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Texts -- Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 (NET)

Context
Futility of Self-Indulgent Pleasure
2:1 I thought to myself , “Come now, I will try self-indulgent pleasure to see if it is worthwhile.” But I found that it also is 2:2 I said of partying , “It is folly ,” and of self-indulgent pleasure , “It accomplishes nothing!” 2:3 I thought deeply about the effects of indulging myself with wine (all the while my mind was guiding me with wisdom ) and the effects of behaving foolishly , so that I might discover what is profitable for people to do on earth during the few days of their lives .
Futility of Materialism
2:4 I increased my possessions : I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself. 2:5 I designed royal gardens and parks for myself, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 2:6 I constructed pools of water for myself , to irrigate my grove of flourishing trees . 2:7 I purchased male and female slaves , and I owned slaves who were born in my house ; I also possessed more livestock – both herds and flocks – than any of my predecessors in Jerusalem . 2:8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself, as well as valuable treasures taken from kingdoms and provinces . I acquired male singers and female singers for myself, and what gives a man sensual delight – a harem of beautiful concubines ! 2:9 So I was far wealthier than all my predecessors in Jerusalem , yet I maintained my objectivity : 2:10 I did not restrain myself from getting whatever I wanted ; I did not deny myself anything that would bring me pleasure . So all my accomplishments gave me joy ; this was my reward for all my effort . 2:11 Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it, I concluded : “All these achievements and possessions are ultimately profitless – like chasing the wind ! There is nothing gained from them on earth .”

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • POOL; POND; RESERVOIR

    [isbe] POOL; POND; RESERVOIR - pool, pond, rez'-er-vwar, rez'-er-vwar ((1) berekhah, "pool"; compare Arabic birkat, "pool"; compare berakhah, "blessing," and Arabic barakat, "blessing"; (2) agham, "pool," "marsh," "reeds"; compare ...

  • PECULIAR

    [isbe] PECULIAR - pe-kul'-yar: The Latin peculium means "private property," so that "peculiar" properly = "pertaining to the individual." In modern English the word has usually degenerated into a half-colloquial form for "extraordi...

  • PARK

    [isbe] PARK - park (pardec; Septuagint paradeisos; compare Arabic firdaus): "I made me gardens and parks," the King James Version "orchards" (Eccl 2:5); "Asaph the keeper of the king's forest," the Revised Version margin "park" (Ne...

  • PARADISE

    [isbe] PARADISE - par'-a-dis (pardec; paradeisos): 1. Origin and Meaning: A word probably of Persian origin meaning a royal park. See GARDEN. The word occurs in the Hebrew Scriptures but 3 times: Song 4:13, where it is translated "...

  • ORCHARD

    [isbe] ORCHARD - or'-cherd: (1) pardec, from Old Persian, "a walled-in enclosure"; paradeisos, a word in classical Greek applied to the garden of Babylon (Diodorus Siculus xi.10) and to a game park (Xenophon, Anab. i.2, 7). See Neh...

  • Music, Instrumental

    [ebd] Among instruments of music used by the Hebrews a principal place is given to stringed instruments. These were, (1.) The kinnor, the "harp." (2.) The nebel, "a skin bottle," rendered "psaltery." (3.) The sabbeka, or "sackbut,...

  • MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

    [isbe] MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS - mu'-zi-kal in'-stroo-ments (shiddah we-shiddoth): "I gat me .... musical instruments, and that of all sorts" (Eccl 2:8). Thus the King James Version and the American Standard Revised Version; the Englis...

  • MAID; MAIDEN

    [isbe] MAID; MAIDEN - mad, mad'-'n: Used in the King James Version in the sense of a girl or young female; of an unmarried woman or virgin, and of a female servant or handmaid. Thus, it translates several Hebrew words: (1) The more...

  • Life

    [nave] LIFE. Index of Sub-topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-topics; Brevity and Uncertainty of; Everlasting; From God; Long; Spiritual. Miscellany of Minor Sub-topics Breath of, Gen. 2:7. Called Spirit of God, Job 27:3. Tree of,...

  • LOOK

    [isbe] LOOK - look: (1) The uses of the simple verb in English Versions of the Bible are nearly all good modern English. In Isa 5:2, however, "He looked that it should bring forth grapes"--"look" is used in the sense of "expect." C...

  • LABOR

    [isbe] LABOR - la'-ber (yeghia`, `amal; kopos): The word (noun and verb) denoting hard work or "toil" (thus in the Revised Version (British and American) of Dt 26:7; Josh 7:3; Rev 2:2) represents several Hebrew and Greek words, chi...

  • JERUSALEM, 3

    [isbe] JERUSALEM, 3 - VII. Antiquarian Remains Connected with the Water-Supply. In a city like Jerusalem, where the problem of a water-supply must always have been one of the greatest, it is only natural that some of the most ancie...

  • Investigation

    [nave] INVESTIGATION, Eccl. 1:13-18; 2:1-12; 12:9-14.

  • GUIDE

    [isbe] GUIDE - gid ('alluph, nachal, nachah; hodegos, hodegeo): "Guide" (noun) is the translation of 'alluph, "an intimate," "a friend," the leader of a family or tribe: Ps 55:13, "a man mine equal, my guide," the Revised Version (...

  • GIVE

    [isbe] GIVE - (nathan, yahabh, sum; didomi): "Give" is a very common word in the Old Testament. It is most frequently the translation of nathan, "to give" (Gen 1:29; 3:6; Ex 2:9; Dt 18,20, etc., over 800 instances); nathan is also ...

  • GET; GETTING

    [isbe] GET; GETTING - A great many Hebrew words are in the Old Testament translated "get," "got," etc. The word "get" has two meanings: (1) with the idea of movement, "to go," etc.; (2) with that of acquisition, "to gain," "obtain,...

  • GARDEN

    [isbe] GARDEN - gar'-d'-n (gan, gannah, ginnah; kepos): The Arabic jannah (diminutive, jannainah), like the Hebrew gannah, literally, "a covered or hidden place," denotes in the mind of the dweller in the East something more than t...

  • FOREST

    [ebd] Heb. ya'ar, meaning a dense wood, from its luxuriance. Thus all the great primeval forests of Syria (Eccl. 2:6; Isa. 44:14; Jer. 5:6; Micah 5:8). The most extensive was the trans-Jordanic forest of Ephraim (2 Sam. 18:6, 8; J...
    [isbe] FOREST - for'-est: (1) choresh (compare proper name Harosheth), 2 Ch 27:4. In 1 Sam 23:15 ff translated "wood"; in Isa 17:9, "wood"; in Ezek 31:3, "forest-like shade." Applied to any thick growth of vegetation but not necess...

  • Experiment

    [nave] EXPERIMENT, in worldly pleasure, Solomon's, Eccl. 1; 2.

  • ECCLESIASTES, THE PREACHER

    [isbe] ECCLESIASTES, THE PREACHER - e-kle-zi-as'-tez, or (qoheleth; Ekklesiastes, perhaps "member of assembly"; see below): 1. Structure of the Book 2. The Contents 3. Composite Authorship? 4. Qoheleth 5. "King in Jerusalem" 6. Dat...

Arts

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The texts of the individual psalms do not usually indicate who wrote them.1However some of the titles of the individual psalms do contain information about the writers.2This is the only really reliable information we have as ...
  • The commentators sometimes treat the Hebrew word qohelet("Preacher"; 1:1-2, 12; 7:27; 12:8-10) as a proper name.1However the fact that the article is present on the Hebrew word in 12:8, and perhaps in 7:27, seems to indicate ...
  • This book helps the reader develop a God-centered worldview and recognize the dangers of a self-centered worldview. It does not describe the life of faith or teach what the responsibilities of faith in God are. It also prescr...
  • I believe that the message of Ecclesiastes is essentially a positive one. This may seem strange since the vanity of various human endeavors is such a major theme of this book. Nevertheless the total statement that Solomon mad...
  • I. The introductory affirmation 1:1-11A. Title and theme 1:1-21. The title 1:12. The theme 1:2B. The futility of all human endeavor 1:3-111. The vanity of work 1:32. The illustrations from life 1:4-11II. The futility of work ...
  • The author identified himself by his titles. These titles as well as other references to the writer in the book (cf. 1:12, 16; 2:4-9) point to Solomon more than to any other person.10Later he claimed divine authority for this...
  • "Vanity"(Heb. hebel) means "meaningless."11As Solomon used this word in Ecclesiastes he meant lacking real substance, value, permanence, or significance. "All"in the context of what he proceeded to describe refers to all huma...
  • Rather than saying, "All work is vanity,"Solomon made the same point by asking this rhetorical question that expects a negative response. He used this literary device often throughout the book (cf. 2:2; 3:9; 6:8, 11-12; et al...
  • There are four parts to this section (1:12-2:17) that fall into two pairs. Solomon first related his investigations (in 1:12-15 and 2:1-11) and then gave his evaluations of each of these experiments (in 1:16-18 and 2:12-17)....
  • Solomon had unique resources for investigating life. He was the king of Israel (v. 12), and he possessed superlative wisdom (v. 13; cf. v. 16; 1 Kings 4:26-34). He says he made a comprehensive study of all kinds of human acti...
  • To conduct his investigation of human achievements Solomon had employed the tool of wisdom.27However, he discovered it inadequate to turn up any meaningful activity. Consequently wisdom was in this respect no better than "mad...
  • 2:1-2 Pleasure has no ultimate value either (vv. 1-2). That is, while it has some temporary, immediate value (i.e., relieving grief and boredom) it does not produce anything permanently or ultimately worthwhile.2:3-11 It is c...
  • Thus far Solomon had reflected on the futility of all human endeavor generally (1:3-11) and the futility of human achievement (1:12-15) and his own achievements in particular (2:1-17). Next he turned to an evaluation of labor...
  • In this section Solomon expressed his conviction that in view of God's incomprehensible workings all human toil is without permanent profit.3:1-8 As is customary in Ecclesiastes the writer began this section by stating a thes...
  • Again Solomon urged the enjoyment of life (v. 18; cf. 2:24-26; 3:12-13, 22), but he warned of some obstacles to that enjoyment. Solomon was not advocating hedonism but the simple enjoyment of life day by day (v. 18). In other...
  • In 1:12-6:9, Solomon demonstrated that all work is ultimately futile for two reasons. It does not yield anything really permanent under the sun. Moreover we can never be sure we will enjoy the fruits of our labor before we di...
  • In conclusion Solomon repeated his original thesis (v. 8; cf. 1:2) and his counsel in view of life's realities (vv. 13-14). In between these statements he set forth his source of authority for writing what we have in Ecclesia...
  • 6:1 The Shulammite convinced the daughters of Jerusalem that her love for her husband was deep and genuine. They agreed to search for Solomon with her.6:2-3 Having expressed her love for her husband, the Shulammite now knew w...
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