Ecclesiastes 2 explained: Trying Everything, Still Coming Up Empty

The pleasure experiment (vv. 1-3)

The Teacher deliberately tries laughter, wine and silliness, but keeps a clear head so he can judge the results honestly. He wants to know what is truly worth doing in a short life, and he finds that fun alone accomplishes nothing lasting.

Having it all (vv. 4-9)

He lists a king's achievements, from houses, parks and reservoirs to herds, gold, singers and household workers both bought and born into his house, a picture that echoes King Solomon. One rare Hebrew word in verse 8 is uncertain, and translations read it either as many wives or as musical instruments.

The verdict on success (vv. 10-11)

He denied himself nothing and enjoyed the work itself, which was his only reward. Looking back, he calls it all a breath or vapor (the key Hebrew word of this book), as useless as trying to catch the wind.

Wise and foolish die alike (vv. 12-16)

Wisdom really is better than foolishness, as light is better than darkness, yet the wise and the foolish both die and are soon forgotten. The line about the king's successor is unclear in Hebrew, but it seems to mean no one after him could test life more thoroughly.

Despair over leaving it all (vv. 17-23)

He comes to hate his life's work because he must hand it to someone who did not earn it and may waste it. Even his nights are restless with worry, so the labor itself feels like grief.

Enjoyment as a gift (vv. 24-26)

The best he can find is to eat, drink and take satisfaction in work, which he sees as coming from God rather than something people can seize on their own. He adds that God gives joy to those who please him while the wrongdoer piles up wealth for others, though scholars are unsure whether his final verdict of vapor refers to that wrongdoer's efforts or to the whole arrangement.

Key verse: Ecclesiastes 2:11

Where Christians differ

Christians differ on whether the closing advice to enjoy food, drink and work is a real, positive teaching about receiving life as a gift, or a weary second best that only makes sense once something beyond this present life is brought in.

Something to think about

If wise and foolish people alike are eventually forgotten, what, if anything, makes your own efforts feel worth it to you?