Ecclesiastes 2

I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure;” and behold, this also was vanity.

I said of laughter, “It is foolishness;” and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?”

I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine, my heart yet guiding me with wisdom, and how to lay hold of folly, until I might see what it was good for the sons of men that they should do under heaven all the days of their lives.

I made myself great works. I built myself houses. I planted myself vineyards.

I made myself gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit.

I made myself pools of water, to water the forest where trees were grown.

I bought male servants and female servants, and had servants born in my house. I also had great possessions of herds and flocks, above all who were before me in Jerusalem.

I also gathered silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and of the provinces. I got myself male and female singers, and the delights of the sons of men: musical instruments of all sorts.

So I was great, and increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also remained with me.

Whatever my eyes desired, I didn’t keep from them. I didn’t withhold my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced because of all my labor, and this was my portion from all my labor.

Then I looked at all the works that my hands had worked, and at the labor that I had labored to do; and behold, all was vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

I turned myself to consider wisdom, madness, and folly; for what can the king’s successor do? Just that which has been done long ago.

Then I saw that wisdom excels folly, as far as light excels darkness.

The wise man’s eyes are in his head, and the fool walks in darkness—and yet I perceived that one event happens to them all.

Then I said in my heart, “As it happens to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise?” Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no memory forever, since in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. Indeed, the wise man must die just like the fool!

So I hated life, because the work that is worked under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

I hated all my labor in which I labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.

Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

Therefore I began to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor in which I had labored under the sun.

For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skillfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

For what does a man have of all his labor and of the striving of his heart, in which he labors under the sun?

For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.

There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?

For to the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who pleases God. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter follows the Teacher’s investigation into the value of pleasure, labor, and wisdom under the sun, revealing their ultimate emptiness despite their apparent worth. Having pursued every form of satisfaction—from laughter and wine to grand building projects and vast possessions—the Teacher concludes that none of these bring lasting profit or meaning. Even wisdom, though superior to folly, offers no lasting advantage in the face of death, which levels all. The chapter closes with a surprising note of consolation: true enjoyment is not achieved through toil but received as a gift from God.

Flow.

The Teacher tests pleasure and mirth, only to find them vain (v. 1–3).
He recounts his vast labors and possessions, which initially brought joy but ultimately led to despair (v. 4–11).
Wisdom is acknowledged as better than folly, yet death renders both meaningless in the long term (v. 12–17).
His despair deepens over the uncertainty of his legacy and the futility of labor, until he recognizes that joy in life’s simple gifts comes only from God (v. 18–26).

Connections.
Following chapter 1, which introduced the refrain “vanity of vanities” and the futility of human effort under the sun, this chapter applies that theme to personal experience—testing pleasure, work, and wisdom as possible sources of meaning. Where chapter 1 surveyed the broad rhythms of nature and human toil, chapter 2 turns inward, documenting the Teacher’s first-person quest for satisfaction. It sets the stage for chapter 3, which introduces the idea of divine appointment—“a time for every purpose under heaven”—and begins to unfold the contrast between human futility and God’s sovereign order, to which real meaning belongs.

What it teaches.
The chapter teaches that all earthly pursuits, even wise and disciplined ones, are ultimately unsatisfying when sought apart from God. Pleasure, labor, and wisdom do not deliver lasting profit, for death erases distinctions and the future remains uncertain (WCF 1.2; Eccl. 9:5, 10). Yet there is a goodness in creation: eating, drinking, and finding joy in work are not ends in themselves but gifts from God’s hand (WCF 6.1; HC LD 9). The Teacher sees that these joys are not earned but given—available only to those who please God, while the sinner is given ceaseless labor without fruit (Eccl. 8:17; WCF 5.5).

Apply.
Trusting not in achievement or insight but in God’s gift of daily joy, received with thanksgiving.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.