Ecclesiastes
Chapter 2
I said in my heart: “I will try pleasure! Taste happiness!” But I found that was useless.
Laughter is foolishness! As for pleasure, what good is it?
I thought of cheering my body with wine while my heart searched for wisdom. So I gave myself to folly to find out what would be good for man to do under the sun throughout his life.
I accomplished great things: I built houses and planted vineyards.
I created gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees.
I built reservoirs to water the orchards.
I purchased slaves and servants, and I had slaves born into my household. I possessed abundant flocks and herds, more than anyone before me in Jerusalem.
I acquired silver and gold—the riches of kings and nations. I had a choirmaster and singers, and beyond that, what most delights men.
I became great, surpassing all my predecessors in Jerusalem while maintaining wisdom.
I refused myself nothing that my eyes desired, nor did I deprive my heart of any pleasure. I enjoyed all I undertook, and that was my reward for my work.
Assessment: Nothing Is Gained Under the Sun
Then I reflected on all I had accomplished through my work and the effort it required, and I realized that it was all meaningless and chasing the wind. There is no profit under the sun.
I then decided to compare wisdom with folly and madness, and I thought: “What will my successor as king do?” (We know what he did!)
I realized that wisdom is more beneficial than folly, just as light is better than darkness:
The wise man has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. However, it occurred to me that the same fate awaits them both.
And I wondered, “If the fool’s fate will be mine as well, what has my wisdom done for me?” I also reflected that it is meaningless.
There is no greater remembrance of the wise man than of the fool: both will be forgotten in the days to come. Why is a wise man’s death similar to that of a fool?
So I hated life, seeing the wrong in everything that is done under the sun: all is meaningless and chasing the wind.
I despised everything I worked hard for under the sun, which I must pass on to my successor.
Who knows whether he will be foolish or wise? Yet he will be master of all
I have achieved through my own efforts and wisdom: that, too, is meaningless.And I began to feel despair in my heart over all my labor under the sun.
For there was a man who worked with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave everything to someone who has not worked for it. This is meaningless and a great misfortune.
What profit is there for a man in all his work and heart-searching under the sun?
All his days bring sorrow; his work causes grief; he doesn’t even have peaceful rest at night: that, too, is meaningless.
There is nothing better for a person than to eat, drink, and find satisfaction in his work. I understand that this, too, comes from the hand of God.
For without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?
To the one who pleases him, he grants wisdom, knowledge, and joy, while to the sinner he assigns the task of gathering and storing up what will be given to another who pleases God: this, too, is meaningless and chasing the wind.
Commentaries
Double Experiment.
This section is connected to the following one: the first describes the double experiment that Qohelet intentionally conducts, and the next one explains his evaluation. It is presented as if it were a testament of Solomon, a symbol of wisdom and grandeur (1 Kgs 5:9-14), who at the end of his life reaps the results of his efforts.
First experiment: the experience of everything done under the sun (1:12-18). It differentiates between human activities (1:13-15) and those of wisdom (1:16-18), though their outcomes are the same: “pure illusion” and “trying to catch the wind.” What does this mean for Qohelet? First, that God has given humans the difficult task of various labors—the word used is “inyan,” which appears only in this book. Second, that all of these are, in essence, “chasing the wind.” Third, the wisdom Kohelet has gained through this exploration is also futile, again “chasing the wind.” Verses 15 and 18 are popular proverbs from that time that express this same idea—a similar reflection is found in the famous “Epic of Gilgamesh,” an ancient text from a neighboring culture of Israel.
Second experiment: enjoyment and joy (2:1-10). The works of a prominent Jerusalem lord in agriculture, commerce, and courtly life are described (Gn 9:20; 1 Kgs 10:12; 11:1-3; 21:1; Is 5:1-3). The author shows the end of a wealthy life with irony: “that was the reward—in Hebrew, ‘jélek’ indicates transience—for my labors.” Similar signs of this pessimism are also seen in ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian writings.
Work or an easy life, for the wise Qohelet, is all the same. What one reaps is toil. Believing readers do not need to end their reflection here. Qohelet offers an intriguing clue: we must put our heart into what, or rather, into Who makes the burden bearable! (Mt 11:29f).
Assessment.
Nothing Is Gained Under the Sun. With the phrase “nothing is gained under the sun,” Qohelet reflects on his earlier experiments. What are the outcomes of his attempts to acquire wealth and wisdom? 1. First (12-14a), although wisdom is superior to foolishness, it offers no real advantage because death equalizes wise men and fools (3:19; 9:2f). 2. Second (14b-17), all of this leads to pain and emptiness (cf. Jr 20:14, 18; Job 3:1-3). 3. Third (18-21), and what seems most significant here, the anguish of striving to achieve things—‘yitron’ refers to effort in a broad sense—is worsened by having to leave them to those who have not worked for them, with the added frustration that they may be either ‘wise’ or “foolish.” In conclusion (22-26): “the only good thing for man is to eat…” (the text parallels 3:12.22 and 8:15, cf. Is 56:12; 1 Chr 29:22; Neh 8:10; 1 Cor 15:32).
With these conclusions, the Preacher departs from traditional wisdom, as seen in Proverbs 10:7, 9, 16, 17, and even mocks the inadequacy of the doctrine that justified the scandal of riches given to the wicked (Prov 11:8; 13:22; Job 27:16f). The author does not discuss survival after death but instead shows that the wise and the foolish share the same fate, unlike in Wisdom 2-5. However, Qohelet remains within the most orthodox of the Israelite faith when he affirms that everything is a gift from God (25).
If we try to read this section starting from the end, we would see: “The only good thing for man is to eat and drink and enjoy the fruit of his labor, and even this I have seen to be a gift from God…” Here, the wise man has reached after examining what remains of his wisdom and possessions, as if to say that the place where the desired treasure is hidden is in the most everyday things: in the God of small things.