Ecclesiastes 2:5

Orchards. — Rather, parks. The word, which occurs also in Song of Solomon 4:3; Nehemiah 2:8, is originally Persian, and passed into the Greek and into modern languages in the form of “paradise” (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 12:4; and in LXX., Genesis 2:10; Genesis 13:10; Numbers 24:6; Isaiah 1:30; Sir. 24:30; Susan. 5:4). Parks and trees giving, not only fruit, but shade from the hot Eastern sun, were an almost necessary part of kingly luxury. The king’s garden is spoken of in 1 Kings 21:2; 2 Kings 21:18; 2 Kings 25:4; Nehemiah 3:15.