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Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Ecclesiastes 2:26

Verse Ecclesiastes 2:26. Giveth - wisdom, and knowledge, and joy]

1. God gives wisdom - the knowledge of himself, light to direct in the way of salvation.

2. Knowledge - understanding to discern the operation of his hand; experimental acquaintance with himself, in the dispensing of his grace and the gifts of his Spirit.

3. Joy; a hundred days of ease for one day of pain; one thousand enjoyments for one privation; and to them that believe, peace of conscience, and JOY in the Holy Ghost.

But to the sinner he giveth travail] He has a life of labour, disappointment, and distress; for because he is an enemy to God, he travails in pain all his days; and, as the wise man says elsewhere, the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just. So he loseth earthly good, because he would not take a heavenly portion with it.

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See also Ecclesiastes 2:26 in other biblical comments:

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    Solomon having found that wisdom and folly agree in being subject to vanity, now contrasts one with the other Ecclesiastes 2:13. Both are brought under vanity by events Ecclesiastes 2:14 which come on...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 2THE RESULTS OF THE SEARCH AND DIFFERENT VANITIES _ 1. His personal experience (Ecclesiastes 2:1)_ 2. Various vanities and a conclusion (Ecclesiastes 2:12) Ecclesiastes 2:1

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    The best thing for a man is to get what pleasure he can out of life. And after all this is the Divine scheme of life, the ordinance of God. No one can eat or be happy apart from Him (see _mg.)._ Eccle...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    ECCLESIASTES 1:12 TO ECCLESIASTES 2:26. QOHELETH'S INVESTIGATIONS. Assuming the character of Solomon the writer tells of his search for happiness under many forms. The pursuit of wisdom (Ecclesiastes...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    SINNER. Hebrew. _chata'._ App-44. Occurs again in Ecclesiastes six times. (Ecclesiastes 5:6; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Ecclesiastes 7:26;...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _For God giveth_ The word for God, as the italics shew, is not in the Hebrew, but it is obviously implied, and its non-appearance justifies the change in the text of the previous verse, which preserve...

  • Charles Box Commentaries

    _THE VANITY OF GATHERING -- ECCLESIASTES 2:24-26:_ Solomon said that the best thing that a man can do is enjoy in a cheerful and comfortable manner the good he has received from the hand of God. He sh...

  • Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae

    DISCOURSE: 831 THE DIFFERENT PORTIONS OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND WICKED Ecclesiastes 2:26. _God giveth to a man that is good in his sight, wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travai...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    FOR WHO CAN EAT, &C.— _For who shall eat, and who shall enjoy without him?_ It might also be rendered, _For who shall eat, and who shall reflect more than I?_ Ecclesiastes 2:26. For he giveth wisdom a...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    c. Labor is good only when it is acknowledged as from the hand of God. Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 TEXT 2:24-26 24 There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor i...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    EPICUREANISM AND WISDOM ALIKE PROFITLESS 1-3. The writer makes enjoyment his quest, while aware that it is folly, and avoiding excess in a philosophic spirit....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    _That he_ MAY GIVE] The sinner's possessions pass to the just man, to be used aright: cp. Job 27:16; Proverbs 13:22. VEXATION OF SPIRIT] see on Proverbs 1:14. The sinner's toil and expectations are al...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    THE TEACHER SEARCHES FOR THE PURPOSE OF OUR LIVES BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES _HILDA BRIGHT AND KITTY PRIDE_ CHAPTER 2 THE TEST TO DISCOVER WHAT MAKES A PERSON HAPPY – ECCLESIASTES 2:1-11...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    On the doctrine that the wicked amass wealth for the righteous, see marginal references....

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    כִּ֤י לְ אָדָם֙ שֶׁ טֹּ֣וב לְ פָנָ֔יו

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    Turning from the pursuit of knowledge to the pathway of pleasure, the king had given himself up to mirth, seeking the false stimulus of wine. In this also he had been disappointed, finding that mirth...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Pleased God, though he may not be his relation, Proverbs xxvi. 16., and Job xiii. 22. (Calmet)_...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    REFLECTIONS READER! I charge it upon you to take with you the evidences which arise out of this Chapter, in favour of Jesus and his salvation. Surely the Preacher intended, by this way of preaching, i...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool forever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool. (17) Therefore I ha...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 1 THROUGH 12. The Book of Ecclesiastes is, up to a certain point, the converse of the Book of Proverbs. (see NOTE TO PROVERBS below) It is the experience of a...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    FOR [GOD] GIVETH TO A MAN THAT [IS] GOOD IN HIS SIGHT,.... No man is of himself good, or naturally so, but evil, very evil, as all the descendants of Adam are; there are some that are good in their ow...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    For [God] giveth to a man that [is] good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to [him that is] good before God....

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight_ Who not only seems to men to be good, as many bad men do, but is really and sincerely good; or, _who pleaseth him_, as the same phrase, שׂוב לפניו,...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    For God giveth to a man that is good in His sight, who lives before Him in the fear of God, WISDOM, AND KNOWLEDGE, AND JOY, as a reward dealt out by His mercy; BUT TO THE SINNER, the godless, the unbe...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    THE VANITY OF LABOR IN ITSELF...

  • Marginal Notes in the King James Version (1611)

    IN HIS SIGHT: _ Heb._ before him...

  • Mark Dunagan Commentaries

    "FOR TO. PERSON WHO IS GOOD IN HIS SIGHT HE HAS GIVEN WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE AND JOY, WHILE TO THE SINNER HE HAS GIVEN THE TASK OF GATHERING AND COLLECTING SO THAT HE MAY GIVE TO ONE WHO IS GOOD IN GOD'...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    18-26 Our hearts are very loth to quit their expectations of great things from the creature; but Solomon came to this at length. The world is a vale of tears, even to those that have much of it. See...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    THAT IS GOOD IN HIS SIGHT; who not only seems to be good to men, as many bad men do, but is really and sincerely good. Or, _who pleaseth him_, as this phrase is rendered, ECCLESIASTES 7:26, and oft el...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Ecclesiastes 2:26 gives H5414 (H8804) wisdom H2451 knowledge H1847 joy H8057 man H120 good H2896 sight H6440

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    HIS PRELIMINARY CONCLUSION (ECCLESIASTES 2:24). Ecclesiastes 2:24 ‘There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good as a result of (in) his efforts. I...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Ecclesiastes 1:12-2 I. As was natural in so wise a man, the Preacher turns first to wisdom. It is the wisdom that is born of wide and varied experience, not of abstract study. He acquaints himself wit...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Solomon shows that there is no true happiness and satisfaction to be had in mirth, pleasure and the delights of sense. CHARACTERS: God, Solomon. CONCLUSION: True and lasting happiness and...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Ecclesiastes 2:1. _Enjoy pleasure._ The first doctrine of Epicurus, whose system is here rebutted. Acts 17:18. Ecclesiastes 2:2. _I said of laughter,_ of all forced and frantic joy, _it is mad._ Chald...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _For God giveth to a man that is good in His sight._ TRUE GOODNESS I. He who is good before God is good. 1. A man may be good in his own esteem, and yet not be really so. The way in which we someti...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour._ THE SIMPLE JOYS OF GODLY INDUSTRY We are not to regard these words a...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth._ THE THREEFOLD VIEW OF HUMAN LIFE Three views of human life are given in this remarkable chapter. I. The theatrical view of life (Ecclesiastes 2:1). The wri...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON ECCLESIASTES 2:24 If a person does not believe his work will have a lasting impact on the world, the best he can hope for is to FIND ENJOYMENT in TOIL and in God’s simple gifts of...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL NOTES.— ECCLESIASTES 2:24. THERE IS NOTHING BETTER FOR A MAN THAN THAT HE SHOULD EAT AND DRINK] Not in the Epicurean sense, worshipping the triad of sensual life—eat, drink, and be merry; bu...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION ECCLESIASTES 2:1 Section 2. _Vanity of striving after pleasure and wealth._ ECCLESIASTES 2:1 Dissatisfied with the result of the pursuit of wisdom, Koheleth embarks on a course of sensua...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    So I said in my heart, Go to now, I'm going to prove thee with [pleasure,] with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: but, behold, this was vanity (Ecclesiastes 2:1). So we read in the New Testament the ep...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Corinthians 1:31; 2 Chronicles 31:20; 2 Chronicles 31:21;...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    WHAT IS GOOD IN THIS LIFE Ecclesiastes 2:24; Ecclesiastes 3:1 INTRODUCTORY WORDS We come now to the second great question in the Book of Ecclesiastes. It is expressed in Chapter s 6 and 12: "Who kno...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    VANITY AND VEXATION UNDER THE SUN Ecclesiastes 2:11 INTRODUCTORY WORDS We shall introduce our study with quotations from our booklet on Ecclesiastes. Solomon had tried everything which his heart co...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Wisdom — To direct him how to use his comforts aright; that so they may be blessings, and not curses to him. Joy — A thankful contented mind. To heap up — He giveth him up to insatiable desires, and w...

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