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Commentary on Ecclesiastes 2 verses 17–26
Business is a thing that wise men have pleasure in. They are in their element when they are in their business, and complain if they be out of business. They may sometimes be tired with their business, but they are not weary of it, nor willing to leave it off. Here therefore one would expect to have found the good that men should do, but Solomon tried this too; after a contemplative life and a voluptuous life, he betook himself to an active life, and found no more satisfaction in it than in the other; still it is all vanity and vexation of spirit, of which he gives an account in these verses, where observe,
I. What the business was which he made trial of; it was business under the sun (Ecc 2:17-20), about the things of this world, sublunary things, the riches, honours, and pleasures of this present time; it was the business of a king. There is business above the sun, perpetual business, which is perpetual blessedness; what we do in conformity to that business (doing God's will as it is done in heaven) and in pursuance of that blessedness, will turn to a good account; we shall have no reason to hate that labour, nor to despair of it. But it is labour under the sun, labour for the meat that perishes (Joh 6:27; Isa 55:2), that Solomon here speaks of with so little satisfaction. It was the better sort of business, not that of the hewers of wood and drawers of water (it is not so strange if men hate all that labour), but it was in wisdom, and knowledge, and equity, Ecc 2:21. It was rational business, which related to the government of his kingdom and the advancement of its interests. It was labour managed by the dictates of wisdom, of natural and acquired knowledge, and the directions of justice. It was labour at the council-board and in the courts of justice. It was labour wherein he showed himself wise (Ecc 2:19), which as much excels the labour wherein men only show themselves strong as the endowments of the mind, by which we are allied to angels, do those of the body, which we have in common with the brutes. That which many people have in their eye more than any thing else, in the prosecution of their worldly business, is to show themselves wise, to get the reputation of ingenious men and men of sense and application.
II. His falling out with this business. He soon grew weary of it. 1. He hated all his labour, because he did not meet with that satisfaction in which he expected. After he had had his fine houses, and gardens, and water-works, awhile, he began to nauseate them, and look upon them with contempt, as children, who are eager for a toy and fond of it at first, but, when they have played with it awhile, are weary of it, and throw it away, and must have another. This expresses not a gracious hatred of these things, which is our duty, to love them less than God and religion (Luk 14:26), nor a sinful hatred of them, which is our folly, to be weary of the place God has assigned us and the work of it, but a natural hatred of them, arising from a surfeit upon them and a sense of disappointment in them. 2. He caused his heart to despair of all his labour (Ecc 2:20); he took pains to possess himself with a deep sense of the vanity of worldly business, that it would not bring in the advantage and satisfaction he had formerly flattered himself with the hopes of. Our hearts are very loth to quit their expectations of great things from the creature; we must go about, must fetch a compass, in arguing with them, to convince them that there is not that in the things of this world which we are apt to promise ourselves from them. Have we so often bored and sunk into this earth for some rich mine of satisfaction, and found not the least sign or token of it, but been always frustrated in the search, and shall we not at length set our hearts at rest and despair of ever finding it? 3. He came to that, at length, that he hated life itself (Ecc 2:17), because it is subject to so many toils and troubles, and a constant series of disappointments. God had given Solomon such largeness of heart, and such vast capacities of mind, that he experienced more than other men of the unsatisfying nature of all the things of this life and their insufficiency to make him happy. Life itself, that is so precious to a man, and such a blessing to a good man, may become a burden to a man of business.
III. The reasons of this quarrel with his life and labours. Two things made him weary of them: -
1.That his business was so great a toil to himself: The work that he had wrought under the sun was grievous unto him, Ecc 2:17. His thoughts and cares about it, and that close and constant application of mind which was requisite to it, were a burden and fatigue to him, especially when he grew old. It is the effect of a curse on that we are to work upon. Our business is said to be the work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord had cursed (Gen 5:29) and of the weakening of the faculties we are to work with, and of the sentence pronounced on us, that in the sweat of our face we must eat bread. Our labour is called the vexation of our heart (Ecc 2:22); it is to most a force upon themselves, so natural is it to us to love our ease. A man of business is described to be uneasy both in his going out and his coming in, Ecc 2:23. (1.) He is deprived of his pleasure by day, for all his days are sorrow, not only sorrowful, but sorrow itself, nay, many sorrows and various; his travail, or labour, all day, is grief. Men of business ever and anon meet with that which vexes them, and is an occasion of anger or sorrow to them. Those that are apt to fret find that the more dealings they have in the world the oftener they are made to fret. The world is a vale of tears, even to those that have much of it. Those that labour are said to be heavy-laden, and are therefore called to come to Christ for rest, Mat 11:28. (2.) He is disturbed in his repose by night. When he is overcome with the hurries of the day, and hopes to find relief when he lays his head on his pillow, he is disappointed there; cares hold his eyes waking, or, if he sleep, yet his heart wakes, and that takes no rest in the night. See what fools those are that make themselves drudges to the world, and do not make God their rest; night and day they cannot but be uneasy. So that, upon the whole matter, it is all vanity, Ecc 2:17. This is vanity in particular (Ecc 2:19, Ecc 2:23), nay, it is vanity and a great evil, Ecc 2:21. It is a great affront to God and a great injury to themselves, therefore a great evil; it is a vain thing to rise up early and sit up late in pursuit of this world's goods, which were never designed to be our chief good.
2.That the gains of his business must all be left to others. Prospect of advantage is the spring of action and the spur of industry; therefore men labour, because they hope to get by it; if the hope fail, the labour flags; and therefore Solomon quarrelled with all the works, the great works, he had made, because they would not be of any lasting advantage to himself. (1.) He must leave them. He could not at death take them away with him, nor any share of them, nor should he return any more to them (Job 7:10), nor would the remembrance of them do him any good, Luk 16:25. But I must leave all to the man that shall be after me, to the generation that comes up in the room of that which is passing away. As there were many before us, who built the houses that we live in, and into whose purchases and labours we have entered, so there shall be many after us, who shall live in the houses that we build, and enjoy the fruit of our purchases and labours. Never was land lost for want of an heir. To a gracious soul this is no uneasiness at all; why should we grudge others their turn in the enjoyments of this world, and not rather be pleased that, when we are gone, those that come after us shall fare the better for our wisdom and industry? But to a worldly mind, that seeks for its own happiness in the creature, it is a great vexation to think of leaving the beloved pelf behind, at this uncertainty. (2.) He must leave them to those that would never have taken so much pains for them, and will thereby excuse himself from taking any pains. He that raised the estate did it by labouring in wisdom, and knowledge, and equity; but he that enjoys it and spends it (it may be) has not laboured therein (Ecc 2:21), and, more than that, never will. The bee toils to maintain the drone. Nay, it proves a snare to him: it is left him for his portion, which he rests in, and takes up with; and miserable he is in being put off with it for a portion. Whereas, if an estate had not come to him thus easily, who knows but he might have been both industrious and religious? Yet we ought not to perplex ourselves about this, since it may prove otherwise, that what is well got may come to one that will use it well and do good with it. (3.) He knows not whom he must leave it to (for God makes heirs), or at least what he will prove to whom he leaves it, whether a wise man or a fool, a wise man that will make it more or a fool that will bring it to nothing; yet he shall have rule over all my labour, and foolishly undo that which his father wisely did. It is probable that Solomon wrote this very feelingly, being afraid what Rehoboam would prove. St Jerome, in his commentary on this passage, applies this to the good books which Solomon wrote, in which he had shown himself wise, but he knew not into whose hands they would fall, perhaps into the hands of a fool, who, according to the perverseness of his heart, makes a bad use of what was well written. So that, upon the whole matter, he asks (Ecc 2:22), What has man of all his labour? What has he to himself and to his own use? What has he that will go with him into another world?
IV. The best use which is therefore to be made of the wealth of this world, and that is to use it cheerfully, to take the comfort of it, and do good with it. With this he concludes the chapter, Ecc 2:24-26. There is no true happiness to be found in these things. They are vanity, and, if happiness be expected from them, the disappointment will be vexation of spirit. But he will put us in a way to make the best of them, and to avoid the inconveniences he had observed. We must neither over-toil ourselves, so as, in pursuit of more, to rob ourselves of the comfort of what we have, nor must we over-hoard for hereafter, nor lose our own enjoyment of what we have to lay it up for those that shall come after us, but serve ourselves out of it first. Observe,
1.What that good is which is here recommended to us; and which is the utmost pleasure and profit we can expect or extract from the business and profit of this world, and the furthest we can go to rescue it from its vanity and the vexation that is in it. (1.) We must do our duty with them, and be more in care how to use an estate well, for the ends for which we were entrusted with it, than how to raise or increase an estate. This is intimated Ecc 2:26, where those only are said to have the comfort of this life who are good in God's sight, and again, good before God, truly good, as Noah, whom God saw righteous before him. We must set God always before us, and give diligence in every thing to approve ourselves to him. The Chaldee-paraphrase says, A man should make his soul to enjoy good by keeping the commandments of God and walking in the ways that are right before him, and (Ecc 2:25) by studying the words of the law, and being in care about the day of the great judgment that is to come. (2.) We must take the comfort of them. These things will not make a happiness for the soul; all the good we can have out of them is for the body, and if we make use of them for the comfortable support of that, so that it may be fit to serve the soul and able to keep pace with it in the service of God, then they turn to a good account. There is therefore nothing better for a man, as to these things, than to allow himself a sober cheerful use of them, according as his rank and condition are, to have meat and drink out of them for himself, his family, his friends, and so delight his senses and make his soul enjoy good, all the good that is to be had out of them; do not lose that, in pursuit of that good which is not to be had out of them. But observe, He would not have us to give up business, and take our ease, that we may eat and drink; no, we must enjoy good in our labour; we must use these things, not to excuse us from, but to make us diligent and cheerful in, our worldly business. (3.) We must herein acknowledge God; we must see that it is from the hand of God, that is, [1.] The good things themselves that we enjoy are so, not only the products of his creating power, but the gifts of his providential bounty to us. And then they are truly pleasant to us when we take them from the hand of God as a Father, when we eye his wisdom giving us that which is fittest for us, and acquiesce in it, and taste his love and goodness, relish them, and are thankful for them. [2.] A heart to enjoy them is so; this is the gift of God's grace. Unless he give us wisdom to make a right use of what he has, in his providence, bestowed upon us, and withal peace of conscience, that we may discern God's favour in the world's smiles, we cannot make our souls enjoy any good in them.
2.Why we should have this in our eye, in the management of ourselves as to this world, and look up to God for it. (1.) Because Solomon himself, with all his possessions, could aim at no more and desire no better (Ecc 2:25): "Who can hasten to this more than I? This is that which I was ambitious of: I wished for no more; and those that have but little, in comparison with what I have, may attain to this, to be content with what they have and enjoy the good of it." Yet Solomon could not obtain it by his own wisdom, without the special grace of God, and therefore directs us to expect it from the hand of God and pray to him for it. (2.) Because riches are a blessing or a curse to a man according as he has or has not a heart to make good use of them. [1.] God makes them a reward to a good man, if with them he give him wisdom, and knowledge, and joy, to enjoy them cheerfully himself and to communicate them charitably to others. To those who are good in God's sight, who are of a good spirit, honest and sincere, pay a deference to their God and have a tender concern for all mankind, God will give wisdom and knowledge in this world, and joy with the righteous in the world to come; so the Chaldee. Or he will give that wisdom and knowledge in things natural, moral, political, and divine, which will be a constant joy and pleasure to them. [2.] He makes them a punishment to a bad man if he denies him a heart to take the comfort of them, for they do but tantalize him and tyrannize over him: To the sinner God gives by travail, by leaving him to himself and his own foolish counsels, to gather and to heap up that, which, as to himself, will not only burden him like thick clay (Hab 2:6), but be a witness against him and eat his flesh as it were fire (Jam 5:3); while God designs, by an overruling providence, to give it to him that is good before him; for the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just, and gathered for him that will pity the poor. Note, First, Godliness, with contentment, is great gain; and those only have true joy that are good in God's sight, and that have it from him and in him. Secondly, Ungodliness is commonly punished with discontent and an insatiable covetousness, which are sins that are their own punishment. Thirdly, When God gives abundance to wicked men it is with design to force them to a resignation in favour of his own children, when they are of age and ready for it, as the Canaanites kept possession of the good land till the time appointed for Israel's entering upon it. [3.] The burden of the song is still the same: This is also vanity and vexation of spirit. It is vanity, at the best, even to the good man; when he has all that the sinner has scraped together it will not make him happy without something else; but it is vexation of spirit to the sinner to see what he had laid up enjoyed by him that is good in God's sight, and therefore evil in his. So that, take it which way you will, the conclusion is firm, All is vanity and vexation of spirit.
We exhort, therefore, the widows and orphans to partake of those things that are bestowed upon them with all fear and all pious reverence, and to return thanks to God who gives food to the needy, and to lift up their eyes to him. For, “Which of you shall eat, or who shall drink without him? For he opens his hand and fills every living thing with his kindness: giving wheat to the young men, and wine to the maidens, and oil for the joy of the living, grass for the cattle, and green herb for the service of men, flesh for the wild beasts, seeds for the birds, and suitable food for all creatures.” Wherefore the Lord says, “Consider the fowls of heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns, and your Father feeds them. Are not you much better than they? Be not therefore solicitous, saying, What shall we eat? or what shall we drink? For your Father knows that you have need of all these things.” Since you therefore enjoy such a providential care from him and are partakers of the good things that are derived from him, you ought to return praise to him that receives the orphan and the widow, to Almighty God, through his beloved Son Jesus Christ our Lord; through whom glory be to God in spirit and truth forever. .
"Is it
not good for man that he eats and drinks and shows his soul satisfaction in his
labour? And even that, I perceived, is
from the hand of God. For who should eat
and who should make haste except me? To
the man who pleases Him He has given wisdom, knowledge and joy; but to the
sinner He has given the urge to gather and amass - that he may hand it on to
one who is pleasing to God. That, too,
is vanity and a vexation of the spirit." After I examined all things and saw that
nothing was more unjust than one man enjoying the work of another, then this
work seemed to me to be the most righteous, and like a gift of God, seeing that
a man may enjoy his own labour, drinking and eating, and for a time refraining
from amassed wealth. And sometimes it is a gift of God, that such a mind as is
bestowed upon righteous men, that they squander those things, which they have
sought with great attention and vigilance.
In fact on the other hand, it is the character of the anger of God,
which is set against the sinner, so he amasses wealth day and night and uses if
for no purpose, then he bequeaths it to those men who are righteous in the sight
of God. But, he says, looking at this
more closely and noticing that all things come to a common end with death, I
have judged it to be the most vain of all.
These readings are very close to the text though, so that I do not seem
to completely miss the plain meaning of the words, and while I follow spiritual
riches, disdain the poverty of history.
For what is good then, or what kind of gift of God is it, either to
covet his wealth and like a man in flight gather desire prematurely, or to turn
someone else's work to ones own pleasures, and then to think that this is a
gift of God, if we take pleasure in others' discomfort and toil? It is good though, to take our own food and
drink, which we have found by divine will, from the flesh and blood of a Lamb. For who is either able to eat or when there
is need to spare in the absence of God?
He warned that sacred food must not be given to the dogs [Cfr Matth. 7, 6.],
and he teaches how rations ought on occasion to be given to slaves [Cfr Matth. 24, 45.],
and similar to another meaning, that is we ought to eat only honey that has
been found, and only as much as is needed.
But God gives wisdom and knowledge and happiness to the man who is good. [Cfr Prov. 25, 16.] For unless he was good and corrected his ways
beforehand by his own judgement, he will not be worthy of that wisdom,
knowledge and happiness, according to that which is said in another place:
"Plant for yourselves in justice, make a vintage of the fruit of life,
enlighten for yourselves the light of knowledge." [Os. 10, 12. (as in LXX)] In fact, righteousness ought to be planted
first, and the fruit of life must be reaped, only then, afterwards the light of
knowledge will be able to appear.
Therefore just as God gave the good man wisdom and other gifts, in the
same way he has forsaken the sinner according to his own judgement, and made
him amass riches and contrive false doctrines therefrom. When a saintly man who is pleasing to God
sees these things, he understands them, since they are vain and composed of the
conceit of the spirit. Nor should we
admire what he has said: "he gave vexation to the sinner" and so
on. For this must be seen in concordance
with that meaning which I have often explained: that for this reason anxiety or
vexation has been given to him, since he was a sinner, and the cause of
vexation was not in God, but in himself, who had sinned previously by his own
volition.
CHAPTER 3
We exhort, therefore, the widows and orphans to partake of those things that are bestowed upon them with all fear and all pious reverence, and to return thanks to God who gives food to the needy, and to lift up their eyes to him. For, “Which of you shall eat, or who shall drink without him? For he opens his hand and fills every living thing with his kindness: giving wheat to the young men, and wine to the maidens, and oil for the joy of the living, grass for the cattle, and green herb for the service of men, flesh for the wild beasts, seeds for the birds, and suitable food for all creatures.” Wherefore the Lord says, “Consider the fowls of heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns, and your Father feeds them. Are not you much better than they? Be not therefore solicitous, saying, What shall we eat? or what shall we drink? For your Father knows that you have need of all these things.” Since you therefore enjoy such a providential care from him and are partakers of the good things that are derived from him, you ought to return praise to him that receives the orphan and the widow, to Almighty God, through his beloved Son Jesus Christ our Lord; through whom glory be to God in spirit and truth forever.
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SUMMARY
Ecclesiastes 2:25 serves as the rhetorical apex of the Preacher's exhaustive, self-funded "experiment" to uncover lasting meaning and satisfaction through earthly pursuits. Having meticulously explored and indulged in every conceivable pleasure, amassed unparalleled wealth, and achieved supreme wisdom and power, the Preacher poses this poignant question to underscore his unique vantage point: if ultimate fulfillment were attainable through human effort and material abundance, he, above all others, would have discovered it. This verse powerfully highlights the inherent futility of seeking enduring joy apart from God, thereby laying the groundwork for the profound theological revelation that true enjoyment and contentment are not human achievements but sovereign gifts from the divine.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ecclesiastes 2:25 primarily employs a Rhetorical Question, a figure of speech posed not to elicit an answer but to make a forceful assertion. The Preacher is not genuinely seeking information but is emphatically stating his unique and unparalleled capacity for experiencing earthly pleasures. This is further amplified by Hyperbole, as the statement "who can eat... more than I?" is a deliberate exaggeration designed to underscore the extreme extent of his indulgence and his position as the ultimate experimenter. The implied answer, "no one," reinforces the absolute nature of his claim. There is also a strong element of Irony at play, as the Preacher, despite his seemingly boundless capacity for enjoyment, ultimately concludes that all these pursuits are "vanity" (Ecclesiastes 2:11), making his initial boast a poignant prelude to profound disillusionment and a call to seek true satisfaction elsewhere.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ecclesiastes 2:25 stands as a profound theological statement on the inherent insufficiency of human effort and material abundance to satisfy the deepest longings of the human soul. It directly challenges the pervasive human tendency to seek ultimate fulfillment in possessions, experiences, or achievements, demonstrating with stark clarity that even at the pinnacle of such pursuits, an inherent emptiness and "hebel" (vanity) remains. Theologically, this verse powerfully underscores the truth that genuine joy, lasting contentment, and true satisfaction are not commodities to be acquired, earned, or manufactured by human hands, but rather gracious and sovereign gifts from God. It sets the stage for the crucial understanding that apart from divine blessing and the acknowledgment of God as the ultimate Giver, all human endeavors, no matter how grand or successful, are ultimately meaningless and fleeting. The Preacher's exhaustive experiment, culminating in this rhetorical question, serves to dismantle human pride and self-sufficiency, redirecting the reader's gaze towards the Creator as the sole, inexhaustible source of lasting satisfaction and ultimate meaning.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ecclesiastes 2:25 offers a profound and challenging mirror for self-reflection in a world perpetually driven by the pursuit of "more." We often unconsciously fall into the trap of believing that if only we could accumulate a little more wealth, secure a more prestigious job, enjoy greater leisure, or achieve higher recognition, we would finally attain lasting happiness and contentment. The Preacher, through his unparalleled and exhaustive experiment, definitively proves this to be a fallacy. He possessed it all—unrivaled wisdom, immense wealth, vast power, and every conceivable pleasure—yet he concluded that it was all "vanity and a striving after wind." This verse compels us to critically examine our own pursuits and underlying motivations. Are we attempting to fill a spiritual void, a "God-shaped hole," with created things rather than with the Creator Himself? Are we striving for contentment in what we can acquire or achieve, rather than resting in the gracious Giver of all good things? True and enduring satisfaction is not found in the abundance of possessions or experiences, but in a right and reverent relationship with God, who alone can grant the capacity to genuinely enjoy life's blessings. This vital reorientation liberates us from the endless, exhausting, and ultimately futile cycle of striving, allowing us to find profound rest, deep joy, and true purpose in divine provision and presence.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "hasten [hereunto]" truly mean in this context?
Answer: While the King James Version translates the Hebrew word (chûwsh) as "hasten," implying speed or urgency, its richer and more contextually appropriate meaning in Ecclesiastes 2:25 is "to enjoy," "to experience," or "to feel with eager excitement and delight." The Preacher is not asking who can act more quickly, but rather who possesses the unparalleled capacity to truly experience or delight in life's pleasures more fully, extensively, and profoundly than he, given his boundless resources and opportunities. Many modern translations, recognizing this nuance, render it as "enjoy," "delight," or "feel." The core point is about the comprehensive and deep capacity for indulgence in all that life offers, rather than mere swiftness of action.
Is Ecclesiastes 2:25 suggesting that enjoyment itself is wrong?
Answer: No, Ecclesiastes 2:25 is not suggesting that enjoyment is inherently wrong or sinful. Rather, it is a rhetorical question designed to highlight the source, limitations, and ultimate purpose of enjoyment when sought independently of God. The Preacher's exhaustive experiment demonstrates that even the most extreme levels of earthly pleasure, when pursued as an end in themselves or as the ultimate source of meaning, ultimately lead to emptiness and "vanity" (Ecclesiastes 2:11). The very next verse, Ecclesiastes 2:26, clarifies that enjoyment is indeed a good thing when it is received as a gracious gift from God. The problem, therefore, isn't the pleasure itself, but the human attempt to grasp it as an achievement or a means to ultimate satisfaction, rather than receiving it as a blessing freely bestowed by the Creator.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ecclesiastes 2:25, with its poignant rhetorical question about who can truly "eat" or "hasten" (enjoy) more than the Preacher, finds its ultimate and glorious fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The Preacher's exhaustive, yet ultimately futile, experiment reveals the profound truth that all earthly striving, even at its zenith, cannot satisfy the deep spiritual hunger of the human soul. This inherent emptiness, which the Preacher could not sate with all his wisdom, wealth, and pleasure, is precisely what Christ came to address and fill. Jesus declares Himself to be the true bread of life, stating, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). Unlike the fleeting pleasures and temporary satisfactions the Preacher pursued, the joy, peace, and contentment found in Christ are eternal, complete, and truly satisfying. He is the ultimate wisdom, far surpassing Solomon's (Matthew 12:42), and in Him are "hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). Where the Preacher found vanity and disillusionment in his abundance, Christ offers true life and abundance, not in material possessions, but in a vibrant, eternal relationship with God (John 10:10). The restless heart that the Preacher so vividly describes can only find its true and lasting rest in Christ, for He graciously invites, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Thus, the Preacher's despairing question becomes a divinely inspired signpost, pointing humanity to the One who truly offers the ultimate and lasting satisfaction that no earthly pursuit or human achievement could ever provide.