ECCLESIASTES 2 COMME TARY EDITED BY GLE PEASE Pleasures Are Meaningless 1 I thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." Add to my study list. Ecclesiastes All Is Vanity. This is because man was. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. He ‘allowed [his] heart to despair’ (as the Hebrew verb may be translated). I said in mine heart, Goe to now, I wil prooue thee with mirth, therfore enioy pleasure: and … Also my wisdom remained with me. b. I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine… and how to lay hold on folly: The Preacher lived a life satiated with the pleasures of wine and light, frivolous amusements. I said . What does Ecclesiastes 2:7 mean? ii. b. “The lives, both of the wise, the madman, and the fool. According to Wright, a Canaanite word of similar form is used to translate the Egyptian word for “concubine.” However, the traditional Jewish rendering is musical instruments. a. To live under the sun is to decide at last that the natural thing to do is to take what comes. Plug in, Turn on and Be En light ened! He tested the theory many live under today; that the meaning of life is found in more and varied pleasures, entertainments, and excitements. “This also is vanity.” at which he toils under the sun? He next tries pleasure and luxury, retaining however, his worldly "wisdom" ( Ecc 3:9), but all proves "vanity" in respect to the chief good. The Incessant Dilemma After the statement of authorship in verse 1, … With a UCG.org account you will be able to save items to read and study later! Read commentary on this popular Bible verse and understand the real meaning behind God's Word using John Gill's Exposition of the Bible. “This may seem to savor of epicurism, as may also some following passages of this book. Study of Pleasure-seeking. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds. d. For my heart rejoiced in all my labor: We might say that the Preacher lived this period as a hedonist, but as an intelligent one. Ecclesiastes 2:1 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. Based on how we finished Ecclesiastes 1, we might think – Ah! We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure: This is even more significant coming from Solomon, who had the resources to grant whatever his eyes desired, and every pleasure of his heart. Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary Ecclesiastes 2:16. in many ways (1 Kings 12, 1 Kings 14:21-31). Article Images Copyright © 2021 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, this also was vanity. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. I said. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary Ecclesiastes 2:6. Wait, vanity? ( B) I said, “is madness. Choose a verse from 'Ecclesiastes 2' to begin your 'Verse-by-Verse' study of God's Word using the more than 100 commentaries available on StudyLight.org a. I turned myself to consider wisdom and madness and folly: The Preacher continued to search after meaning and life, and followed the lines of wisdom and madness and folly further, unto their ending point. Then he willleave behind everything in the world. Login or Create an Account. Proud member Sign In | Sign Up × Vanity of vanities—things come and go . He looked for, pleasures in life, such as the rightful pleasure one takes in the accomplishments of hard work (, Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done… indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete) /. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God: We again see that the Preacher is no atheist; he certainly believes in God. Ecclesiastes 2:7. Ecclesiastes 2 commentary 1. Not Yet a Member? . Click to Sign Up Now! heart--(). And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly —my mind still guiding me with wisdom. Yes. Ecclesiastes 2. We have an examination of the various ways by which humans have sought through the ages to find contentment, enjoyment, and delight in life. Summary So, Qoheleth gives his summary in advance of what he found when he sought meaning in wealth in Ecclesiastes 2:1. They may sometimes be tired with their business, but they are not weary of it, nor willing to leave it off. i. Adam Clarke says that life is more literally lives. I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Ecclesiastes All Is Vanity. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. e. Therefore I hated life… for all is vanity and grasping for the wind: Given his premise of life under the sun, Solomon hated life because it was so meaningless (vanity and grasping for the wind). This is one of the most moving points of the Old Testament, the antithesis of the New Testament’s ‘not in vain in the Lord’ (1 Corinthians 15:58).” (Eaton). i. The taxes levied off his subjects. 1 I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Ecclesiastes 1 – The Vanity of Life A. His conclusion? . Ecclesiastes 2:1 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. For Koheleth was not speaking of unrestrained sensualism - the surrender of the mind to the pleasures of the body - but of the moderate enjoyment of the good things of life conditioned by the fear of God and love of … ©2018 David Guzik – No distribution beyond personal use without permission. (1a) The Preacher. . Human beings are different from animals in many ways. This also is vanity. (1) The summary. Biblical Commentary Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23 EXEGESIS: THE CONTEXT: The book that we know as Ecclesiastes is known in the Hebrew Scriptures as Qoheleth (sometimes spelled Qohelet or Koheleth). : Solomon examined his life lived for pleasure – even legitimate pleasures – and saw that it too was meaningless. Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. Surely, this also is vanity. of This thinking is prominent in our day. In chapter 2 we are introduced to the record of what Solomon found in this search. He next tries pleasure and luxury, retaining however, his worldly "wisdom" (Ecclesiastes 3:9), but all proves "vanity" in respect to the chief good.1. Ecclesiastes 2:1-26.. Read Ecclesiastes 2 commentary using John Gill's Exposition of the Bible. And why was I then more wise?” With a UCG.org account you will be able to save items to read and study later! No matter how wise one is or is not; how much they do or do not accomplish; or how much pleasure one has or does not have, the same event happens to them all: they all die. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. The wise man’s eyes are in his head, So, in these chapters we get a good cross-section of issues of life and how to approach them. Vanity of vanities! Also I possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. New American Standard Version. This might seem unjust, but even under the sun, sometimes injustice seems to work in one’s favor. (12-17) This world to be used according to the will of God. d All is vanity. I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards. Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind. Ecclesiastes 1 Commentary: First of all, let’s discover what the message of the book of Ecclesiastes is. Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure. Given the Preacher’s premise – that eternity and God do not matter – this is the only possible conclusion. b. Gardens and orchards… male and female servants… herds and flocks… silver and gold: If building, improving, and amassing great riches and accomplishments could give true meaning to life, the Preacher would have found it. The Futility of Pleasure. But the God of the Preacher is not the God who matters and gives meaning to life as it is connected to eternity. 2 I said [] to myself, “Come now, I will test you with () pleasure. Good times! 2:2. How to have a worthwhile life. Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. (24-25) Keeping a good attitude despite despair. 1. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, Jamieson, Fausset & Brown :: Commentary on Ecclesiastes 2 ← Back to Jamieson, Fausset & Brown's Bio & Resources . : The Preacher looked not only for meaning in amusements, but also in great and legitimate accomplishments. “The fact that in the end the sinner’s hoard will go to the righteous is only a crowning irony to what was in any case, This also is vanity and grasping for the wind, : The Preacher knew that his seeming redistribution from God’s hand was not enough to give true meaning to life lived, © Copyright - Enduring Word | . Vanity of vanities. 2:24 There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun. This is because man was not designed to fly like a bird; but he is designed for eternity. 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