Ecclesiastes 2:4

THE MESSAGE

Oh, I did great things: built houses, planted vineyards, designed gardens and parks and planted a variety of fruit trees in them, made pools of water to irrigate the groves of trees. I bought slaves, male and female, who had children, giving me even more slaves; then I acquired large herds and flocks, larger than any before me in Jerusalem. I piled up silver and gold, loot from kings and kingdoms. I gathered a chorus of singers to entertain me with song, and—most exquisite of all pleasures— voluptuous maidens for my bed.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.

Hebrew Names Version
I made myself great works. I built myself houses. I planted myself vineyards.

King James Version
I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:

English Standard Version
I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.

New American Standard Bible
I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself;

New Century Version
Then I did great things: I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.

Amplified Bible
I made great works: I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself;

World English Bible
I made myself great works. I built myself houses. I planted myself vineyards.

Geneva Bible (1587)
I haue made my great workes: I haue built me houses: I haue planted me vineyards.

Legacy Standard Bible
I made my works great: I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself;

Berean Standard Bible
I enlarged my works. I built myself houses and planted myself vineyards.

Contemporary English Version
I did some great things. I built houses and planted vineyards.

Complete Jewish Bible
I worked on a grand scale — I built myself palaces, planted myself vineyards,

Darby Translation
I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards;

Easy-to-Read Version
Then I began doing great things. I built houses, and I planted vineyards for myself.

George Lamsa Translation
I multiplied my servants; I built myself houses; I planted vineyards for myself:

Good News Translation
I accomplished great things. I built myself houses and planted vineyards.

Lexham English Bible
I accomplished great things. I built for myself houses; I planted for myself vineyards.

Literal Translation
I made my works great; I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I made gorgious fayre workes, I buylded me houses, and planted vynyardes:

American Standard Version
I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards;

Bible in Basic English
I undertook great works, building myself houses and planting vine-gardens.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards;

King James Version (1611)
I made me great workes, I builded mee houses, I planted mee Uineyards.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
I made gorgious faire workes: I builded my houses, and planted vineyardes.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I enlarged my work; I built me houses; I planted me vineyards.

English Revised Version
I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Y magnefiede my werkis, Y bildide housis to me, and Y plauntide vynes; Y made yerdis and orcherdis,

Update Bible Version
I made myself great works; I built myself houses; I planted myself vineyards;

Webster's Bible Translation
I made me great works; I built me houses; I planted me vineyards:

New English Translation
I increased my possessions: I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself.

New King James Version
I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards.

New Living Translation
I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards.

New Life Bible
I did great things. I built houses for myself. I planted grape-fields for myself.

New Revised Standard
I made great works; I built houses and planted vineyards for myself;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
I enlarged my works, - I built me houses, I planted me vineyards;

Douay-Rheims Bible
I made me great works, I built me houses, and planted vineyards,

Revised Standard Version
I made great works; I built houses and planted vineyards for myself;

Young's Literal Translation
I made great my works, I builded for me houses, I planted for me vineyards.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself;

Contextual Overview

¹I said to myself, "Let's go for it—experiment with pleasure, have a good time!" But there was nothing to it, nothing but smoke. What do I think of the fun-filled life? Insane! Inane! My verdict on the pursuit of happiness? Who needs it? With the help of a bottle of wine and all the wisdom I could muster, I tried my level best to penetrate the absurdity of life. I wanted to get a handle on anything useful we mortals might do during the years we spend on this earth. ⁴Oh, I did great things: built houses, planted vineyards, designed gardens and parks and planted a variety of fruit trees in them, made pools of water to irrigate the groves of trees. I bought slaves, male and female, who had children, giving me even more slaves; then I acquired large herds and flocks, larger than any before me in Jerusalem. I piled up silver and gold, loot from kings and kingdoms. I gathered a chorus of singers to entertain me with song, and—most exquisite of all pleasures— voluptuous maidens for my bed. ⁹Oh, how I prospered! I left all my predecessors in Jerusalem far behind, left them behind in the dust. What's more, I kept a clear head through it all. Everything I wanted I took—I never said no to myself. I gave in to every impulse, held back nothing. I sucked the marrow of pleasure out of every task—my reward to myself for a hard day's work! ¹¹ Then I took a good look at everything I'd done, looked at all the sweat and hard work. But when I looked, I saw nothing but smoke. Smoke and spitting into the wind. There was nothing to any of it. Nothing.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

made: Genesis 11:4, 2 Samuel 18:18, Daniel 4:30

I builded: Deuteronomy 8:12-14, 1 Kings 7:1, 1 Kings 7:2, 1 Kings 7:8-12, 1 Kings 9:1, 1 Kings 15:19, 1 Kings 10:19, 1 Kings 10:20, 2 Chronicles 8:1-6, 2 Chronicles 8:11, Psalms 49:11

I planted: 1 Chronicles 27:27, 2 Chronicles 26:10, Song of Solomon 1:14, Song of Solomon 7:12, Song of Solomon 8:11, Song of Solomon 8:12, Isaiah 5:1

Reciprocal: Genesis 4:17 - and he 2 Samuel 5:11 - they built 2 Chronicles 7:11 - all that came 2 Chronicles 8:6 - all that Solomon desired to build Proverbs 4:7 - with Ecclesiastes 2:18 - I hated Ecclesiastes 6:2 - so

Cross-References

Genesis 1:1
First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don't see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God's Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.

Genesis 1:31
God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good! It was evening, it was morning— Day Six.

Genesis 2:1
Heaven and Earth were finished, down to the last detail.

Genesis 2:2
By the seventh day God had finished his work. On the seventh day he rested from all his work. God blessed the seventh day. He made it a Holy Day Because on that day he rested from his work, all the creating God had done. This is the story of how it all started, of Heaven and Earth when they were created.

Genesis 5:1
This is the family tree of the human race: When God created the human race, he made it godlike, with a nature akin to God. He created both male and female and blessed them, the whole human race.

Genesis 10:1
This is the family tree of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. After the flood, they themselves had sons.

Genesis 11:10
This is the story of Shem. When Shem was 100 years old, he had Arphaxad. It was two years after the flood. After he had Arphaxad, he lived 500 more years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 25:12
This is the family tree of Ishmael son of Abraham, the son that Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's maid, bore to Abraham.

Genesis 25:19
This is the family tree of Isaac son of Abraham: Abraham had Isaac. Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan Aram. She was the sister of Laban the Aramean.

Genesis 36:1
This is the family tree of Esau, who is also called Edom.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I made me great works,.... He did not spend his time in trifling things, as Domitian a, in catching and killing flies; but in devising, designing, directing, and superintending great works of art and skill, becoming the grandeur of his state, and the greatness of his mind: the Midrash restrains it to his great throne of ivory, overlaid with gold, 1 Kings 10:18, but it is a general expression, including all the great things he did, of which the following is a particular enumeration;

I builded me houses; among which must not be reckoned the house of God, though that was built by him, and in the first place; yet this was built, not for his own pleasure and grandeur, but for the worship and glory of God: but his own house and palace is chiefly meant, which was thirteen years in building; and the house of the forest in Lebanon, which perhaps was his country seat; with all other houses and offices, for his stores, for his servants, his horsemen, and chariots; see 1 Kings 7:1; and in fine spacious buildings men take a great deal of pleasure, and promise themselves much happiness in dwelling in them, and in perpetuating their names to posterity by them; see

Psalms 49:11. The Targum is,

"I multiplied good works in Jerusalem; I builded me houses; the house of the sanctuary, to make atonement for Israel; the king's house of refreshment, and the conclave and porch; and the house of judgment, of hewn stones, where the wise men sit and do judgment; I made a throne of ivory for the royal seat;''

I planted me vineyards; perhaps those at Engedi were of his planting; however, he had one at Baalhamon, and no doubt in other places, Song of Solomon 1:14; the Targum makes mention of one at Jabne, planted by him; these also add to the pleasure of human life; it is delightful to walk in them, to gather the fruit and drink of the wine of them; see Song of Solomon 7:12.

a Sueton. Vit. Domitian. c. 3. Aurel. Victor. De. Caesar. & Epitome.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Compare 1 Kings 7:1-12; 1 Kings 9:15-19; 1 Kings 10:14-27; and 2 Chronicles 8:4.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ecclesiastes 2:4. I builded me houses — Palace after palace; the house of the forest of Lebanon, 1 Kings 7:1, c. a house for the queen; the temple, c., 2 Chronicles 8:1, c. 1 Kings 9:10, &c., besides many other buildings of various kinds.