Ecclesiastes 2:5

New Living Translation

I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees.

Parallel Translations

Legacy Standard Bible
I made for myself gardens and parks, and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
I made gardens and parks for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
I made me orchardes and gardens of pleasure, and planted trees in them of all maner of fruites.

Darby Translation
I made me gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of every kind of fruit;

New King James Version
I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.

Literal Translation
I made gardens and parks for myself; and I planted trees in them of every fruit;

Easy-to-Read Version
I planted gardens, and I made parks. I planted all kinds of fruit trees.

World English Bible
I made myself gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit.

King James Version (1611)
I made mee gardens & orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kinde of fruits.

King James Version
I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I made me ortchardes and gardens of pleasure, and planted trees in them of all maner frutes.

Amplified Bible
I made gardens and orchards for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees;

American Standard Version
I made me gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit;

Bible in Basic English
I made myself gardens and fruit gardens, planting in them fruit-trees of all sorts.

Update Bible Version
I made myself gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit;

Webster's Bible Translation
I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all [kind of] fruits:

New English Translation
I designed royal gardens and parks for myself, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.

Contemporary English Version
I had flower gardens and orchards full of fruit trees.

Complete Jewish Bible
and made myself gardens and parks; in them I planted all kinds of fruit trees.

Geneva Bible (1587)
I haue made me gardens and orchards, and planted in them trees of all fruite.

George Lamsa Translation
I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them trees of all kinds of fruit;

Hebrew Names Version
I made myself gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
I made me gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit;

New Life Bible
I made gardens and beautiful places for myself, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I made me gardens and orchards, and planted in them every kind of fruit-tree.

English Revised Version
I made me gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit:

Berean Standard Bible
I made myself gardens and parks and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees.

New Revised Standard
I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
I made me gardens, and parks, - I planted in them trees of every kind of fruit;

Douay-Rheims Bible
I made gardens, and orchards, and set them with trees of all kinds,

Lexham English Bible
I made for myself gardens and parks, and I planted all sorts of fruit trees in them.

English Standard Version
I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees.

New American Standard Bible
I made gardens and parks for myself, and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees;

New Century Version
I made gardens and parks, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.

Good News Translation
I planted gardens and orchards, with all kinds of fruit trees in them;

Christian Standard Bible®
I made gardens and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and Y settide tho with the trees of al kynde;

Revised Standard Version
I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees.

Young's Literal Translation
I made for me gardens and paradises, and I planted in them trees of every fruit.

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

me: Song of Solomon 4:12-16, Song of Solomon 5:1, Song of Solomon 6:2, Jeremiah 39:4

I planted: Genesis 2:8, Genesis 2:9, Luke 17:27-29

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 7:1 - thirteen years 1 Kings 21:2 - a garden of herbs Song of Solomon 4:13 - are

Cross-References

Genesis 2:9
The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

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

Genesis 2:12
The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there.

Genesis 3:23
So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made.

Genesis 4:2
Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel. When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground.

Genesis 4:12
No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth."

Job 5:10
He gives rain for the earth and water for the fields.

Psalms 104:14
You cause grass to grow for the livestock and plants for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth—

Psalms 135:7
He causes the clouds to rise over the whole earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses.

Jeremiah 14:22
Can any of the worthless foreign gods send us rain? Does it fall from the sky by itself? No, you are the one, O Lord our God! Only you can do such things. So we will wait for you to help us.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I made me gardens and orchards,.... Of the king's garden, we read Jeremiah 39:4. Adrichomius b makes mention of a royal garden in the suburbs of Jerusalem, fenced with walls; and was a paradise of fruit trees, herbs, spices, and flowers; abounded with all kind of fruit, exceeding pleasant and delightful to the senses: and, as Solomon was so great a botanist, and knew the nature and use of all kinds of trees and herbs, 1 Kings 4:33; no doubt but he has a herbal garden, well stocked with everything of that kind, curious and useful; see 1 Kings 21:2. Gardens are made for pleasure as well as profit; Adam, as soon as created, was put into a garden, to add to his natural pleasure and felicity, as well as for his employment, Genesis 2:8; and the pleasure of walking in a garden, and partaking of the fruits of it, are alluded to by Solomon, Song of Solomon 4:12;

and I planted trees in them of all [kind of] fruits; which, as before observed, he had thorough knowledge of, and many of which were brought him from foreign parts; and all served to make his gardens, orchards, parks, forests, and enclosures, very pleasant and delectable. The Targum adds,

"some for food, others for drink, and others for medicine.''

b Theatrum Terrae Sanctae, p. 170.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Orchards - literally, “paradises,” i. e., parks or pleasure-grounds (compare Nehemiah 2:8 note). Indications of at least three of these have been pointed out; one at Jerusalem near the pool of Siloam, called “the king’s garden” Nehemiah 3:15; Jeremiah 52:7; a second near Bethlehem (compare Ecclesiastes 2:6); and a third in the remote north, on the heights of Hermon Song of Solomon 4:8; Song of Solomon 8:11.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ecclesiastes 2:5. I made me gardens and orchards — פרדסים pardesim, "paradises." I doubt much whether this be an original Hebrew word. [Arabic] ferdoos, is found in the Persian and Arabic; and signifies a pleasant garden, a vineyard. Hence our word paradise, a place full of delights. How well Solomon was qualified to form gardens, orchards, vineyards, conservatories, c., may be at once conceived when we recollect his knowledge of natural history and that he wrote treatises on vegetables and their properties, from the cedar to the hyssop.