1 Kings 9:1

The Lord Gives Solomon a Promise and a Warning

9:1 After Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the other construction projects he had planned, ¹ 

Ecclesiastes 2:10

2:10 I did not restrain myself from getting whatever I wanted; ² 

I did not deny myself anything that would bring me pleasure. ³ 

So all my accomplishments gave me joy; ⁴ 

this was my reward for all my effort. ⁵ 

Ecclesiastes 6:9

6:9 It is better to be content with ⁶  what the eyes can see ⁷ 

than for one’s heart always to crave more. ⁸ 

This continual longing ⁹  is futile – like ¹⁰  chasing the wind.

[9:1]  ¹ tn Heb “and all the desire of Solomon which he wanted to do.”

[2:10]  ² tn Heb “all which my eyes asked for, I did not withhold from them.”

[2:10]  ³ tn Heb “I did not refuse my heart any pleasure.” The term לִבִּי (libbi, “my heart”) is a synecdoche of part (i.e., heart) for the whole (i.e., whole person); see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 648. The term is repeated twice in 2:10 for emphasis.

[2:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “So my heart was joyful from all my toil.”

[2:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “and this was my portion from all my toil.”

[6:9]  ⁶ tn The phrase “to be content with” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[6:9]  ⁷ tn The expression מַרְאֵה עֵינַיִם (mar’eh ’enayim, “the seeing of the eyes”) is a metonymy of cause (i.e., seeing an object) for effect (i.e., being content with what the eyes can see); see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 552-54.

[6:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “the roaming of the soul.” The expression מֵהֲלָךְ־נָפֶשׁ (mehalakh-nafesh, “the roaming of the soul”) is a metonymy for unfulfilled desires. The term “soul” (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) is used as a metonymy of association for man’s desires and appetites (BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 5.c; 6.a). This also involves the personification of the roving appetite as “roving” (מֵהֲלָךְ); see BDB 235 s.v. הָלַךְ II.3.f; 232 I.3.

[6:9]  ⁹ tn The phrase “continual longing” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[6:9]  ¹⁰ tn The term “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.