Albert Barnes Commentary


Albert Barnes Commentary
"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;" — Ecclesiastes 2:7 (ASV)
I got - Rather, I bought, in distinction from those born in the house. The “children of Solomon’s servants” (Compare to Ezra 2:55, Ezra 2:58) were more probably of Canaanite origin (1 Kings 9:20–21; 1 Kings 5:15) than Hebrews (1 Kings 9:22).
Possessions of great and small cattle - Rather, herds of oxen and sheep.
All ... before me - King David’s herds and flocks are mentioned in (1 Chronicles 27:29, 1 Chronicles 27:31): but we have no specific account of the wealth of other Canaanite or Hebrew inhabitants of Jerusalem before Solomon.