Ecclesiastes 2:2

Complete Jewish Bible

Of laughter I said, "This is stupid," and of pleasure, "What's the use of it?"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I said about laughter, “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish?”

Hebrew Names Version
I said of laughter, "It is foolishness;" and of mirth, "What does it accomplish?"

King James Version
I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?

English Standard Version
I said of laughter, "It is mad," and of pleasure, "What use is it?"

New American Standard Bible
I said of laughter, "It is senseless," and of pleasure, "What does this accomplish?"

New Century Version
It is foolish to laugh all the time, and having fun doesn't accomplish anything.

Amplified Bible
I said of laughter, "It is madness," and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?"

World English Bible
I said of laughter, "It is foolishness;" and of mirth, "What does it accomplish?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
I saide of laughter, Thou art mad: and of ioy, What is this that thou doest?

Legacy Standard Bible
I said of laughter, "It is madness," and of gladness, "What does it do?"

Berean Standard Bible
I said of laughter, "It is folly," and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?"

Contemporary English Version
Laughing and having fun is crazy. What good does it do?

Darby Translation
I said of laughter, Madness! and of mirth, What availeth it?

Easy-to-Read Version
It is foolish to laugh all the time. Having fun does not do any good.

George Lamsa Translation
I said of laughter, What pleasure is there in it? and of mirth, What do you accomplish?

Good News Translation
I discovered that laughter is foolish, that pleasure does you no good.

Lexham English Bible
I said of laughter, "It is folly!" and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?"

Literal Translation
I said of laughter, It is madness, and of mirth, What does it do?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
in so moch that I sayde vnto laughter: thou art madd, and to myrth: what doest thou?

American Standard Version
I said of laughter, It is mad; and of mirth, What doeth it?

Bible in Basic English
Of laughing I said, It is foolish; and of joy--What use is it?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
I said of laughter: 'It is mad'; and of mirth: 'What doth it accomplish?'

King James Version (1611)
I saide of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Insomuch that I saide vnto the man geuen to laughter, thou art mad: and to mirth, what doest thou?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I said to laughter, Madness: and to mirth, Why doest thou this:

English Revised Version
I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And leiyyng Y arrettide errour, and Y seide to ioye, What art thou disseyued in veyn?

Update Bible Version
I said of laughter, It is insane; and of mirth, What does it do?

Webster's Bible Translation
I said of laughter, [It is] mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?

New English Translation
I said of partying, "It is folly," and of self-indulgent pleasure, "It accomplishes nothing!"

New King James Version
I said of laughter--"Madness!"; and of mirth, "What does it accomplish?"

New Living Translation
So I said, "Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?"

New Life Bible
I said of laughing, "It is crazy," and of fun, "What use is it?"

New Revised Standard
I said of laughter, "It is mad," and of pleasure, "What use is it?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Of laughter, I said, Madness! and, of mirth, What can it do?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Laughter I counted error: and to mirth I said: Why art thou vainly deceived?

Revised Standard Version
I said of laughter, "It is mad," and of pleasure, "What use is it?"

Young's Literal Translation
Of laughter I said, `Foolish!' and of mirth, `What [is] this it is doing?'

New American Standard Bible (1995)
I said of laughter, "It is madness," and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?"

Contextual Overview

¹ I said to myself, "Come now, I will test myself with pleasure and enjoying good things"; but this too was pointless. ² Of laughter I said, "This is stupid," and of pleasure, "What's the use of it?" ³ I searched my mind for how to gratify my body with wine and, with my mind still guiding me with wisdom, how to pursue foolishness; my object was to find out what was the best thing for people to do during the short time they have under heaven to live. ⁴ I worked on a grand scale — I built myself palaces, planted myself vineyards, ⁵ and made myself gardens and parks; in them I planted all kinds of fruit trees. ⁶ I made myself pools from which to water the trees springing up in the forest. ⁷ I bought male and female slaves, and I had my home-born slaves as well. I also had growing herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, more than anyone before me in Yerushalayim. ⁸ I amassed silver and gold, the wealth of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, things that provide sensual delight, and a good many concubines. ⁹ So I grew great, surpassing all who preceded me in Yerushalayim; my wisdom, too, stayed with me. ¹⁰ I denied my eyes nothing they wanted. I withheld no pleasure from myself; for I took pleasure in all my work, and this was my reward for all my work.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I said: Solomon is not speaking here of sober enjoyment of the things of the world, but of intemperate pleasure, whose two attendants, laughter and mirth, are introduced by a beautiful prosopopoeia, as two persons, whom he treats with the utmost contempt.

It is: Ecclesiastes 7:2-6, Proverbs 14:13, Isaiah 22:12, Isaiah 22:13, Amos 6:3-6, 1 Peter 4:2-4

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 25:36 - merry Ecclesiastes 7:6 - as Ecclesiastes 10:19 - feast Matthew 13:45 - seeking Luke 6:25 - laugh James 4:9 - let

Cross-References

Genesis 1:31
God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good. So there was evening, and there was morning, a sixth day.

Genesis 2:8
Adonai , God, planted a garden toward the east, in ‘Eden, and there he put the person whom he had formed.

Genesis 2:11
The name of the first is Pishon; it winds throughout the land of Havilah, where there is gold.

Exodus 23:12
"For six days, you are to work. But on the seventh day, you are to rest, so that your ox and donkey can rest, and your slave-girl's son and the foreigner be renewed.

Exodus 31:17
It is a sign between me and the people of Isra'el forever; for in six days Adonai made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and rested.'"

Deuteronomy 5:14
but the seventh day is a Shabbat for Adonai your God. On it you are not to do any kind of work — not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your ox, your donkey or any of your other livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property — so that your male and female servants can rest just as you do.

Isaiah 58:13
"If you hold back your foot on Shabbat from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call Shabbat a delight, Adonai 's holy day, worth honoring; then honor it by not doing your usual things or pursuing your interests or speaking about them.

John 5:17
But he answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I too am working."

Hebrews 4:4
For there is a place where it is said, concerning the seventh day, "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I said of laughter, [it is] mad,.... The risible faculty in man is given him for some usefulness; and when used in a moderate way, and kept within due bounds, is of service to him, and conduces to the health of his body, and the pleasure of his mind; but when used on every trivial occasion, and at every foolish thing that is said or done, and indulged to excess, it is mere madness, and makes a man look more like a madman and a fool than a wise man; it lasts but for a while, and the end of it is heaviness, Ecclesiastes 7:6. Or, "I said to laughter, [thou art] mad" x; and therefore will have nothing to do with thee in the excessive and criminal way, but shun thee, as one would do a mad man: this therefore is not to be reckoned into the pleasure he bid his soul go to and enjoy;

and of mirth, what doth it? what good does do? of what profit and advantage is it to man? If the question is concerning innocent mirth, the answer may be given out of Proverbs 15:13; but if of carnal sinful mirth, there is no good arises from that to the body or mind; or any kind of happiness to be enjoyed that way, and therefore no trial is to be made of it. What the wise man proposed to make trial of, and did, follows in the next verses.

x לשחוק אמרתי מהולל "risui dixi, insanis", Mercerus, Drusius, Amama; "vel insanus es", Piscator, Schmidt, Rambachius.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ecclesiastes 2:2. I said of laughter, It is mad — Literally "To laughter I said, O mad one! and to mirth, What is this one doing?"

Solomon does not speak here of a sober enjoyment of the things of this world, but of intemperate pleasure, whose two attendants, laughter and mirth are introduced by a beautiful prosopopoeia as two persons; and the contemptuous manner wherewith he treats them has something remarkably striking. He tells the former to her face that she is mad; but as to the latter, he thinks her so much beneath his notice, that he only points at her, and instantly turns his back.