Ecclesiastes 2:6

New Living Translation

I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves.

Parallel Translations

Legacy Standard Bible
I made for myself pools of water from which to water a forest of growing trees.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
I made pooles of water, to water the greene and fruitfull trees withall.

Darby Translation
I made me ponds of water, to water therewith the wood, where the trees are reared.

New King James Version
I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove.

Literal Translation
I made pools of water for myself; to water from them the forest shooting forth trees;

Easy-to-Read Version
I made pools of water for myself, and I used them to water my growing trees.

World English Bible
I made myself pools of water, to water from it the forest where trees were reared.

King James Version (1611)
I made mee pooles of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth foorth trees:

King James Version
I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I made poles of water, to water ye grene and frutefull trees withall.

Amplified Bible
I made pools of water for myself from which to water the forest and make the trees bud.

American Standard Version
I made me pools of water, to water therefrom the forest where trees were reared;

Bible in Basic English
I made pools to give water for the woods with their young trees.

Update Bible Version
I made myself pools of water, to water therefrom the forest where trees were reared;

Webster's Bible Translation
I made me pools of water, to water with them the wood that bringeth forth trees:

New English Translation
I constructed pools of water for myself, to irrigate my grove of flourishing trees.

Contemporary English Version
And I had pools where I could get water for the trees.

Complete Jewish Bible
I made myself pools from which to water the trees springing up in the forest.

Geneva Bible (1587)
I haue made me cisternes of water, to water therewith the woods that growe with trees.

George Lamsa Translation
I made myself pools of water, to irrigate the nursery that produces trees.

Hebrew Names Version
I made myself pools of water, to water from it the forest where trees were reared.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
I made me pools of water, to water therefrom the wood springing up with trees;

New Life Bible
I made pools of water for myself from which to water many new trees.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I made me pools of water, to water from them the timber-bearing wood.

English Revised Version
I made me pools of water, to water therefrom the forest where trees were reared:

Berean Standard Bible
I built reservoirs to water my groves of flourishing trees.

New Revised Standard
I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
I made me pools of water, - to irrigate therefrom the thick-set saplings growing up into trees:

Douay-Rheims Bible
And I made me ponds of water, to water therewith the wood of the young trees,

Lexham English Bible
I made for myself pools of water from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees.

English Standard Version
I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees.

New American Standard Bible
I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees.

New Century Version
I made pools of water for myself and used them to water my growing trees.

Good News Translation
I dug ponds to irrigate them.

Christian Standard Bible®
I constructed reservoirs of water for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and Y made cisternes of watris, for to watre the wode of trees growynge.

Revised Standard Version
I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees.

Young's Literal Translation
I made for me pools of water, to water from them a forest shooting forth trees.

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

pools: Nehemiah 2:14, Song of Solomon 7:4

to water: Psalms 1:3, Jeremiah 17:8

Reciprocal: Song of Solomon 4:15 - fountain

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I made me pools of water,.... For cascades and water works to play in, as well as to keep and produce fish of all kinds: mention is made of the king's pools, Nehemiah 2:14; the fish pools at Heshbon, by the gate of Bathrabbim, perhaps belonged to Solomon, Song of Solomon 7:4; Little more than a league from Bethlehem are pools of water, which at this day are called the fish pools of Solomon; they are great reservatories cut in the rock, the one at the end of the other; the second being a little lower than the first, and the third than the second, and so communicate the water from one to another when they are full c; and of which Mr. Maundrell d gives the following account:

"They are about an hour and a quarter distant from Bethlehem, southward; they are three in number, lying in a row above each other, being so disposed, that the waters of the uppermost may descend into the second, and those of the second into the third; their figure is quadrangular; the breadth is the same in all, amounting to above ninety paces; in their length there is some difference between them, the first being about an hundred sixty paces long; the second, two hundred; the third, two hundred twenty; they are all lined with a wall, and plastered, and contain a great depth of water.''

And to these, he observes, together with the gardens adjoining, Solomon is supposed to allude, Ecclesiastes 2:5. There are to be seen, he says e, some remains of an old aqueduct, which anciently conveyed the waters from Solomon's pools to Jerusalem; this is said to be the genuine work of Solomon, and may well be allowed to be in reality what it is pretended for. So Rauwolff f says,

"beyond the tower of Ader, in another valley, not far from Bethlehem, they show still to this day a large orchard, full of citron, lemon, orange, pomegranate, and fig trees, and many others, which King Solomon did plant in his days; with ponds, canals, and other water works, very pleasantly prepared, as he saith himself, Ecclesiastes 2:5; this is still in our time full of good and fruitful trees, worthy to be seen for their sakes, and ditches there: wherefore I really believe it to be the same Josephus g makes mention of, called Ethan, about twelve mile from Jerusalem; where Solomon had pleasant gardens and water pools, to which he used to ride early in a morning.''

Mr. Maundrell h also makes mention of some cisterns, called Solomon's cisterns, at Roselayn, about an hour from the ruins of Tyre; of which there are three entire at this day; one about three hundred yards distant from the sea, the other two a little further up; and, according to tradition, they were made by that great king, in recompence to King Hiram, for supplying materials towards building the temple: but, as he observes, these, though ancient, could not be built before the time of Alexander; since the aqueduct, which conveys the water from hence to Tyre, is carried over the neck of land, by which he joined the city to the continent. Jarchi interprets these pools in this text of places to keep fish alive in, and so the Midrash understands by them fish pools; though they seem to be canals made in the gardens, orchards, and parks;

to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees; the young nurseries, which in time grew up to large fruit bearing trees; which, being numerous and thick, looked like a wood or forest, as the word is; and which canals and nurseries both added greatly to the delight and pleasure of those places. In this manner the Indians water their gardens; who commonly have in them a great pit, or kind of fish pool, which is full of rain water; and just by it there is a basin of brick, raised about two feet higher than the ground: when therefore they have a mind to water the garden, it is filled with water from the fish pool, or pit; which, through a hole that is at the bottom, falls into a canal, that is divided into many branches, proportionable in size to their distance from the basin, and carries the water to the foot of each tree, and to each plot of herbs; and when the gardeners think they are watered enough, they stop up, or turn aside, the canals with clods of earth i. The beauty of a plant, or tree, is thus described by Aelianus k;

"branches generous, leaves thick, stem or trunk firm and stable, roots deep; winds shaking it; a large shadow cast from it; changing with the seasons of the year; and water, partly brought through canals, and partly coming from heaven, to water and nourish it; and such beautiful, well watered, and flourishing trees, contribute much to the pleasure of gardens.''

c Thevenot's Travels, B. 2. ch. 47. p. 202. d Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 88. edit. 7. e Ibid. p. 90. f Travels, part 3. ch. 22. p. 322. Vid. Egmont and Heyman's Travels, vol. 1. p. 367, 368. g Antiqu. l. 8. c. 7. s. 13. h Ut supra, p. 50, 51. (Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, edit. 7.) i Agreement of Customs between the East Indians and Jews, Art. 21. p. 78. k Var. Hist. l. 2. c. 14.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Pools - A short distance south of Bethlehem, in a valley in the defile of Urtas, three “Pools of Solomon” are still shown and an adjoining hill still bears the name of the “Little Paradise.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ecclesiastes 2:6. Pools of water — Tanks and reservoirs.

To water therewith the wood — Aqueducts to lead the water from the tanks to different parts.