Lectionary Calendar
Friday, August 22nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Wycliffe Bible

Ecclesiastes 2:4

Y magnefiede my werkis, Y bildide housis to me, and Y plauntide vynes; Y made yerdis and orcherdis,

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:
Good News Translation
I accomplished great things. I built myself houses and planted vineyards.
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;
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 Therfor Y seide in myn hertez, Y schal go, and Y schal flowe in delicis, and Y schal vse goodis; and Y siy also that this was vanyte. 2 And leiyyng Y arrettide errour, and Y seide to ioye, What art thou disseyued in veyn? 3 I thouyte in myn herte to withdrawe my fleisch fro wyn, that Y schulde lede ouer my soule to wisdom, and that Y schulde eschewe foli, til Y schulde se, what were profitable to the sones of men; in which dede the noumbre of daies of her lijf vndur the sunne is nedeful. 4 Y magnefiede my werkis, Y bildide housis to me, and Y plauntide vynes; Y made yerdis and orcherdis, 5 and Y settide tho with the trees of al kynde; 6 and Y made cisternes of watris, for to watre the wode of trees growynge. 7 I hadde in possessioun seruauntis and handmaidis; and Y hadde myche meynee, and droues of grete beestis, and grete flockis of scheep, ouer alle men that weren bifore me in Jerusalem. 8 Y gaderide togidere to me siluer and gold, and the castels of kingis and of prouyncis; Y made to me syngeris and syngeressis, and delicis of the sones of men, and cuppis and vessels in seruyce, to helde out wynes; 9 and Y passide in richessis alle men, that weren bifor me in Jerusalem. Also wisdom dwellide stabli with me, 10 and alle thingis whiche myn iyen desiriden, Y denyede not to hem; nether Y refreynede myn herte, that ne it vside al lust, and delitide it silf in these thingis whiche I hadde maad redi; and Y demyde this my part, if Y vside my trauel.

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 bigynnyng God made of nouyt heuene and erthe.
Genesis 1:4
And God seiy the liyt, that it was good, and he departide the liyt fro derknessis; and he clepide the liyt,
Genesis 1:28
And God blesside hem, and seide, Encreesse ye, and be ye multiplied, and fille ye the erthe, and make ye it suget, and be ye lordis to fischis of the see, and to volatilis of heuene, and to alle lyuynge beestis that ben moued on erthe.
Genesis 1:31
And God seiy alle thingis whiche he made, and tho weren ful goode. And the euentid and morwetid was maad, the sixte day.
Genesis 2:1
Therfor heuenes and erthe ben maad perfit, and al the ournement of tho.
Genesis 2:2
And God fillide in the seuenthe dai his werk which he made; and he restide in the seuenthe dai fro al his werk which he hadde maad;
Genesis 5:1
This is the book of generacioun of Adam, in the dai wher ynne God made man of nouyt. God made man to the ymage and licnesse of God;
Genesis 10:1
These ben the generaciouns of the sones of Noe, Sem, Cham, and Jafeth. And sones weren borun to hem aftir the greet flood.
Genesis 11:10
These ben the generaciouns of Sem. Sem was of an hundrid yeer whanne he gendride Arfaxath, twey yeer aftir the greet flood.
Genesis 25:12
These ben the generaciouns of Ismael, sone of Abraham, whom Agar Egipcian, seruauntesse of Sare, childide 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.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile