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Commentary on Ecclesiastes 2 verses 1–11
Solomon here, in pursuit of the summum bonum - the felicity of man, adjourns out of his study, his library, his elaboratory, his council-chamber, where he had in vain sought for it, into the park and the playhouse, his garden and his summer-house; he exchanges the company of the philosophers and grave senators for that of the wits and gallants, and the beaux-esprits, of his court, to try if he could find true satisfaction and happiness among them. Here he takes a great step downward, from the noble pleasures of the intellect to the brutal ones of sense; yet, if he resolve to make a thorough trial, he must knock at this door, because here a great part of mankind imagine they have found that which he was in quest of.
I. He resolved to try what mirth would do and the pleasures of wit, whether he should be happy if he constantly entertained himself and others with merry stories and jests, banter and drollery; if he should furnish himself with all the pretty ingenious turns and repartees he could invent or pick up, fit to be laughed over, and all the bulls, and blunders, and foolish things, he could hear of, fit to be ridiculed and laughed at, so that he might be always in a merry humour. 1. This experiment made (Ecc 2:1): "Finding that in much wisdom is much grief, and that those who are serious are apt to be melancholy, I said in my heart" (to my heart), "Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth; I will try if that will give thee satisfaction." Neither the temper of his mind nor his outward condition had any thing in them to keep him from being merry, but both agreed, as did all other advantages, to further it; therefore he resolved to take a lease this way, and said, "Enjoy pleasure, and take thy fill of it; cast away care, and resolve to be merry." So a man may be, and yet have none of these fine things which he here got to entertain himself with; many that are poor are very merry; beggars in a barn are so to a proverb. Mirth is the entertainment of the fancy, and, though it comes short of the solid delights of the rational powers, yet it is to be preferred before those that are merely carnal and sensual. Some distinguish man from the brutes, not only as animal rationale - a rational animal, but as animal risibile - a laughing animal; therefore he that said to his soul, Take thy ease, eat and drink, added, And be merry, for it was in order to that that he would eat and drink. "Try therefore," says Solomon, "to laugh and be fat, to laugh and be happy." 2. The judgment he passed upon this experiment: Behold, this also is vanity, like all the rest; it yields no true satisfaction, Ecc 2:2. I said of laughter, It is mad, or, Thou art mad, and therefore I will have nothing to do with thee; and of mirth (of all sports and recreations, and whatever pretends to be diverting), What doeth it? or, What doest thou? Innocent mirth, soberly, seasonable, and moderately used, is a good thing, fits for business, and helps to soften the toils and chagrins of human life; but, when it is excessive and immoderate, it is foolish and fruitless. (1.) It does no good: What doeth it? Cui bono - of what use is it? It will not avail to quiet a guilty conscience; no, nor to ease a sorrowful spirit; nothing is more ungrateful than singing songs to a heavy heart. It will not satisfy the soul, nor ever yield it true content. It is but a palliative cure to the grievances of this present time. Great laughter commonly ends in a sigh. (2.) It does a great deal of hurt: It is mad, that is, it makes men mad, it transports men into many indecencies, which are a reproach to their reason and religion. They are mad that indulge themselves in it, for it estranges the heart from God and divine things, and insensibly eats out the power of religion. Those that love to be merry forget to be serious, and, while they take the timbrel and harp, they say to the Almighty, Depart from us, Job 21:12, Job 21:14. We may, as Solomon, prove ourselves, with mirth, and judge of the state of our souls by this: How do we stand affected to it? Can we be merry and wise? Can we use it as sauce, and not as food? But we need not try, as Solomon did, whether it will make a happiness for us, for we may take his word for it, It is mad; and What does it? Laughter and pleasure (says Sir William Temple) come from very different affections of the mind; for, as men have no disposition to laugh at things they are most pleased with, so they are very little pleased with many things they laugh at.
II. Finding himself not happy in that which pleased his fancy, he resolved next to try that which would please the palate, Ecc 2:3. Since the knowledge of the creature would not satisfy, he would see what the liberal use of it would do: I sought in my heart to give myself unto wine, that is, to good meat and good drink. Many give themselves to these without consulting their hearts at all, not looking any further than merely the gratification of the sensual appetite; but Solomon applied himself to it rationally, and as a man, critically, and only to make an experiment. Observe, 1. He did not allow himself any liberty in the use of the delights of sense till he had tired himself with his severe studies. Till his increase of sorrow, he never thought of giving himself to wine. When we have spent ourselves in doing good we may then most comfortably refresh ourselves with the gifts of God's bounty. Then the delights of sense are rightly used when they are used as we use cordials, only when we need them; as Timothy drank wine for his health's sake, Ti1 5:23. I thought to draw my flesh with wine (so the margin reads it) or to wine. Those that have addicted themselves to drinking did at first put a force upon themselves; they drew their flesh to it, and with it; but they should remember to what miseries they hereby draw themselves. 2. He then looked upon it as folly, and it was with reluctance that he gave himself to it; as St. Paul, when he commended himself, called it a weakness, and desired to be borne with in his foolishness, Co2 11:1. He sought to lay hold on folly, to see the utmost that that folly would do towards making men happy; but he had like to have carried the jest (as we say) too far. He resolved that the folly should not take hold of him, not get the mastery of him, but he would lay hold on it, and keep it at a distance; yet he found it too hard for him. 3. He took care at the same time to acquaint himself with wisdom, to manage himself wisely in the use of his pleasures, so that they should not do him any prejudice nor disfit him to be a competent judge of them. When he drew his flesh with wine he led his heart with wisdom (so the word is), kept up his pursuits after knowledge, did not make a sot of himself, nor become a slave to his pleasures, but his studies and his feasts were foils to each other, and he tried whether both mixed together would give him that satisfaction which he could not find in either separately. This Solomon proposed to himself, but he found it vanity; for those that think to give themselves to wine, and yet to acquaint their hearts with wisdom, will perhaps deceive themselves as much as those do that think to serve both God and mammon. Wine is a mocker; it is a great cheat; and it will be impossible for any man to say that thus far he will give himself to it and no further. 4. That which he aimed at was not to gratify his appetite, but to find out man's happiness, and this, because it pretended to be so, must be tried among the rest. Observe the description he gives of man's happiness - it is that good for the sons of men which they should do under the heaven all their days. (1.) That which we are to enquire after is not so much the good we must have (we may leave that to God), but the good we must do; that ought to be our care. Good Master, what good thing shall I do? Our happiness consists not in being idle, but in doing aright, in being well employed. If we do that which is good, no doubt we shall have comfort and praise of the same. (2.) It is good to be done under the heaven, while we are here in this world, while it is day, while our doing time lasts. This is our state of work and service; it is in the other world that we must expect the retribution. Thither our works will follow us. (3.) It is to be done all the days of our life. The good we are to do we must persevere in the doing of to the end, while our doing time lasts, the number of the days of our life (so it is in the margin); the days of our life are numbered to us by him in whose hand our times are and they are all to be spent as he directs. But that any man should give himself to wine, in hopes to find out in that the best way of living in this world, was an absurdity which Solomon here, in the reflection, condemns himself for. Is it possible that this should be the good that men should do? No; it is plainly very bad.
III. Perceiving quickly that it was folly to give himself to wine, he next tried the most costly entertainments and amusements of princes and great men. He had a vast income; the revenue of his crown was very great, and he laid it out so as might most please his own humour and make him look great.
1.He gave himself much to building, both in the city and in the country; and, having been at such vast expense in the beginning of his reign to build a house for God, he was the more excusable if afterwards he pleased his own fancy in building for himself; he began his work at the right end (Mat 6:33), not as the people (Hag 1:4), that ceiled their own houses while God's lay waste, and it prospered accordingly. In building, he had the pleasure of employing the poor and doing good to posterity. We read of Solomon's buildings (Kg1 9:15-19), and they were all great works, such as became his purse, and spirit, and great dignity. See his mistake; he enquired after the good works he should do (Ecc 2:3), and, in pursuit of the enquiry, applied himself to great works. Good works indeed are truly great, but many are reputed great works which are far from being good, wondrous works which are not gracious, Mat 7:22.
2.He took to love a garden, which is to some as bewitching as building. He planted himself vineyards, which the soil and climate of the land of Canaan favoured; he made himself fine gardens and orchards (Ecc 2:5), and perhaps the art of gardening was no way inferior then to what it is now. He had not only forests of timber-trees, but trees of all kinds of fruit, which he himself had planted; and, if any worldly business would yield a man happiness, surely it must be that which Adam was employed in while he was in innocency.
3.He laid out a great deal of money in water-works, ponds, and canals, not for sport and diversion, but for use, to water the wood that brings forth trees (Ecc 2:6); he not only planted, but watered, and then left it to God to give the increase. Springs of water are great blessings (Jos 15:19); but where nature has provided them art must direct them, to make them serviceable, Pro 21:1.
4.He increased his family. When he proposed to himself to do great works he must employ many hands, and therefore procured servants and maidens, which were bought with his money, and of those he had servants born in his house, Ecc 2:7. Thus his retinue was enlarged and his court appeared more magnificent. See Ezr 2:58.
5.He did not neglect country business, but both entertained and enriched himself with that, and was not diverted from it either by his studies or by his pleasures. He had large possessions of great and small cattle, herds and flocks, as his father had before him (Ch1 27:29, Ch1 27:31), not forgetting that his father, in the beginning, was a keeper of sheep. Let those that deal in cattle neither despise their employment nor be weary of it, remembering that Solomon puts his having possessions of cattle among his great works and his pleasures.
6.He grew very rich, and was not at all impoverished by his building and gardening, as many are, who, for that reason only, repent it, and call it vanity and vexation. Solomon scattered and yet increased. He filled his exchequer with silver and gold, which yet did not stagnate there, but were made to circulate through his kingdom, so that he made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones (Kg1 10:27); nay, he had the segullah, the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces, which was, for richness and rarity, more accounted of than silver and gold. The neighbouring kings, and the distant provinces of his own empire, sent him the richest presents they had, to obtain his favour and the instructions of his wisdom.
7.He had every thing that was charming and diverting, all sorts of melody and music, vocal and instrumental, men-singers and women-singers, the best voices he could pick up, and all the wind and band-instruments that were then in use. His father had a genius for music, but it should seem he employed it more to serve his devotion than the son, who made it more for his diversion. These are called the delights of the sons of men; for the gratifications of sense are the things that the generality of people set their affections upon and take the greatest complacency in. The delights of the children of God are of quite another nature, pure, spiritual, and heavenly, and the delights of angels.
8.He enjoyed, more than ever any man did, a composition of rational and sensitive pleasures at the same time. He was, in this respect, great, and increased more than all that were before him, that he was wise amidst a thousand earthly enjoyments. It was strange, and the like was never met with, (1.) That his pleasures did not debauch his judgment and conscience. In the midst of these entertainments his wisdom remained with him, Ecc 2:9. In the midst of all these childish delights he preserved his spirit manly, kept the possession of his own soul, and maintained the dominion of reason over the appetites of sense; such a vast stock of wisdom had he that it was not wasted and impaired, as any other man's would have been, by this course of life. But let none be emboldened hereby to lay the reins on the neck of their appetites, presuming that they may do that and yet retain their wisdom, for they have not such a strength of wisdom as Solomon had; nay, and Solomon was deceived; for how did his wisdom remain with him when he lost his religion so far as to build altars to strange gods, for the humouring of his strange wives? But thus far his wisdom remained with him that he was master of his pleasures, and not a slave to them, and kept himself capable of making a judgment of them. He went over into the enemies' country, not as a deserter, but as a spy, to discover the nakedness of their land. (2.) Yet his judgment and conscience gave no check to his pleasures, nor hindered him from exacting the very quintessence of the delights of sense, Ecc 2:10. It might be objected against his judgment in this matter that if his wisdom remained with him he could not take the liberty that was necessary to a full experimental acquaintance with it: "Yea," said he, "I took as great a liberty as any man could take, for whatsoever my eyes desired I kept not from them, if it could be compassed by lawful means, though ever so difficult or costly; and as I withheld not any joy from my heart that I had a mind to, so I withheld not my heart from any joy, but, with a non-obstante - with the full exercise of my wisdom, I had a high gust of my pleasures, relished and enjoyed them as much as ever any Epicure did;" nor was there any thing either in the circumstances of his condition or in the temper of his spirit to sour or embitter them, or give them any alloy. In short, [1.] He had as much pleasure in his business as ever any man had: My heart rejoiced in all my labour; so that the toil and fatigue of that were no damp to his pleasures. [2.] He had no less profit by his business. He met with no disappointment in it to give him any disturbance: This was my portion of all my labour; he had this added to all the rest of his pleasures that in them he did not only see, but eat, the labour of his hands; and this was all he had, for indeed it was all he could expect, from his labours. It sweetened his business that he enjoyed the success of it, and it sweetened his enjoyments that they were the product of his business; so that, upon the whole, he was certainly as happy as the world could make him.
9.We have, at length, the judgment he deliberately gave of all this, Ecc 2:11. When the Creator had made his great works he reviewed them, and behold, all was very good; every thing pleased him. But when Solomon reviewed all his works that his hands had wrought with the utmost cost and care, and the labour that he had laboured to do in order to make himself easy and happy, nothing answered his expectation; behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit; he had no satisfaction in it, no advantage by it; there was no profit under the sun, neither by the employments nor by the enjoyments of this world.
But I, he says, sought the true good, which is equally good at any age and every time of life, and of which satiety is not expected or fullness found. Appetite for it and partaking of it are exactly matched, and longing flourishes together with enjoyment and is not limited by the attainment of what is desired. The more it delights in the good, the more desire flames up with delight; the delight matches the desire, and at each stage of life it is always a lovely thing to those who partake of it. Amid the changes of age and time the good alters not at all; when our eyes are closed and when they are open, when we are happy and when we are sorrowful, by day and by night, on land and on the sea, active and at rest, ruling and serving—for every person alive [the good] is equally absolutely good, since the accidents inflicted on one by chance make it neither worse nor better, nor smaller nor larger. This, as I understand it, is the good that truly is, the thing Solomon sought to see, which people will do under the sun throughout all the number of the days of their life. This seems to me to be none other than the work of faith, the performance of which is common to all, available on equal terms to those who wish for it, lasting in full strength continuously throughout life. This is the good work, which I pray may be done in us too, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory forever and ever.
“I,” however, said Ecclesiastes, “have sought the good proper to youth and every other stage of life. We are never satiated; rather, appetite is common to us all while passion flowers with enjoyment and is not circumscribed by the attainment of its desire.” But inasmuch as we perceive the good in pleasure, any delight sets desire aflame, for pleasure is united to desire and is always attractive to each stage of our growth. Neither is the good associated with instability; it provides instruction and is a model in both prosperous and calamitous situations whether they occur at night or day, travelling, on the sea, at work or rest, ruling or serving or in any of life’s circumstances. Neither does the good suffer diminution or grown in anything which may befall us whether it happens to be harmful or beneficial. In my opinion this is the true good which Solomon seeks and which men do under the sun while they are alive. For me it is nothing more than the work of faith common to all men who wish to have it abide throughout their entire lives. This is the good work done in us in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
"I
thought to stimulate my body with wine while my heart is involved with wisdom,
and to grasp folly, until I can discern which is best for mankind to do under
the heavens during the brief span of their lives. " I wanted to
stimulate my life with enjoyment, and to lull my body, as if freed from all
worries by wine, in the same way with desire; but my deep consideration and
inborn reasoning, which God the creator mingled even into my sins, drew me away
from the idea and led me back to seek wisdom and to spurn foolishness, so that
I was able to see what was good, that men can do in the span of their
lives. But he has compared desire
eloquently with intoxication. Since he
intoxicates and destroys the vitality of his spirit, which he was able to
change into wisdom and obtains spiritual happiness, (as it is written in
certain manuscripts), he is able to discern which things ought to be sought out
in this life, and which avoided.
It is not the acuity of the mind but rather the disposition of the soul, being employed beneficially or shamefully in making use of the gift, which is to be praised or condemned.
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SUMMARY
Ecclesiastes 2:3 encapsulates the Preacher's meticulous and deliberate investigation into the nature of human happiness and purpose. Following his exploration of wisdom, he now embarks on a controlled experiment, immersing himself in the pursuit of sensual pleasure (symbolized by wine) and irrationality (folly). His objective is not reckless abandonment but a calculated, almost scientific, inquiry to discern what truly constitutes "good" for humanity in their transient existence "under the heaven," all while maintaining a disciplined connection to wisdom.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse serves as a critical juncture in the Preacher's overarching "experiment" to uncover lasting meaning and satisfaction in life "under the heaven," a pervasive motif throughout the book. It immediately follows his exhaustive exploration of wisdom and knowledge in Ecclesiastes 1, which he ultimately concluded was "vanity and a striving after wind" (Ecclesiastes 1:17). Ecclesiastes 2 then systematically delves into various earthly pursuits—pleasure, wine, folly, grand projects, and wealth—to rigorously test their capacity for delivering ultimate fulfillment. Verse 3 precisely outlines the methodology for the Preacher's controlled immersion into the world of sensual gratification and irrationality, notably framed by his persistent application of wisdom as a guiding principle.
Historical & Cultural Context: Traditionally identified with King Solomon, the Preacher's unparalleled wealth, power, and renowned wisdom (as detailed in 1 Kings 4:29-34) provide the unique backdrop for this profound experiment. Unlike any ordinary individual, he possessed limitless resources to fully pursue every form of pleasure or ambitious project without constraint. While ancient Near Eastern cultures, like all societies, engaged in revelry and indulgence, often led by kings, the Preacher's approach is distinct: it is not mere hedonism but a philosophical and theological inquiry. The recurring phrase "under the heaven" (or "under the sun") consistently delineates the scope of his investigation, limiting it to the earthly, human experience, intentionally apart from direct divine revelation or an eternal perspective.
Key Themes: Ecclesiastes 2:3 powerfully encapsulates several foundational themes of the book. Most prominent is The Search for Ultimate Good, as the Preacher explicitly states his aim to "see what was that good for the sons of men." This profound quest for telos, or ultimate purpose and lasting benefit, drives the entire narrative of Ecclesiastes. Closely related is the theme of Controlled Experimentation, as the Preacher does not blindly indulge but "acquaint[s] mine heart with wisdom," maintaining a critical, observant stance even amidst pleasure and folly. This highlights The Role of Wisdom not as an end in itself (as its limitations were noted in Ecclesiastes 1:18), but as an indispensable tool for discernment and analysis in the face of life's varied experiences. Finally, the verse introduces the Exploration of Pleasure and Folly as primary avenues of investigation, symbolized by "wine" and "folly," which represent the broad spectrum of sensual gratification and irrational, meaningless pursuits.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse exhibits several significant literary devices that enrich its meaning. Paradox is central, as the Preacher simultaneously pursues "wine" and "folly" while "acquainting mine heart with wisdom." This creates a profound tension between indulgence and intellectual control, highlighting the unique, almost clinical, nature of his philosophical experiment. Metonymy is evident in the use of "wine" to represent not just the beverage itself, but the broader category of sensual pleasures, revelry, and perhaps even intoxication and its associated lifestyle. Similarly, "folly" stands for all irrational, meaningless, or absurd pursuits. The Preacher's approach can also be seen as a form of Participant-Observation, where he acts as both the subject and the observer of his own experiment, systematically testing hypotheses about human happiness. This scientific metaphor underscores the Preacher's rigorous and analytical method in his quest for meaning, even as he delves into experiences that might typically be considered un-wise.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ecclesiastes 2:3 profoundly resonates with the universal human quest for meaning and satisfaction. It portrays a deliberate, comprehensive attempt to find ultimate good within the confines of earthly experience, intentionally apart from explicit divine revelation or an eternal perspective. The Preacher's controlled experiment with pleasure and folly, while maintaining a grip on wisdom, highlights the inherent limitations of all "under the heaven" pursuits. No matter how thoroughly explored, or how intelligently observed, the Preacher will ultimately conclude that such endeavors, in isolation, cannot provide lasting fulfillment. This sets the stage for the book's ultimate theological conclusion: true purpose and joy are found only in fearing God and keeping His commandments, acknowledging a reality and a divine perspective that transcends the transient earthly realm.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ecclesiastes 2:3 serves as a timeless mirror reflecting humanity's perpetual search for happiness and meaning. In our modern context, this quest often manifests in the relentless pursuit of consumerism, fleeting entertainment, career success, personal gratification, or even intellectual achievements, all under the illusion that these external things will bring ultimate contentment. The Preacher's experiment, conducted with unparalleled resources and intellectual rigor, demonstrates that even the most exhaustive exploration of earthly pleasures and pursuits, even when guided by wisdom, ultimately falls short of providing lasting "good." This verse challenges us to examine where we are seeking our own "good" and whether those pursuits are truly capable of satisfying the deepest longings of our souls. It reminds us that true fulfillment is not found in what we do or acquire "under the heaven," but in a transcendent relationship and purpose that extends beyond the temporal and material. It calls us to consider the ultimate source of joy and meaning.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Was Solomon's experiment in Ecclesiastes 2:3 sinful or a model for Christian living?
Answer: Solomon's experiment, as described in Ecclesiastes 2:3, was a controlled intellectual and experiential inquiry, not necessarily a model for Christian living in terms of embracing folly or excessive wine. The text explicitly states he maintained his "heart with wisdom," indicating a philosophical rather than a hedonistic pursuit. His aim was to systematically test the limits of earthly satisfaction, ultimately demonstrating their futility apart from God. While the methods involved experiences that could be sinful if pursued without wisdom (e.g., drunkenness, debauchery), the Preacher's stated objective was a quest for truth about life "under the heaven." For a Christian, the lesson is not to replicate the experiment, but to learn from its conclusion: true satisfaction is found in God, not in earthly pursuits, as seen in Matthew 6:33.
What does the phrase "under the heaven" signify in Ecclesiastes?
Answer: The phrase "under the heaven" (or "under the sun," as it often appears) is a recurring motif in Ecclesiastes that defines the scope of the Preacher's investigation. It refers to the earthly realm, human experience, and all that exists and can be observed from a purely human perspective, apart from divine revelation or an eternal viewpoint. When the Preacher declares something "vanity under the heaven," he is stating that from a human, temporal perspective, without God, these things ultimately lack lasting meaning, purpose, or satisfaction. It sets the stage for the book's conclusion, which points beyond this limited earthly perspective to a God-centered view of life, as in Ecclesiastes 12:13.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The Preacher's exhaustive search for "that good for the sons of men" in Ecclesiastes 2:3 finds its ultimate and perfect fulfillment in Jesus Christ. While the Preacher diligently explored every avenue of earthly pleasure and wisdom, only to declare it "vanity," Christ offers the true and lasting "good" that satisfies the deepest longings of the human heart. Jesus is the embodiment of divine wisdom, in whom "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). He did not need to "lay hold on folly" or "give himself unto wine" in an experimental quest, for He perfectly knew and perfectly lived out the will of God, being without sin (Hebrews 4:15). The "good" that humanity seeks "under the heaven" is found not in earthly pursuits, but in the one who came "that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6), providing the eternal perspective and divine purpose that the Preacher, confined to his "under the heaven" observations, could only dimly perceive and ultimately declare elusive. In Christ, the search for meaning concludes, and true life begins, offering a joy that no earthly experiment could ever yield (John 15:11).