Ecclesiastes 2:8

2:1-11 Solomon soon found mirth and pleasure to be vanity. What does noisy, flashy mirth towards making a man happy? The manifold devices of men's hearts, to get satisfaction from the world, and their changing from one thing to another, are like the restlessness of a man in a fever. Perceiving it was folly to give himself to wine, he next tried the costly amusements of princes. The poor, when they read such a description, are ready to feel discontent. But the remedy against all such feelings is in the estimate of it all by the owner himself. All was vanity and vexation of spirit: and the same things would yield the same result to us, as to Solomon. Having food and raiment, let us therewith be content. His wisdom remained with him; a strong understanding, with great human knowledge. But every earthly pleasure, when unconnected with better blessings, leaves the mind as eager and unsatisfied as before. Happiness arises not from the situation in which we are placed. It is only through Jesus Christ that final blessedness can be attained.

Ecclesiastes 2:8. I gathered me silver and gold — Vast riches; and the peculiar treasure of kings — Riches, answerable to the state of a king, or, he means, the greatest jewels and rarities of other kings, which they gave to me, either as a tribute, or by way of present; and of the provinces — Which were imposed upon or presented by all the provinces of my dominions.

(8) Peculiar treasure.— The word is used of the Jewish people ( Exodus 19:9 ; Psalm 135:4 ; Malachi 3:17 ; but generally 1Chronicles 29:3 ). That Solomon had tributary kings is stated ( 1Kings 4:21 ; 2Chronicles 9:24 ; Psalm 72:10 ; Ezra 4:20 ). The word used for “provinces” here and in Ecclesiastes 5:8 , occurs in reference to the provinces of the Persian Empire repeatedly in the Book of Esther; Ezra 2:1 ; Nehemiah 7:6 ; Daniel 8:2 . (See also Lamentations 1:1 ; Ezekiel 19:8 .) The word is almost wholly absent from the earlier books, save that it occurs where the “princes of the provinces” are mentioned (1 Kings 20). Singers.—Music was regarded as a necessary accompaniment of feasts (Isaiah 5:12; Amos 6:5; Ecclesiasticus 32:5; Ecclesiasticus 49:1). For David’s employment of professional singers, see 2Samuel 19:35. Delights.—Song of Solomon 7:6; Proverbs 19:10; Micah 1:16; Micah 2:9. Musical instruments.—The Hebrew word here used occurs nowhere else, and commentators are reduced to look to the etymology for the explanation of it. Their guesses are so numerous that it would be wearisome to recount them. That adopted in our version is by no means one of the most probable. The interpretation “concubines” is most in favour with commentators, though they differ among themselves as to the grounds on which they justify this translation. And it does appear unlikely that this notorious feature of Solomon’s court should be omitted in an enumeration of his luxury.

I gathered me also silver and gold, and the special treasure of kings and of the provinces: I procured me male and female singers, and the {d} delights of the sons of men, {e} as musical instruments, and of all sorts. (d) That is, whatever men take pleasure in. (e) Or, the most beautiful of the women that were taken in war, as in Jud 5:30.

The peculiar treasure of kings; either, 1. Vast riches, answerable to the state of a king. Or, 2. The greatest jewels and rarities of other kings, which they gave to me either as a tribute, or by way of present; of which see 1 Kings 4:21 9:11 10:2,10 . Of the provinces; which were imposed upon or presented by all the provinces of my dominions. Women singers; whose voices were more sweet than the men’s. And the delights of the sons of men; either, 1. All other delightful things. Or, 2. That in which men generally delight, to wit, musical instruments, as it follows.

8. (1Ki 10:27; 2Ch 1:15; 9:20). peculiar treasure of kings and … provinces—contributed by them, as tributary to him (1Ki 4:21, 24); a poor substitute for the wisdom whose "gain is better than fine gold" (Pr 3:14, 15). singers—so David (2Sa 19:35). musical instruments … of all sorts—introduced at banquets (Isa 5:12; Am 6:5, 6); rather, "a princess and princesses," from an Arabic root. One regular wife, or queen (Es 1:9); Pharaoh's daughter (1Ki 3:1); other secondary wives, "princesses," distinct from the "concubines" (1Ki 11:3; Ps 45:10; So 6:8) [Weiss, Gesenius]. Had these been omitted, the enumeration would be incomplete.

8 . I gathered me also silver and gold ] Here also we find a counterpart in what is recorded of the wealth of Solomon, the ships of Hiram that brought gold from Ophir, to the amount of 420 talents ( 1 Kings 9:28 ), the gifts from the queen of Sheba ( 1 Kings 10:1 ), the total revenue of 666 talents ( 1 Kings 10:15 ), the 200 targets and 300 shields of beaten gold, and the throne of gold and ivory and the drinking vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon, and the silver that was in Jerusalem as stones ( 1 Kings 10:16-27 ). the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces ] The words may point to the special gifts which came to Solomon by way of tribute from other lands, from Seba and Sheba ( Psalm 72:10 ), from the “kings of Arabia and the governors of the country” ( 1 Kings 9:15 ; 1 Kings 10:27 ). Many commentators, however, see in the phrase a description of the treasures of Solomon as being such as were the special possessions of sovereign rulers and sovereign states as distinct from the wealth of private citizens. The word for “province” may be noted as a comparatively late word, hardly coming into use till the time of the Captivity ( Lamentations 1:1 ; Ezekiel 19:8 ), and prominent chiefly in the books of the Persian period, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther and Daniel.

It probably designates here the twelve districts into which Solomon divided his empire ( 1 Kings 4:7-19 ). men singers and women singers ] The mention of women shews that the singers meant are not those connected with the choir of the Temple, but those who, as in the speech of Barzillai ( 2 Samuel 19:35 ), figured at state banquets. These women, as in Isaiah 23:6 , were commonly taken from the class of harlot aliens, and as such were condemned by the counsel of the wise of heart ( Sir 9:4 ). For the general use of music at feasts, comp.

Verse 8. - I gathered me also silver and gold . Much is said of the wealth of the historical Solomon, who had all his vessels of gold, armed his body-guard with golden shields, sat on an ivory throne overlaid with gold, received tribute and presents of gold from all quarters, sent his navies to distant lands to import precious metals, and made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones (see 1 Kings 9:28 ; 1 Kings 10:14-27 ; 2 Chronicles 1:15 ; 2 Chronicles 9:20-27 ). The peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces . The word rendered "the provinces" ( hammedinoth ), in spite of the article, seems to mean, not the twelve districts into which Solomon divided his kingdom for fiscal and economical purposes ( 1 Kings 4:7 , etc.), but countries generally exterior to Palestine, with which he had commercial or political relations, and which sent to him the productions for which they were each most celebrated. So the districts of the Persian empire were required to furnish the monarch with a certain portion of their chief commodities. His friendship with Hiram of Tyro brought him into connection with the Phoeni-clans, the greatest commercial nation of antiquity, and through them he accumulated riches and stores from distant and various lands beyond the limits of the Mediterranean Sea. The word מְדִינָה ( medinah ) occurs again in Ecclesiastes 5:7 and in 1 Kings 20:14 , etc.; but is found elsewhere only in exilian or post-exilian books (e.g.