Revised Webster's Bible
Ecclesiastes 2:1
1I said in my heart, Come now, I will test thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 2:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.
- New International Version (NIV)I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.
- English Standard Version (ESV)I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself." But behold, this also was vanity.
- New King James Version (NKJV)I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, this also was vanity.
Context of Ecclesiastes 2:1
I said in my heart, Come now, I will test thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. 2I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? 3I sought in my heart to give myself to wine, yet acquainting my heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 2Ecclesiastes 2:1 word by word
אָמַ֤רְתִּֽי אֲנִי֙ בְּלִבִּ֔י לְכָה־נָּ֛א אֲנַסְּכָ֛ה בְשִׂמְחָ֖ה וּרְאֵ֣ה בְט֑וֹב וְהִנֵּ֥ה גַם־ה֖וּא הָֽבֶל׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 2:1
- Ecclesiastes 2:15Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.
- Ecclesiastes 1:16I spoke to my own heart, saying, Lo, I have come to great estate, and have gained more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: and my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
- Ecclesiastes 3:17I said in my heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.
- Psalms 10:6He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.
- Psalms 14:1The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
- Psalms 27:8When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said to thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.
- Psalms 30:6And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
- Luke 12:19And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast many goods laid up for many years; take thy ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
- Genesis 11:3And they said one to another, come, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.
- 2 Kings 5:5And the king of Syria said, Go, now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
- Isaiah 5:5And now come; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall of it, and it shall be trodden down:
- James 4:13Come now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
- James 5:1Come now, ye rich men, weep and wail for your miseries that shall come upon you .
- Ecclesiastes 8:15Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.
- Ecclesiastes 11:9Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thy eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
- Isaiah 50:5The Lord GOD opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned backward.
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 2:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1I 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."Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Solomon‘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.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The vanity and vexation of mirth, sensual pleasure, riches, and pomp. (Eccl. 2:1-11) Human wisdom insufficient. (Eccl. 2:12-17) This world to be used according to the will of God. (Eccl. 2:18-26) Verses 1-11 Solomon soon found mirth and pleasure to be vanity. What does noisy, flashy mirth towards making a man happy? The manifold devices of men's hearts, to get satisfaction from the world, and their changing from one thing to another, are like the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-11The Teacher says seeking pleasure for its own sake is empty. Even great achievements are like smoke.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-26Ec 2:1-26. He next tries pleasure and luxury, retaining however, his worldly "wisdom" (Ec 3:9), but all proves "vanity" in respect to the chief good. 1. I said ... heart--(Lu 12:19). thee--my heart, I will test whether thou canst find that solid good in pleasure which was not in "worldly wisdom." But this also proves to be "vanity" (Is 50:11).Read the comment
Topics related to Ecclesiastes 2:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
Revised Webster's Bible — 1833 — Public Domain
Commentaries