Albert Barnes Commentary Ecclesiastes 2:12-26

"And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what [can] the man [do] that cometh after the king? [even] that which hath been done long ago. Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. The wise man`s eyes are in his head, and the fool walketh in darkness: and yet I perceived that one event happeneth to them all. Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then said I in my heart, that this also is vanity. For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no remembrance for ever; seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. And how doth the wise man die even as the fool! So I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and a striving after wind. And I hated all my labor wherein I labored under the sun, seeing that I must leave it unto the man that shall be after me. And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. Therefore I turned about to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor wherein I had labored under the sun. For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skilfulness; yet to a man that hath not labored therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil. For what hath a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he laboreth under the sun? For all his days are [but] sorrows, and his travail is grief; yea, even in the night his heart taketh 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 that pleaseth him [God] giveth wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that pleaseth God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind." — Ecclesiastes 2:12-26 (ASV)

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 upon the wise man and the fool 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 pleasure felt (Ecclesiastes 2:24–26) in receiving God’s gifts and in working with and for them.

In Ecclesiastes 2:12, the question What can the man do... implies: “What can any man accomplish in this study of wisdom and folly, following someone like me, who, from my position, has had such special advantages (see Ecclesiastes 1:16, and compare to Ecclesiastes 2:25) for carrying it on? What man did in the past, he can only do again: he is not likely to add to the result of my research, nor even to equal it.” Some hold that “the man” refers to Solomon’s successor—not in his inquiries, but in his kingdom, that is, Jeroboam.

In Ecclesiastes 2:14, Event (or “hap,” as in Ruth 2:3) is noteworthy. The verb from which “event” is derived seems in this book to refer especially to death. The word does not mean chance , independent of the ordering of Divine Providence. The Gentile notion of “mere chance” or “blind fate” is never once contemplated by the writer of this book, and it would be inconsistent with his tenets of the unlimited power and activity of God.

On Ecclesiastes 2:16, Seeing that... : Some render this as, “as in past times, so in future days, all will be forgotten;” others, “because in future days all will have long since been forgotten.”

On Ecclesiastes 2:17, I hated life: Compare this expression, extorted from Solomon by the perception of the vanity of his wisdom and greatness, with Romans 8:22-23. The words of Moses (Numbers 11:15) and of Job (Job 3:21; Job 6:9) are scarcely less forcible. For some people, this feeling is a powerful motive for conversion (Luke 14:26).

On Ecclesiastes 2:19, Labour: Compare to Ecclesiastes 2:4-8.

In Ecclesiastes 2:20, I went about – that is, I turned from one course of action to another.

Regarding Ecclesiastes 2:23, ...are sorrows...grief... – Rather, sorrows and grief are his toil .

On Ecclesiastes 2:24, There is nothing better for a man, than that...: This literally means, “no good is in man that...” and so forth. The one joy of working or receiving—which, though it is transitory, a man recognizes as a real good—even that is not in man’s power to secure for himself: that good is the gift of God.

In Ecclesiastes 2:26, the doctrine of retribution—or, the revealed fact that God is the moral Governor of the world—is stated for the first time in this book (compare to Ecclesiastes 3:15, Ecclesiastes 3:17 and following).

The phrase This also is vanity refers not only to the travail of the sinner. Even the best gifts of God—wisdom, knowledge, and joy—insofar as they are given in this life, are not permanent and are not always efficacious for the purpose for which they appear to be given.