Verse 1
THE ILLUSORY SATISFACTIONS OF PLEASURE-SEEKING
(Note: The paragraph headings used here are from the Anchor Bible.)
"I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, It is mad; and of mirth, What doeth it? I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine, my heart yet guiding me with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what it was good for the sons of men that they should do under heaven all the days of their life. I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards; I made me gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit; I made me pools of water, to water therefrom the forest where trees were reared; I bought men-servants and maid-servants, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of herds and flocks, above all that were before me in Jerusalem; I gathered me also silver and gold, and the treasures of kings and of the provinces; I gat me men-singers and women-singers, and the delights of the sons of men, musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them; I withheld my heart not from any joy; for my heart rejoiced because of all my labor; and this was my portion from all my labor. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do; and, behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was no profit under the sun."
"Therefore enjoy pleasure" (Ecclesiastes 2:1). "In these verses, the king tried to find the "summum bonum" in pleasure."[1] However, this also proved to be a futile search; and he pronounced it also as "vanity." As Robert Burns stated it, "Pleasures are like poppies spread; You seize the stem, the bloom is shed"!
"I said of laughter, It is mad; and of mirth, What doeth it" (Ecclesiastes 2:2)? Solomon had touched on this once before. See comment on Proverbs 14:13: "Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of mirth is heaviness." "The pleasure addict cannot escape `the morning after,' nor the revulsion of satiety."[2] "The rhetorical question at the end of this verse has negative intent."[3] It simply means that mirth and laughter accomplish absolutely nothing.
"My heart yet guiding me with wisdom" (Ecclesiastes 2:3). This is one of many statements in Ecclesiastes which make it impossible for this writer to accept the current theory adopted by many scholars that the writer here (supposedly living centuries after Solomon's death) was not Solomon at all but one who was placing himself in Solomon's place and putting all these statements in Solomon's mouth. This of course, is the old, discredited device of liberal scholars in making certain Biblical books to be the pseudepigrapha, a device that was thoroughly exploded in 1977 by John A. T. Robinson in his famous book, "Redating the New Testament."[4]
It seems absolutely incredible that any writer, centuries after Solomon's reprobate life had ended, could possibly have put into Solomon's mouth the conceit that all of his debauchery was committed while he still retained his great wisdom, a notion diametrically opposed to the facts.
"By Solomon's sensual behavior, as indicated here, he suffered infinite loss, which nothing on earth could ever compensate."[5] So! how could any later writer, knowing all the shameful results of Solomon's behavior, have put a falsehood like this in the mouth of any "great wise man" he was trying to impersonate? Also, see Ecclesiastes 2:16 in this same category.
"I made me great works" (Ecclesiastes 2:4). This verse and through Ecclesiastes 2:6 stresses Solomon's effort to find earthly satisfaction as a builder, or an achiever. He would build great buildings, amass great riches, gain worldwide fame and power, etc. Many commentators go into great detail here, telling all about Solomon's wonderful achievements; but we have already commented upon all of these things in the historical books of the Old Testament; and there is no need to rehearse it all here. Significantly, one of the greatest things Solomon ever did was to construct the Temple in Jerusalem; but true to his immeasurable conceit, he mentions here that he did it all for "ME," not for God. In this one paragraph, Solomon used the words `I,' `my,' `me,' and `mine' 32 times!
"I made me gardens and parks" (Ecclesiastes 2:5) Scott noted that the word parks here is a Persian word;[6] and from this and similar words, many scholars postulate a late date for Ecclesiastes, which we reject. Such Persian words might easily have crept into the text from the efforts of copyists. If one doubts that such things occur in `translations' and `versions,' let him compare a copy of the King James Bible published in the 1600's with one printed today.
"I bought men-servants and maid-servants ... and had great flocks and herds" (Ecclesiastes 2:7). "These slaves are mentioned in the same breath with herds of cattle, for Solomon considered such human beings as mere property. Solomon used them for forced-labor."[7] See 1 Kings 9:15-22.
"Men-singers, women-singers, and the delights of the sons of men" (Ecclesiastes 2:8). Here again, we have undeniable evidence that it is Solomon, not an impersonator, who is writing. It is impossible to imagine that any right-minded historian who, centuries later, would have skirted around the facts of Solomon's disgraceful harem in the same manner as Solomon did here. Delights of the sons of men! What is he talking about? That godless harem, of course, with its 700 wives and 300 concubines. The scholars all agree that this is what is meant here. An authentic rendition of this is: "I provided myself with male and female singers, and with the pleasures of the flesh, concubine after concubine."[8] Deane,[9] Loader,[10] and Delitzsch[11] all agree that this is the meaning here.
"All that were before me in Jerusalem" (Ecclesiastes 2:9). This expression, as well as earlier uses of it in Ecclesiastes, is not restricted to `kings' in Jerusalem, but applies to any rich persons whomsoever.
"Also my wisdom remained with me" (Ecclesiastes 2:9). This, of course, could have been said only by Solomon himself, not an impersonator. All the world knew that Solomon's lustful, extravagant, selfish and inhuman reign was a total disaster, taking Solomon himself to the grave at an early age. His policies wrecked and eventually destroyed Israel; and it was his son's foolish efforts to continue those policies that terminated the united Israel almost before Solomon's body got cold in the grave. And what about all that `wisdom'? "What Solomon here called his wisdom was merely his earthly prudence."[12] We might add that there was also very little of earthly prudence in it. Certainly it had no element of the true wisdom, the beginning of which is "the fear of the Lord." But is not this book inspired by the Holy Spirit? Oh yes. The Holy Spirit here tells us exactly what Solomon said (and did), in the same manner that the Holy Spirit also tells us exactly what Satan said and did in Eden. The Divine endorsement of Solomon's shameless behavior here is certainly not to be found.
"This was my portion from all my labor" (Ecclesiastes 2:10). Yes indeed, that was Solomon's `portion,' such as it was. It reminds us of what Abraham said to the rich man as he lifted up his eyes in hell, "Son, remember that in thy lifetime thou receivedst thy good things"! (Luke 16:25).
"All was vanity and a striving after wind" (Ecclesiastes 2:11). Many another profligate playboy has tragically discovered the same truth. "The modern playboy still dreams of finding the ultimate pleasure in `recreational sex' and free love, only to find out that venereal disease and early old age and death turn his dream into a nightmare."[13]
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