Ecclesiastes 2:2

New Living Translation

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

Parallel Translations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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?

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

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.

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

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

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

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?'

Contextual Overview

¹ I said to myself, "Come on, let's try pleasure. Let's look for the ‘good things' in life." But I found that this, too, was meaningless. ² So I said, "Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?" ³ After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world. ⁴ I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. ⁵ I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. ⁶ I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. ⁷ I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. ⁸ I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire! ⁹ So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. ¹⁰ Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors.

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
Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.

Genesis 2:8
Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made.

Genesis 2:11
The first branch, called the Pishon, flowed around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found.

Exodus 23:12
"You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to be refreshed.

Exodus 31:17
It is a permanent sign of my covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.'"

Deuteronomy 5:14
but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do.

Isaiah 58:13
"Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don't pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord 's holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don't follow your own desires or talk idly.

John 5:17
But Jesus replied, "My Father is always working, and so am I."

Hebrews 4:4
We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: "On the seventh day God rested from all his work."

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.