the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Ecclesiastes 2:1
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I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile.
I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with mirth: therefore enjoy pleasure;" and, behold, this also was vanity.
I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.
I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself." But behold, this also was vanity.
I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself." And behold, it too was futility.
I said to myself, "I will try having fun. I will enjoy myself." But I found that this is also useless.
I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure and gratification; so enjoy yourself and have a good time." But behold, this too was vanity (futility, meaninglessness).
I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with mirth: therefore enjoy pleasure;" and, behold, this also was vanity.
I said in mine heart, Goe to nowe, I will proue thee with ioy: therefore take thou pleasure in pleasant things: and beholde, this also is vanitie.
I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with gladness, so that you shall see good things." And behold, it too was vanity.
I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good!" But it proved to be futile.
I said to myself, "Have fun and enjoy yourself!" But this didn't make sense.
I said to myself, "Come now, I will test myself with pleasure and enjoying good things"; but this too was pointless.
I said in my heart, Come now, I will try thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure. But behold, this also is vanity.
I said to myself, "I should have fun—I should enjoy everything as much as I can." But I learned that this is also useless.
I SAID to my heart, Come now, I will prove you with joy; therefore enjoy good things; and, behold, this also is vanity.
I decided to enjoy myself and find out what happiness is. But I found that this is useless, too.
I said to myself, "Come! I will test pleasure to see whether it is worthwhile." But look, "This also is vanity!"
I said in my heart, Come now, I will test you with mirth. Therefore, consider with goodness. And behold, this also is vanity.
The sayde I thus in my hert: Now go to, I wil take myne ease & haue good dayes. But lo, that was vanite also:
I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also was vanity.
I said in my heart, I will give you joy for a test; so take your pleasure--but it was to no purpose.
I said in my heart: 'Come now, I will try thee with mirth, and enjoy pleasure'; and, behold, this also was vanity.
I said in mine heart, Goe to now, I wil prooue thee with mirth, therfore enioy pleasure: and behold, this also is vanitie.
Then sayde I thus in my heart: Nowe go to, I will take myne ease, and haue good dayes: But lo, that is vanitie also.
I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth, and behold thou good: and, behold, this is also vanity.
I SAID in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also was vanity.
I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure: and, look, this also was vanity.
I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and behold, this also [is] vanity.
I thought to myself, "Come now, I will try self-indulgent pleasure to see if it is worthwhile." But I found that it also is futile.
1 Kings 4:20-28">[xr] I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure"; but surely, this also was vanity.
I said to myself, "Come on, let's try pleasure. Let's look for the ‘good things' in life." But I found that this, too, was meaningless.
I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with things that are fun. So have a good time." But see, this also was for nothing.
I said to myself, "Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself." But again, this also was vanity.
Said, I, in my heart, Come now! I will prove thee with gladness, and look thou on blessedness, - but lo! even that, was vanity.
I said in my heart: I will go, and abound with delights, and enjoy good things. And I saw that this also was vanity.
I said to myself, "Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself." But behold, this also was vanity.
I said in my heart, `Pray, come, I try thee with mirth, and look thou on gladness;' and lo, even it [is] vanity.
I said to myself, "Let's go for it—experiment with pleasure, have a good time!" But there was nothing to it, nothing but smoke. What do I think of the fun-filled life? Insane! Inane! My verdict on the pursuit of happiness? Who needs it? With the help of a bottle of wine and all the wisdom I could muster, I tried my level best to penetrate the absurdity of life. I wanted to get a handle on anything useful we mortals might do during the years we spend on this earth.
I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself." And behold, it too was futility.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
said: Ecclesiastes 2:15, Ecclesiastes 1:16, Ecclesiastes 1:17, Ecclesiastes 3:17, Ecclesiastes 3:18, Psalms 10:6, Psalms 14:1, Psalms 27:8, Psalms 30:6, Psalms 30:7, Luke 12:19
Go to: Genesis 11:3, Genesis 11:4, Genesis 11:7, 2 Kings 5:5, Isaiah 5:5, James 4:13, James 5:1
I will: Ecclesiastes 8:15, Ecclesiastes 11:9, Isaiah 50:5, Isaiah 50:11, Luke 16:19, Luke 16:23, James 5:5, Titus 3:3, Revelation 18:7, Revelation 18:8
Reciprocal: Psalms 127:2 - vain Ecclesiastes 2:25 - who can Ecclesiastes 7:25 - I applied mine heart Ecclesiastes 10:19 - feast Ecclesiastes 11:8 - All that
Cross-References
In the bigynnyng God made of nouyt heuene and erthe.
And God clepide the drie place, erthe; and he clepide the gadryngis togidere of watris, the sees. And God seiy that it was good;
and he blesside the seuenthe dai, and halewide it; for in that dai God ceesside of al his werk which he made of nouyt, that he schulde make.
These ben the generaciouns of heuene and of erthe, in the day wherynne the Lord God made heuene and erthe,
and ech litil tre of erthe bifore that it sprong out in erthe; and he made ech erbe of the feeld bifore that it buriownede. For the Lord God had not reyned on erthe, and no man was that wrouyte erthe;
Forsothe the Lord God plauntide at the bigynnyng paradis of likyng, wherynne he settide man whom he hadde formed.
The name of the o ryuer is Fyson, thilke it is that cumpassith al the lond of Euilath, where gold cometh forth,
and the name to the secounde ryuer is Gyon, thilke it is that cumpassith al the loond of Ethiopie;
for in sixe dayes God made heuene and erthe, the see, and alle thingis that ben in tho, and restide in the seuenthe dai; herfor the Lord blesside the `dai of the sabat, and halewide it.
it is a couenaunt euerlastinge bitwixe me and the sones of Israel, and it is `a signe euerlastynge; for in sixe daies God made heuene and erthe, and in the seuenthe day he ceessid of werk.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
I said in mine heart,.... He communed with his heart, he thought and reasoned within himself, and came to this resolution in his own mind; that since he could not find happiness in natural wisdom and knowledge, he would seek for it elsewhere, even in pleasure; in which, he observed, some men placed their happiness; or, however, sought for it there: or, "I said to my heart", as the Syriac version;
Go to now; or, "go, I pray thee" u listen to what I am about to say, and pursue the track I shall now point out to thee;
I will prove thee with mirth; with those things which will cause mirth, joy, and pleasure; and try whether any happiness can be enjoyed this way, since it could not be had in wisdom and knowledge. Jarchi and Aben Ezra render it, "I will mingle", wine with water, or with spices; or, "I will pour out", wine in plenty to drink of, "with joy", and to promote mirth: but the Targum, Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, interpret it as we do, and which sense Aben Ezra makes mention of;
therefore enjoy pleasure; which man is naturally a lover of; he was so in his state of innocency, and this was the bait that was laid for him, and by which he was drawn into sin; and now he loves, lives in, and serves sinful pleasures; which are rather imaginary than real, and last but for a season, and end in bitterness: but such sordid lusts and pleasures are not here meant; Solomon was too wise and good a man to give into these, as the "summum bonum"; or ever to think there could be any happiness in them, or even to make a trial of them for that purpose: not criminal pleasures, or an impure, sottish, and epicurean life, are here intended; but manly, rational, and lawful pleasures, for no other are mentioned in the detail of particulars following; and, in the pursuit of the whole, he was guided and governed by his wisdom, and that remained in him, Ecclesiastes 2:3. It may be rendered, "therefore see good" w; look upon all the good, pleasant, and delectable things of life; and enjoy them in such a manner as, if possible, happiness may be attained in them;
and, behold, this also [is] vanity; it will be found, by making the experiment, that there is no solid and substantial happiness in it, as it was by himself.
u לכה נא "age, quaeso", Tigurine version, Vatablus, Rambachius. w וראה בטוב "et vide in bonum", Montanus; "et vide bonum", Vatablus, Mercerus, Cocceius, Gejerus; "fraere bono", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius, Amama, Rambachius.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Solomon’s trial of God’s second gift, namely, riches, and the enjoyment which riches supply; this brought him to the sane result (compare Ecclesiastes 1:12).
Comparing Solomon’s action with Luke 12:16-21, it must be remembered that Solomon’s object was the acquisition of wisdom, not self-indulgence, and that he did not fail to look forward to the certainty of death overtaking him.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
CHAPTER II
The vanity of human courses in the works of pleasure,
planting, equipage, amassing wealth, c., 1-11.
Wisdom preferable to folly, 12-14
yet little difference between the wise and the foolish in
the events of life, 15-17.
The vanity of amassing wealth for heirs, when whether they
will be foolish or wise cannot be ascertained, 18-21.
There is much sorrow in the labour of man, 22, 23.
We should enjoy what the providence of God gives, 25, 26.
NOTES ON CHAP. I
Verse Ecclesiastes 2:1. I will prove thee with mirth — This is well expressed by the author so often referred to. Having tried speculative knowledge in vain, passion and appetite whisper, -
"From the rugged thorny road
Of wisdom, which so ill repays thy toil,
Turn back, and enter pleasure's flowery paths.
Go, take thy fill of joy; to passion give
The reins; nor let one serious thought restrain
What youth and affluence prompt."
