Experimenting with Pleasure and Achievement
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11
Ecc.2.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אמרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,com,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- בלבי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- לכה: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- נא: PART
- אנסכה: VERB,qal,cohort,1,_,sg
- בשמחה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וראה: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- בטוב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והנה: ADV
- גם: ADV
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- הבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 1:2 (structural): Introduces the book's refrain 'vanity of vanities' (הבל הבלים), framing the declaration that pleasure is ultimately vain.
- Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 (verbal): Same episode of experimenting with pleasure; the narrator lists pleasures and concludes explicitly that they are 'vanity,' repeating the self-judgment of 2:1.
- Isaiah 22:13 (quotation): Contains the hedonistic refrain 'Let us eat and drink... for tomorrow we die,' a biblical expression of pursuing pleasure despite transience, thematically parallel to Ecclesiastes' experiment with enjoyment.
- 1 Corinthians 15:32 (quotation): Paul cites the same carpe diem logic—'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die'—to argue the absurdity of life without resurrection, echoing the futility of mere pleasure-seeking in Ecclesiastes.
- Luke 12:19-20 (thematic): The parable of the rich fool who plans to 'eat, drink, and be merry' only to die suddenly parallels Ecclesiastes' conclusion that pursuing pleasure alone is ultimately futile.
Alternative generated candidates
- I said in my heart, “Come now; I will test you with pleasure—enjoy what is good”—and behold, even this too was a striving after wind.
- I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy good things.” Yet behold, this too was vanity.
Ecc.2.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לשחוק: VERB,qal,inf
- אמרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,com,sg
- מהולל: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ולשמחה: CONJ+PREP,NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מה: PRON,int
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 2:1 (structural): Immediate context: the speaker announces an experiment with pleasure—v.2 is a direct response weighing the value of laughter and mirth against that experiment.
- Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 (thematic): After indulging in all pleasures the speaker concludes that they are vanity and gainless, echoing v.2's verdict on laughter and mirth.
- Isaiah 22:13 (thematic): ’Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’ expresses the same hedonistic impulse whose value Ecclesiastes questions as ultimately futile.
- Luke 12:19-20 (allusion): The rich fool’s ‘eat, drink, be merry’ and God’s judgment of him as a fool parallels Ecclesiastes’ skepticism about mere mirth and its ultimate worth.
- 1 Corinthians 15:32 (quotation): Paul cites the saying ‘let us eat and drink’ (if there is no resurrection) to illustrate a life devoted to pleasure—paralleling Ecclesiastes’ discussion of the insufficiency of laughter/pleasure.
Alternative generated candidates
- Of laughter I said, “It is madness,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?”
- To laughter I said, “It is madness,” and to mirth, “What does it accomplish?”
Ecc.2.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- תרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- בלבי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- למשוך: VERB,qal,inf
- ביין: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- בשרי: NOUN,m,sg,suff
- ולבי: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,_,sg
- נהג: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בחכמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולאחז: VERB,qal,inf
- בסכלות: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עד: PREP
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אראה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- אי: PRON,interrog
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- לבני: PREP
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- יעשו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- תחת: PREP
- השמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- מספר: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- ימי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- חייהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs,3mp
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 2:1 (thematic): Begins the same experiment with pleasure and folly—'I said to myself,
- Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 (thematic): Early statement of the author's quest to search out wisdom and folly—frames the same intellectual and experiential inquiry that leads him to 'make my flesh merry with wine' to test what is good for people.
- Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 (verbal): The evaluation of the results of the experiment with pleasures—what he 'had gotten' and his verdict that it was 'vanity and a striving after wind' follows directly from the experimentation described in 2:3.
- Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 (thematic): Affirms a related conclusion about enjoying simple, present blessings (eating, drinking, and finding satisfaction) as part of what is 'good' for humans—echoes the investigatory motive behind 2:3.
- Isaiah 22:13 (allusion): The hedonistic refrain 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die' parallels the experimental indulgence in 2:3 and highlights a familiar ancient Near Eastern motif of seeking present pleasure in light of life's brevity.
Alternative generated candidates
- I set my heart to cheer my flesh with wine, while my mind guided me with wisdom; I would hold folly, until I might see what was good for the human race to do under the heavens, through the number of the days of their lives.
- I set my heart to cheer my flesh with wine, while my mind guided me in wisdom and yet held to folly, until I might see what is good for humankind to do under the heavens in the span of their days.
Ecc.2.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הגדלתי: VERB,hiphil,perf,1,_,sg
- מעשי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- בניתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,com,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- בתים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- נטעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- כרמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 5:1-2 (verbal): Both passages use the vineyard/planting and building imagery (planting a vineyard, building/setting up its infrastructure) to describe personal cultivation and investment.
- Luke 12:16-21 (thematic): Parable of the rich fool who builds larger barns and stores his crops for himself — closely parallels the theme of self-directed building, planting, and the futility of hoarded achievement.
- Proverbs 24:27 (structural): Connects the practical sequence of agricultural work and construction ('prepare your work in the field, and afterward build your house'), echoing the link between planting and building.
- Song of Solomon 8:11 (verbal): Mentions Solomon's own vineyard (Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon), reflecting the motif of owning/planting vineyards as part of royal/domestic enterprise.
- Ecclesiastes 2:18-19 (structural): Internal parallel within Ecclesiastes: after describing building and planting for oneself, the speaker laments that such toil ultimately benefits others, underlining the passage's theme of transitory, self-directed labor.
Alternative generated candidates
- I enlarged my works; I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.
- I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards for myself.
Ecc.2.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עשיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- גנות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ופרדסים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ונטעתי: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- בהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- עץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כל: DET
- פרי: NOUN,m,sg,cs
Parallels
- Genesis 2:8-9 (verbal): God 'planted' a garden in Eden and put trees of every kind there—verbal and thematic echo of making gardens and planting fruit trees.
- Song of Solomon 4:12-15 (thematic): The beloved is pictured as a locked garden/enchanted orchard with many trees and fruits; uses garden/plant imagery similar to planting and cultivating orchards.
- Isaiah 65:21 (verbal): Promise that people 'shall build houses... and plant vineyards and eat their fruit'—comparable language of planting and enjoying cultivated fruit.
- Psalm 1:3 (thematic): The righteous is like a tree 'planted by streams of water' that yields fruit—parallel image of planting as a symbol of flourishing and fruitfulness.
- Isaiah 51:3 (allusion): The LORD will make Zion's wilderness like Eden, 'the garden of the LORD'—restoration of garden imagery that resonates with creating orchards and planted trees.
Alternative generated candidates
- I made gardens and parks for myself and planted in them all manner of fruit trees.
- I made for myself gardens and orchards and planted in them every kind of fruit tree.
Ecc.2.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עשיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ברכות: NOUN,f,pl,const
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- להשקות: VERB,hiphil,inf
- מהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- יער: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- צומח: PART,qal,ptc,_,m,sg
- עצים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 1:3 (thematic): Both use the image of a tree planted by streams of water to represent vitality and fruitfulness sustained by irrigation or a water source.
- Jeremiah 17:7-8 (thematic): The blessed person is likened to a tree by water that thrives and bears fruit—parallel imagery of trees sustained by continual watering.
- Ezekiel 47:12 (thematic): The life-giving river that causes trees along its banks to bear fruit echoes the motif of providing water to cause growth and fruitfulness.
- Isaiah 58:11 (verbal): God’s care makes the soul like a watered garden or well-watered land; similar language of watering and flourishing appears here.
- Genesis 2:8-9 (allusion): The primordial image of God planting a garden with growing trees provides a background for later biblical motifs of planted, tended trees and cultivated waters.
Alternative generated candidates
- I made for myself reservoirs of water to water from them a growing grove of trees.
- I made for myself reservoirs of water to irrigate a growing wood of trees.
Ecc.2.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- קניתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- עבדים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ושפחות: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ובני: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- גם: ADV
- מקנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בקר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וצאן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הרבה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- מכל: PREP
- שהיו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,c,pl
- לפני: PREP
- בירושלם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 30:43 (verbal): Jacob's increase: the verse uses similar language about great flocks and male and female servants—close verbal/thematic overlap with Eccles. 2:7.
- Genesis 13:2 (thematic): Abram is described as wealthy in livestock and possessions; thematically parallels the acquisition of animals and goods in Ecclesiastes.
- 1 Kings 4:22-28 (allusion): Description of Solomon's vast household provisions, flocks, and servants—an extended Old Testament example of royal wealth to which Qoheleth's accumulation often alludes.
- Ecclesiastes 2:4-8 (structural): Immediate context: the speaker catalogues building, gardens, wealth, and servants—Eccl. 2:7 is part of this larger self-report of acquisitiveness and pleasure-seeking.
- Ecclesiastes 2:18-19 (thematic): Reflects the consequence of amassed servants and possessions—Qoheleth's point about leaving wealth to another emphasizes the futility implied by his acquisitions in 2:7.
Alternative generated candidates
- I acquired male and female servants, and had a household; I also had flocks and herds—more than all who had been before me in Jerusalem.
- I acquired male and female servants; I had households; and I owned herds and flocks—more than any who were before me in Jerusalem.
Ecc.2.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כנסתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- גם: ADV
- כסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וזהב: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וסגלת: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,cons
- מלכים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- והמדינות: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,def
- עשיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- שרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ושרות: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ותענוגת: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- שדה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ושדות: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 2:4-11 (structural): Immediate context describing Solomon's (the Preacher's) accumulation of work, wealth, pleasure and projects—this verse is part of the larger catalogue of his pursuits and their emptiness.
- 1 Kings 10:14-29 (verbal): Portrait of Solomon's great silver, gold, wealth, royal treasures and international trade—parallels the imagery of amassed silver, gold and the riches of kings and provinces.
- Luke 12:16-21 (thematic): Parable of the rich fool who stores up abundant goods for himself and is called foolish—thematically parallels the futility of accumulating earthly pleasures and possessions emphasized in Ecclesiastes.
- Matthew 6:19-21 (thematic): Jesus' warning against storing up treasures on earth and the call to value heavenly treasures—contrasts and reflects the Ephemeral value of material riches found in Ecclesiastes.
Alternative generated candidates
- I gathered for myself silver and gold and the wealth of kings and of the provinces; I made for myself servants and maidens, and the delights of the sons of men—lavish estates and fields.
- I gathered for myself silver and gold and the prized treasures of kings and provinces; I set over me officials and servants and the pleasures of humankind—possessions and estates.
Ecc.2.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וגדלתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- והוספתי: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- מכל: PREP
- שהיה: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לפני: PREP
- בירושלם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אף: ADV
- חכמתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1s
- עמדה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 2:7-10 (structural): Immediate context: lists the material increase, pleasures and accomplishments that accompany the speaker's claim to have grown greater than those before him in Jerusalem.
- 1 Kings 10:23 (verbal): Explicit statement that Solomon exceeded all kings in riches and wisdom—closely parallels the claim of having been increased and possessing wisdom above others.
- 2 Chronicles 1:12-13 (thematic): God’s grant to Solomon of unprecedented wisdom, riches and honour parallels the theme of extraordinary increase combined with retained wisdom.
- Genesis 41:41-43 (thematic): Joseph’s exaltation and increase to a position above others provides a narrative parallel of being raised and distinguished relative to predecessors or contemporaries.
Alternative generated candidates
- So I became great and increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem; and my wisdom remained with me.
- I grew greater and surpassed those before me in Jerusalem, and my wisdom stood by me.
Ecc.2.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- אשר: PRON,rel
- שאלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- עיני: NOUN,f,pl,cons+1s
- לא: PART_NEG
- אצלתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,*,sg
- מהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- מנעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- לבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- מכל: PREP
- שמחה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- לבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- שמח: ADJ,m,sg
- מכל: PREP
- עמלי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,suff:1cs
- וזה: CONJ+PRON,dem,m,sg,abs
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חלקי: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- מכל: PREP
- עמלי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,suff:1cs
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 2:11 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same reflection—after enjoying every desire he reports the overall verdict (vanity), so 2:11 functions as the structural conclusion to 2:10's account of pleasure and reward.
- Ecclesiastes 3:13 (thematic): Affirms the theme that enjoying the fruits of one's labor (eating, drinking, finding enjoyment in toil) is a proper human good—parallels 2:10's emphasis on rejoicing in one’s work as a reward.
- Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 (verbal): Uses very similar language about seeing that it is good for a person to eat, drink, and enjoy the good of his labor, and that enjoyment is a portion or gift—echoes 2:10's claim that enjoyment of labor is his portion.
- Ecclesiastes 8:15 (thematic): Joins the same verdict of commending enjoyment—'eat, drink, and be merry'—linking enjoyment of life and work to the wise response to life's limits, a theme present in 2:10.
Alternative generated candidates
- Whatever my eyes desired I did not withhold from them; I withheld not my heart from any pleasure, for my heart took delight in all my labor—and this was my portion of all my labor.
- Whatever my eyes desired I did not withhold from them; I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart took delight in all my toil—and this was my portion in all my labor.
Ecc.2.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ופניתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מעשי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- שעשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- ידי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- ובעמל: PREP
- שעמלתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- והנה: ADV
- הכל: PRON,m,sg,abs
- הבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ורעות: CONJ+ADJ,f,pl,abs
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואין: CONJ+PART,exist
- יתרון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תחת: PREP
- השמש: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 1:2 (verbal): Uses the same key term 'vanity' (Hebrew hevel) and the sweeping claim that all is vanity, framing the book’s central judgment echoed in 2:11.
- Ecclesiastes 2:18 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same argument about labor and its futility—expresses hatred of toil because one leaves the fruits to another, reinforcing 2:11’s conclusion.
- Psalm 39:5-6 (thematic): Meditates on the brevity and futility of human life ('you have made my days a few handbreadths'), paralleling Eccles. 2:11’s sense of life’s transience and emptiness.
- Romans 8:20 (allusion): Paul says creation was 'subjected to futility' (Greek mataiotēs), echoing Ecclesiastes’ motif of pervasive vanity and the frustrated ordering of the world under the sun.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended to do it, and behold—all was a striving after wind; there is no profit under the sun.
- I turned to consider all the works my hands had done and the labor I had labored to do; and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind—there is no gain under the sun.
I said in my heart, 'Come now—let me test you with pleasure; see what is good.' Yet behold, this also is vanity.
I said of laughter, 'Madness,' and of mirth, 'What does it accomplish?'
I resolved in my heart to cheer my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom; I held fast to folly—until I might see what is good for humankind to do under heaven during the few days of their life.
I enlarged my works; I built houses for myself and planted vineyards for myself.
I made for myself gardens and orchards, and planted in them every kind of fruit tree.
I made for myself pools of water to irrigate a growing grove of trees.
I acquired male and female servants, and household-born servants were mine; moreover I possessed flocks and herds—more than any who were before me in Jerusalem.
I gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasures of kings and of the provinces. I provided myself with officials and servants, with the pleasures of humankind—gardens and fields. And I became greater and increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem; indeed, my wisdom stood by me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not withhold from them; I did not restrain my heart from any joy, for my heart found pleasure in all my labor. And this was my portion of all my labor.
Then I considered all the works that my hands had wrought and the toil I had spent to do them; and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind—there was no advantage under the sun.