The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 2:12-26
Section 3. Vanity of wisdom, in view of the fate that awaits the wise man equally with the fool, and the uncertainty of the future of his labors, especially as man is not master of his own fate. read more
伝道者の書 2:18-22 Jcb
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 2:18
Such had been his general view of men's actions; he now brings the thought home to his own case, which makes his distress more poignant. Yea ( and ), I hated all my labor which I had taken under the sun. He is disgusted to reflect upon all the trouble he has taken in life, when he thinks of what will become of the productions of his genius and the treasures which he has amassed. Because I should leave it (my labor, i . e . its results) unto the man that shall be after me . It... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 2:19
Who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool ? The bitter feeling that he has to leave the fruits of his lifelong labor to another is aggravated by the thought that he knows not the character of this successor, whether he will be worthy or not. As the psalmist says, "He heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them" ( Psalms 39:6 ). Again in the parable, "The things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be?" ( Luke 12:20 ; comp. Ecclesiasticus 11:18, 19). Yet... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 2:20
Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair ; ἐπέστρεψα ἐγὼ . "I turned" in order to examine more closely. So in Ecclesiastes 2:12 we had, "I turned myself," though the verbs are not the same in the two passages, and in the former the LXX . has ἐπέβλεψα . I turned from my late course of action to give myself up to despair. I lost all hope in labor; it had no longer any charm or future for me. Septuagint, τοῦ ἀποτάξασθαι τὴν καρδίαν μου ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ μου κ ... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 2:21
For there is a man whose labor is in wisdom. "In," בְּ , "with," directed and performed with wisdom. The author speaks of himself objectively, as St. Paul ( 2 Corinthians 12:2 ) says, "I know a man in Christ," etc. His complaint now is, not that his successor may misuse his inheritance ( Ecclesiastes 2:19 ), but that this person shall have that on which he has bestowed no skill or toil, shall enjoy what modern phraseology terms "unearned increment." This, which was set forth as One... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 2:21-26
From what has been said, Koheleth concludes that man may indeed enjoy the good things which he has provided, and find a certain happiness therein, but only according to God's will and permission; and to expect to win pleasure at one's own caprice is vain. read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 2:22
What hath man of all his labor ? i . e . what is to be the result to man? γίνεται ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ;; Quidenim proderit homini? (Vulgate). There is, indeed, the pleasure that accompanies the pursuit of objects, and the successful accomplishment of enterprise; but this is poor and unsubstantial and embittered. And of the vexation of his heart; the striving, the effort of his mind to direct his labor to great ends. What does all this produce? The answer intended is," Nothing."... read more
Albert Barnes
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Ecclesiastes 2:12-26
Solomon having found that wisdom and folly agree in being subject to vanity, now contrasts one with the other Ecclesiastes 2:13. Both are brought under vanity by events Ecclesiastes 2:14 which come on the wise man and the feel alike from without - death and oblivion Ecclesiastes 2:16, uncertainty Ecclesiastes 2:19, disappointment Ecclesiastes 2:21 - all happening by an external law beyond human control. Amidst this vanity, the good (see Ecclesiastes 2:10 note) that accrues to man, is the... read more
Joseph Benson
Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Ecclesiastes 2:17-19
Ecclesiastes 2:17-19. Therefore I hated life My life, though accompanied with so much honour, and pleasure, and wisdom, was a burden to me, and I was ready to wish, either that I had never been born, or that I might speedily die; because the work, &c., is grievous All human designs and works are so far from yielding me satisfaction, that the consideration of them increases my discontent. I hated all my labour All these riches and buildings, and other fruits of my labour, were... read more
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Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 2:22
For what hath man of all his laborer - Labour of body, disappointment of hope, and vexation of heart, have been all my portion. read more