rehoboam (1 Kings 11:43), who 'forsook the counsel of the old men' (1 Kings 12:8).

Verse 21

a man whose labour is in wisdom — 'Equity' is kishron, skill or success, found only here, in 4:4 and in 5:11. The skilled worker leaves his work 'to a man that hath not laboured therein', and the Preacher gives that two names, 'vanity' and 'a great evil' (ra, as in v.17).

Verse 23

his heart taketh not rest in the night — 'Sorrows' is makob, pains, the word of Isa 53:3, 'a man of sorrows'. 'Grief' is ka'as, vexation, rendered 'grief' in Ps 6:7 and 'wrath' in Prov 27:3. 'Taketh not rest' is literally 'does not lie down'. Ps 127:2 speaks of 'the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep'.

Verse 24

make his soul enjoy good in his labour — 'Enjoy' is literally 'see' (raah) good, as in v.1. This is the first of the verses that name eating and drinking as God's gift (3:13; 5:18–19; 8:15). Paul says of God that he 'giveth us richly all things to enjoy' (1 Tim 6:17).

Verse 26

to the sinner he giveth travail — 'Sinner' is chote, one who misses the mark, as in 'the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just' (Prov 13:22). 'Travail' is inyan, the word of v.23. Job says the same: 'the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver' (Job 27:17).

Ecclesiastes 2

Testing Pleasure and Folly 1–3

Testing Achievements and Wealth 4–11

The Futility of Wisdom and Folly 12–17

The Anxiety of Labor and Inheritance 18–23

The Gift of Enjoyment from God 24–26

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