Ecclesiastes2

English Standard Version

TranslationKJV WEB ASV ESV NIV NASB NKJV NLT

¹ in my , , I will you with ; yourself. But , was .

²I of , It is , and of , use ?

³I with my how to my with —my me with —and how to lay on , I might was for the of to during the of their .

⁴I made . I and for myself.

⁵I and , and in them all of .

⁶I from which to the of .

⁷I and slaves, and had slaves who were in my . I of and , who had been me in .

⁸I for myself and and the of and . I singers, and , and , the of the of .

⁹So I became and were me in . my with me.

¹⁰And my I did from them. I my from , for my in my , and this was my for my .

¹¹Then I that my had and the I had in doing , and , was and a after , and there was to be the .

¹²So I to and and . can the do the ? Only has been .

¹³Then that is more in in , as there is more in than in .

¹⁴The person has his in his , but the in . yet that the to of them.

¹⁵Then I in my , What to the will to me . have I been so ? And I in my that is .

¹⁶For of the of the there is , in the to will have been long . the just the !

¹⁷So I , because is the was to me, is and a after .

¹⁸I my in I the , seeing that I it to the will come me,

¹⁹and whether he will be a ? Yet he will be of for I and used my the . This also is .

²⁰So I and my up to over all the of my the ,

²¹ a who has with and and to be enjoyed by who did not for it. is and a .

²² a from all the and of with he the ?

²³ his are full of , and his is a . Even in the his does not . This is .

²⁴There is for a than that he should and and in his . , I , is from the of ,

²⁵ him can or who can have ?

²⁶ to the God has and and , but to the he has the of and , only to to one who . is and a after .

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Ecclesiastes 2.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: The vanity and vexation of mirth, sensual pleasure, riches, and pomp. (1-11). Human wisdom insufficient. (12-17). This world to be used according to the will of God. (18-26).

vv1-11

Solomon soon found mirth and pleasure to be vanity. What does noisy, flashy mirth towards making a man happy? The manifold devices of men's hearts, to get satisfaction from the world, and their changing from one thing to another, are like the restlessness of a man in a fever. Perceiving it was folly to give himself to wine, he next tried the costly amusements of princes. The poor, when they read such a description, are ready to feel discontent. But the remedy against all such feelings is in the estimate of it all by the owner himself. All was vanity and vexation of spirit: and the same things would yield the same result to us, as to Solomon. Having food and raiment, let us therewith be content. His wisdom remained with him; a strong understanding, with great human knowledge. But every earthly pleasure, when unconnected with better blessings, leaves the mind as eager and unsatisfied as before. Happiness arises not from the situation in which we are placed. It is only through Jesus Christ that final blessedness can be attained.

vv12-17

Solomon found that knowledge and prudence were preferable to ignorance and folly, though human wisdom and knowledge will not make a man happy. The most learned of men, who dies a stranger to Christ Jesus, will perish equally with the most ignorant; and what good can commendations on earth do to the body in the grave, or the soul in hell? And the spirits of just men made perfect cannot want them. So that if this were all, we might be led to hate our life, as it is all vanity and vexation of spirit.

vv18-26

Our hearts are very loth to quit their expectations of great things from the creature; but Solomon came to this at length. The world is a vale of tears, even to those that have much of it. See what fools they are, who make themselves drudges to the world, which affords a man nothing better than subsistence for the body. And the utmost he can attain in this respect is to allow himself a sober, cheerful use thereof, according to his rank and condition. But we must enjoy good in our labour; we must use those things to make us diligent and cheerful in worldly business. And this is the gift of God. Riches are a blessing or a curse to a man, according as he has, or has not, a heart to make a good use of them. To those that are accepted of the Lord, he gives joy and satisfaction in the knowledge and love of him. But to the sinner he allots labour, sorrow, vanity, and vexation, in seeking a worldly portion, which yet afterwards comes into better hands. Let the sinner seriously consider his latter end. To seek a lasting portion in the love of Christ and the blessings it bestows, is the only way to true and satisfying enjoyment even of this present world.

Key Words

IH589Hebrew

אֲנִי: I

saidH559Hebrew

אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)

heartH3820Hebrew

לֵב: the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything

ComeH1980Hebrew

הָלַךְ: to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)

nowH4994Hebrew

נָא: 'I pray', 'now', or 'then'; added mostly to verbs (in the Imperative or Future), or to interjections, occasionally to an adverb or conjunction

testH5254Hebrew

נָסָה: to test; by implication, to attempt

pleasureH8057Hebrew

שִׂמְחָה: blithesomeness or glee, (religious or festival)

beholdH2009Hebrew

הִנֵּה: lo!

thisH1931Hebrew

הוּא: he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or are

alsoH1571Hebrew

גַּם: properly, assemblage; used only adverbially also, even, yea, though; often repeated as correl. both...and