A. Personal Observations 1:12-2:17

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).

 1. Solomon's investigation of human achievement 1:12-15

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 activities (v. 14). He observed that they were all a "grievous task"(v. 13; cf. 4:8; 5:14), namely, meaningless.

"Striving [chasing] after wind"(v. 14) graphically pictures the futility Solomon sought to communicate (cf. 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4, 6; 6:9). This phrase occurs frequently in 1:12-6:9 and is a structural marker that indicates the end of a subsection of Solomon's thought (cf. 1:17; 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4, 6, 16; 6:9).

Solomon was saying that there is no type of effort or action that can produce something ultimately permanent and therefore satisfying. There is nothing people can do that will yield this, no type of work or activity.

 2. Solomon's evaluation of his investigation of human achievement 1:16-18

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 "madness and folly"(v. 17; i.e., foolish ideas and pleasures).

". . . in Scripture both madness' and folly' imply moral perversity rather than mental oddity."²⁸

Greater wisdom had only brought him greater "grief"(mental anguish) and "pain"(emotional sorrow, v. 18).

The phrase "I perceived"and its synonyms occur frequently in Ecclesiastes (cf. 1:13; 2:1, 3, 14, 15; 3:17, 18, 22; 7:25; 8:9, 16; 9:1).

"Heart' points to the combined use of mind and will in the quest for knowledge. Biblical Hebrew has no specific words for mind or brain. Thinking and understanding and deciding are all done by the heart.'"²⁹

 3. Solomon's investigation of pleasure 2:1-11

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 clear from verses 3 and 9 that Solomon's investigation of pleasure was not a mindless dive into the morass of hedonism. Wisdom guided him throughout. He evidently pursued every pleasure available to an oriental monarch (vv. 4-10).

"A sensible use of money may be a form of creativity; so Solomon expressed himself in extensive buildings and the planting of vineyards, fruit trees, and gardens (vv. 4-6).³⁰

Some of this experimentation involved sin (v. 8). Solomon did not say he experienced no pleasure; he did. Nevertheless his final evaluation was that pleasure does not yield profit, real significance (v. 11).

 4. Solomon's evaluation of his investigation of pleasure 2:12-17

The king realized that few people would be able to check the results of his experiments. Few if any would have the resources he had at his disposal to duplicate his experiments (v. 12). Wisdom is better than folly in some respects, but neither provides a key to discovering net profit. Consequently Solomon concluded that being wise only has temporary and limited advantages over being foolish. Ultimately there is not much difference. Both the wise man and the fool die, and their survivors forget them.

"Grievous"(4:17, Heb. ra) is the opposite of "advantage"(1:3, profit). It is loss. The fact that Solomon could find nothing in work or pleasure that could yield anything ultimately profitable led him to view life itself as distasteful and repugnant (v. 17).³¹