2:2 pleasure, “What does it accomplish Pleasure is deemed useless because it provides no real profit (v. 11).

2:3 guiding me with wisdom The author is not acting recklessly. His goal is to wisely and honestly examine all aspects of life to see what is valuable or profitable.

I might discover what is good The author’s intention is to discover what is truly “good” or valuable.

during the days of their lives The brevity of life is again emphasized.

2:5 parks The word used here, pardes, comes from a Persian term. It is used in Nehemiah to describe the forest of the Persian king, Artaxerxes (Neh 2:8). Its presence here may indicate that Ecclesiastes was written or at least edited after the Babylonian exile (post 538 bc), when such words were more common.

2:8 provincial The word used here, medinah, comes from an Aramaic root. It occurs mostly in postexilic books, especially Esther, where it describes the Persian provinces (Esth 1:1). Like the word pardes (see note on Eccles 2:5), it may indicate a date for Ecclesiastes after the exile.

2:9 my wisdom stood See note on 1:12–18.

2:10 reward from all my toil The only reward in amassing wealth was the immediate pleasure it provided. See note on v. 2.

2:11 toil with which I toiled Great effort was put forth to amass all the wealth and possessions.

Everything is vanity Based on his search for pleasure and wealth, the author concludes that pleasure and wealth are senseless and provide no real value. See note on v. 17.

under the sun Refers to the entirety of life on earth.

2:12 Next, I considered After examining pleasure and riches, the author discusses the value of wisdom when compared to folly.

2:13 wisdom has an advantage over Living wisely is better than the alternative. See note on v. 26.

2:14 the same fate Even though it is better to be wise, both the wise and the foolish share the same fate: death.

2:15 also suffer the same The author laments the fact that the fates of the wise and the foolish are the same. Any advantage gained by living with wisdom is lost in death.

This also is vanity The fact that the wise and the fool share the same fate is senseless to the author.

2:16 no one will remember the wise man or the fool in future generations Even though wisdom has greater value than folly, neither the wise nor the foolish leave any lasting effect; both are quickly forgotten (see 1:11; 9:15).

the wise man dies the same as the fool Death cancels out any gain or profit made in life.

2:17 I hated life The author despairs because wisdom promises no better fate than folly.

chasing wind This Hebrew phrase occurs only in Ecclesiastes, although a similar phrase occurs in Hos 12:1. In Ecclesiastes, it almost always appears in parallel to the Hebrew word hevel (see note on Eccles 1:2). It refers to a senseless or futile activity where nothing can be gained. Just like trying to catch the wind, these efforts are unending and ineffective.

2:18 someone who will be after It is not the work itself that the author hates; he hates the fact that he must leave his profit to someone who did not work for it.

2:19 who knows whether he will be wise Not only must his wealth be left to someone who did not earn it, but it might be left to a fool.

2:20 despair The author despairs because of the possibility that a fool will reap the rewards of all the work of a wise person.

2:21 vanity and a great calamity The Hebrew word used here, ra'ah, is paired with the Hebrew word hevel (which can be rendered as “meaningless” ora “vanity”; see note on 1:2) several times in Ecclesiastes (4:8; 6:2). It emphasizes the unfairness or injustice of the situations the author describes.

2:22 all his toil As with wisdom, death cancels out any profit gained by a person’s efforts (Eccles 2:15–16; 1:3).

2:23 his labor brings grief There is great effort required even though the results are only temporary.

2:24 find delight in his toil The author advocates finding enjoyment in work. Since any profit from work is temporary, people should look for enjoyment, not wealth (see ch. 1).

is from the hand of God The ability to enjoy life and work is a gift from God and is not a call to live a selfish, pleasure-seeking life. See note on 9:7–10.

2:25 who can eat, and who can enjoy life apart from him Shows God’s sovereignty (see 3:11; 7:13–14).

2:26 he gives wisdom While wisdom, knowledge, and joy are fleeting, they are still a gift from God.