Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, July 17th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Ecclesiastes 2:4

I accomplished great things. I built myself houses and planted vineyards.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Agriculture;   Epicureans;   Investigation;   Pleasure;   Solomon;   Vanity;   Vineyard;   Wisdom;   Worldliness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Vanity;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Joy;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Solomon;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes, the Book of;   Garden;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes, Book of;   Israel, History of;   Jewels, Jewelry;   Joy;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ecclesiastes;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Winter ;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher;   Mad;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Bet Ha-Midrash;   Ḳohelet (Ecclesiastes) Rabbah;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for August 9;   Every Day Light - Devotion for October 1;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.
Hebrew Names Version
I made myself great works. I built myself houses. I planted myself vineyards.
King James Version
I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:
English Standard Version
I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.
New American Standard Bible
I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself;
New Century Version
Then I did great things: I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.
Amplified Bible
I made great works: I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself;
World English Bible
I made myself great works. I built myself houses. I planted myself vineyards.
Geneva Bible (1587)
I haue made my great workes: I haue built me houses: I haue planted me vineyards.
Legacy Standard Bible
I made my works great: I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself;
Berean Standard Bible
I enlarged my works. I built myself houses and planted myself vineyards.
Contemporary English Version
I did some great things. I built houses and planted vineyards.
Complete Jewish Bible
I worked on a grand scale — I built myself palaces, planted myself vineyards,
Darby Translation
I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards;
Easy-to-Read Version
Then I began doing great things. I built houses, and I planted vineyards for myself.
George Lamsa Translation
I multiplied my servants; I built myself houses; I planted vineyards for myself:
Lexham English Bible
I accomplished great things. I built for myself houses; I planted for myself vineyards.
Literal Translation
I made my works great; I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I made gorgious fayre workes, I buylded me houses, and planted vynyardes:
American Standard Version
I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards;
Bible in Basic English
I undertook great works, building myself houses and planting vine-gardens.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards;
King James Version (1611)
I made me great workes, I builded mee houses, I planted mee Uineyards.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
I made gorgious faire workes: I builded my houses, and planted vineyardes.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I enlarged my work; I built me houses; I planted me vineyards.
English Revised Version
I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Y magnefiede my werkis, Y bildide housis to me, and Y plauntide vynes; Y made yerdis and orcherdis,
Update Bible Version
I made myself great works; I built myself houses; I planted myself vineyards;
Webster's Bible Translation
I made me great works; I built me houses; I planted me vineyards:
New English Translation
I increased my possessions: I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself.
New King James Version
I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards.
New Living Translation
I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards.
New Life Bible
I did great things. I built houses for myself. I planted grape-fields for myself.
New Revised Standard
I made great works; I built houses and planted vineyards for myself;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
I enlarged my works, - I built me houses, I planted me vineyards;
Douay-Rheims Bible
I made me great works, I built me houses, and planted vineyards,
Revised Standard Version
I made great works; I built houses and planted vineyards for myself;
Young's Literal Translation
I made great my works, I builded for me houses, I planted for me vineyards.
THE MESSAGE
Oh, I did great things: built houses, planted vineyards, designed gardens and parks and planted a variety of fruit trees in them, made pools of water to irrigate the groves of trees. I bought slaves, male and female, who had children, giving me even more slaves; then I acquired large herds and flocks, larger than any before me in Jerusalem. I piled up silver and gold, loot from kings and kingdoms. I gathered a chorus of singers to entertain me with song, and—most exquisite of all pleasures— voluptuous maidens for my bed.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself;

Contextual Overview

1 I decided to enjoy myself and find out what happiness is. But I found that this is useless, too. 2 I discovered that laughter is foolish, that pleasure does you no good. 3 Driven on by my desire for wisdom, I decided to cheer myself up with wine and have a good time. I thought that this might be the best way people can spend their short lives on earth. 4 I accomplished great things. I built myself houses and planted vineyards. 5 I planted gardens and orchards, with all kinds of fruit trees in them; 6 I dug ponds to irrigate them. 7 I bought many slaves, and there were slaves born in my household. I owned more livestock than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem. 8 I also piled up silver and gold from the royal treasuries of the lands I ruled. Men and women sang to entertain me, and I had all the women a man could want. 9 Yes, I was great, greater than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem, and my wisdom never failed me. 10 Anything I wanted, I got. I did not deny myself any pleasure. I was proud of everything I had worked for, and all this was my reward.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

made: Genesis 11:4, 2 Samuel 18:18, Daniel 4:30

I builded: Deuteronomy 8:12-14, 1 Kings 7:1, 1 Kings 7:2, 1 Kings 7:8-12, 1 Kings 9:1, 1 Kings 15:19, 1 Kings 10:19, 1 Kings 10:20, 2 Chronicles 8:1-6, 2 Chronicles 8:11, Psalms 49:11

I planted: 1 Chronicles 27:27, 2 Chronicles 26:10, Song of Solomon 1:14, Song of Solomon 7:12, Song of Solomon 8:11, Song of Solomon 8:12, Isaiah 5:1

Reciprocal: Genesis 4:17 - and he 2 Samuel 5:11 - they built 2 Chronicles 7:11 - all that came 2 Chronicles 8:6 - all that Solomon desired to build Proverbs 4:7 - with Ecclesiastes 2:18 - I hated Ecclesiastes 6:2 - so

Cross-References

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning, when God created the universe,
Genesis 1:4
God was pleased with what he saw. Then he separated the light from the darkness,
Genesis 1:28
blessed them, and said, "Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals.
Genesis 1:31
God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased. Evening passed and morning came—that was the sixth day.
Genesis 2:1
And so the whole universe was completed.
Genesis 2:2
By the seventh day God finished what he had been doing and stopped working.
Genesis 5:1
This is the list of the descendants of Adam. (When God created human beings, he made them like himself.
Genesis 10:1
These are the descendants of Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. These three had sons after the flood.
Genesis 11:10
These are the descendants of Shem. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he had a son, Arpachshad.
Genesis 25:12
Ishmael, whom Hagar, the Egyptian slave of Sarah, bore to Abraham,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I made me great works,.... He did not spend his time in trifling things, as Domitian a, in catching and killing flies; but in devising, designing, directing, and superintending great works of art and skill, becoming the grandeur of his state, and the greatness of his mind: the Midrash restrains it to his great throne of ivory, overlaid with gold, 1 Kings 10:18, but it is a general expression, including all the great things he did, of which the following is a particular enumeration;

I builded me houses; among which must not be reckoned the house of God, though that was built by him, and in the first place; yet this was built, not for his own pleasure and grandeur, but for the worship and glory of God: but his own house and palace is chiefly meant, which was thirteen years in building; and the house of the forest in Lebanon, which perhaps was his country seat; with all other houses and offices, for his stores, for his servants, his horsemen, and chariots; see 1 Kings 7:1; and in fine spacious buildings men take a great deal of pleasure, and promise themselves much happiness in dwelling in them, and in perpetuating their names to posterity by them; see

Psalms 49:11. The Targum is,

"I multiplied good works in Jerusalem; I builded me houses; the house of the sanctuary, to make atonement for Israel; the king's house of refreshment, and the conclave and porch; and the house of judgment, of hewn stones, where the wise men sit and do judgment; I made a throne of ivory for the royal seat;''

I planted me vineyards; perhaps those at Engedi were of his planting; however, he had one at Baalhamon, and no doubt in other places, Song of Solomon 1:14; the Targum makes mention of one at Jabne, planted by him; these also add to the pleasure of human life; it is delightful to walk in them, to gather the fruit and drink of the wine of them; see Song of Solomon 7:12.

a Sueton. Vit. Domitian. c. 3. Aurel. Victor. De. Caesar. & Epitome.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Compare 1 Kings 7:1-12; 1 Kings 9:15-19; 1 Kings 10:14-27; and 2 Chronicles 8:4.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ecclesiastes 2:4. I builded me houses — Palace after palace; the house of the forest of Lebanon, 1 Kings 7:1, c. a house for the queen; the temple, c., 2 Chronicles 8:1, c. 1 Kings 9:10, &c., besides many other buildings of various kinds.


 
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