Ecclesiastes 2:5
Ecclesiastes 2:5 in Multiple Translations
I made gardens and parks for myself, where I planted all kinds of fruit trees.
I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:
I made me gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit;
I made myself gardens and fruit gardens, planting in them fruit-trees of all sorts.
I made for myself gardens and parks, planting them with all kinds of fruit trees.
I haue made me gardens and orchards, and planted in them trees of all fruite.
I made for me gardens and paradises, and I planted in them trees of every fruit.
I made myself gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit.
I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:
I made gardens, and orchards, and set them with trees of all kinds,
I told my workers to make gardens and parks. Then I told them to fill the gardens with many kinds of fruit trees.
Berean Amplified Bible — Ecclesiastes 2:5
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Ecclesiastes 2:5 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
עָשִׂ֣יתִי
לִ֔/י
גַּנּ֖וֹת
וּ/פַרְדֵּסִ֑ים
וְ/נָטַ֥עְתִּי
בָ/הֶ֖ם
עֵ֥ץ
כָּל
פֶּֽרִי
עָשִׂ֣יתִי
ʻâsâh
H6213
to make
V-Qal-Perf-1cs
לִ֔/י
Prep | Suff
גַּנּ֖וֹת
gannâh
H1593
garden
N-fp
וּ/פַרְדֵּסִ֑ים
pardêç
H6508
park
Conj | N-mp
וְ/נָטַ֥עְתִּי
nâṭaʻ
H5193
to plant
Conj | V-Qal-Perf-1cs
בָ/הֶ֖ם
Prep | Suff
עֵ֥ץ
ʻêts
H6086
tree
N-ms
כָּל
kôl
H3605
all
N-ms
פֶּֽרִי
pᵉrîy
H6529
fruit
N-ms
Hebrew Word Study
Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.
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Hebrew Word Reference — Ecclesiastes 2:5
עָשִׂ֣יתִי
ʻâsâh
H6213
"to make"
V-Qal-Perf-1cs
This verb means to make or do something, and is used over 2,600 times in the Bible. It is first used in Genesis 1:7 to describe God's creation of the world and is also used in Exodus 31:5 to describe the work of skilled craftsmen.
Definition: : make(OBJECT) 1) to do, fashion, accomplish, make 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to do, work, make, produce 1a1a) to do 1a1b) to work 1a1c) to deal (with) 1a1d) to act, act with effect, effect 1a2) to make 1a2a) to make 1a2b) to produce 1a2c) to prepare 1a2d) to make (an offering) 1a2e) to attend to, put in order 1a2f) to observe, celebrate 1a2g) to acquire (property) 1a2h) to appoint, ordain, institute 1a2i) to bring about 1a2j) to use 1a2k) to spend, pass 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be done 1b2) to be made 1b3) to be produced 1b4) to be offered 1b5) to be observed 1b6) to be used 1c) (Pual) to be made
Usage: Occurs in 2286 OT verses. KJV: accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, [idiom] certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, [phrase] displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, [phrase] feast, (fight-) ing man, [phrase] finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, [phrase] hinder, hold (a feast), [idiom] indeed, [phrase] be industrious, [phrase] journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, [phrase] officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, [idiom] sacrifice, serve, set, shew, [idiom] sin, spend, [idiom] surely, take, [idiom] thoroughly, trim, [idiom] very, [phrase] vex, be (warr-) ior, work(-man), yield, use. See also: Genesis 1:7; Genesis 34:19; Exodus 18:24.
לִ֔/י
""
Prep | Suff
גַּנּ֖וֹת
gannâh
H1593
"garden"
N-fp
A garden is a place where plants and trees are grown, like the Garden of Eden in the book of Genesis. This word is used to describe a beautiful and peaceful place. It appears in the Bible as a symbol of paradise.
Definition: garden, orchard Also means: gin.nah (גִּנָּה "garden" H1594)
Usage: Occurs in 12 OT verses. KJV: garden. See also: Numbers 24:6; Isaiah 65:3; Isaiah 1:29.
וּ/פַרְדֵּסִ֑ים
pardêç
H6508
"park"
Conj | N-mp
A park or enclosed garden, like the Garden of Eden described in Genesis. It can also refer to a forest or orchard, as seen in the story of the garden where Adam and Eve lived. These areas were often reserved for royalty or the wealthy.
Definition: park, preserve, enclosed garden, forest
Usage: Occurs in 3 OT verses. KJV: forest, orchard. See also: Nehemiah 2:8; Ecclesiastes 2:5; Song of Solomon 4:13.
וְ/נָטַ֥עְתִּי
nâṭaʻ
H5193
"to plant"
Conj | V-Qal-Perf-1cs
To plant or establish something, like in Genesis 2:8 where God planted a garden in Eden. It can also mean to fix or fasten something in place.
Definition: 1) to plant, fasten, fix, establish 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to plant 1a2) to plant, establish (fig.) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be planted 1b2) to be established (fig.)
Usage: Occurs in 55 OT verses. KJV: fastened, plant(-er). See also: Genesis 2:8; Isaiah 17:10; Psalms 44:3.
בָ/הֶ֖ם
""
Prep | Suff
עֵ֥ץ
ʻêts
H6086
"tree"
N-ms
This Hebrew word for tree or wood refers to a strong and firm object, like a tree or a wooden plank, as seen in the carpentry work of Jesus' earthly father Joseph in Matthew 13:55.
Definition: : wood 1) tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows 1a) tree, trees 1b) wood, pieces of wood, gallows, firewood, cedar-wood, woody flax
Usage: Occurs in 289 OT verses. KJV: [phrase] carpenter, gallows, helve, [phrase] pine, plank, staff, stalk, stick, stock, timber, tree, wood. See also: Genesis 1:11; Joshua 9:23; Psalms 1:3.
כָּל
kôl
H3605
"all"
N-ms
The Hebrew word for 'all' or 'everything' is used throughout the Bible, like in Genesis 1:31, where God sees all He has made as very good. It encompasses the entirety of something, whether people, things, or situations.
Definition: 1) all, the whole 1a) all, the whole of 1b) any, each, every, anything 1c) totality, everything Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)
Usage: Occurs in 4242 OT verses. KJV: (in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever). See also: Genesis 1:21; Genesis 17:10; Genesis 41:40.
פֶּֽרִי
pᵉrîy
H6529
"fruit"
N-ms
In the Bible, this word means the fruit that comes from the ground or from our actions. It is used in many books, including Genesis and Isaiah, to describe the results of our labor or the consequences of our choices.
Definition: 1) fruit 1a) fruit, produce (of the ground) 1b) fruit, offspring, children, progeny (of the womb) 1c) fruit (of actions) (fig.)
Usage: Occurs in 107 OT verses. KJV: bough, (first-)fruit(-ful), reward. See also: Genesis 1:11; Proverbs 18:20; Psalms 1:3.
Study Notes — Ecclesiastes 2:5
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Ecclesiastes 2:5 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Ecclesiastes 2:5
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ecclesiastes 2:5
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 2:5
- Trapp's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 2:5
- Ellicott's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 2:5
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 2:5
- Cambridge Bible on Ecclesiastes 2:5
- Barnes' Notes on Ecclesiastes 2:5
- Whedon's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 2:5
- Sermons on Ecclesiastes 2:5
Context — The Futility of Pleasure
3I sought to cheer my body with wine and to embrace folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—until I could see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.
4I expanded my pursuits. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.
5I made gardens and parks for myself, where I planted all kinds of fruit trees.
6I built reservoirs to water my groves of flourishing trees. 7I acquired menservants and maidservants, and servants were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me,Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luke 17:27–29 | People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same in the days of Lot: People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. |
| 2 | Song of Solomon 4:12–1 | — |
| 3 | Jeremiah 39:4 | When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled. They left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls, and they went out along the route to the Arabah. |
| 4 | Genesis 2:8–9 | And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, where He placed the man He had formed. Out of the ground the LORD God gave growth to every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for food. And in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. |
| 5 | Song of Solomon 6:2 | My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to pasture his flock in the gardens and to gather lilies. |
Ecclesiastes 2:5 Summary
In Ecclesiastes 2:5, King Solomon talks about the beautiful gardens and parks he built for himself, planting all kinds of fruit trees. This was his way of trying to find happiness and fulfillment in life, but as we see throughout the book, he eventually realizes that these things are not enough to truly satisfy us (Ecclesiastes 2:11). Just like the garden God planted in Genesis 2:8-9, we can enjoy the beauty of creation, but we must remember that our ultimate purpose is to glorify God and enjoy a relationship with Him (Romans 11:36, Psalm 16:11). By keeping our focus on God, we can find true fulfillment and joy in life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the significance of the gardens and parks in Ecclesiastes 2:5?
The gardens and parks represent the king's efforts to find joy and fulfillment in his earthly pursuits, as seen in his other endeavors like building houses and planting vineyards, but as Solomon later notes, these things are ultimately vain without God (Ecclesiastes 2:11, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
Is it wrong to enjoy beautiful gardens and parks?
No, it is not wrong to enjoy God's creation, as seen in Genesis 2:8-9 where God plants a garden for Adam and Eve, but our enjoyment should not replace our relationship with God or distract us from our purpose to glorify Him (Romans 11:36, Colossians 1:16).
How does this verse relate to the rest of the book of Ecclesiastes?
This verse is part of Solomon's exploration of the meaning of life, where he examines the value of various earthly pursuits, including wealth, wisdom, and pleasure, and concludes that true fulfillment can only be found in a relationship with God (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, Proverbs 1:7).
What can we learn from the king's experience in this verse?
We can learn that true happiness and fulfillment do not come from earthly possessions or accomplishments, but from a personal relationship with God, as Jesus teaches in John 15:11 and as seen in the lives of godly men and women throughout the Bible, such as Abraham and David (Genesis 15:1, Psalm 16:11).
Reflection Questions
- What are some things in my life that I have pursued for happiness and fulfillment, and have they truly satisfied me?
- How can I balance my appreciation for God's creation with my devotion to Him, making sure that one does not replace the other?
- In what ways can I use the blessings and resources God has given me to glorify Him and serve others, rather than just pursuing my own pleasure?
- What are some 'gardens and parks' in my life that I have built or pursued, and are they truly bringing me joy, or are they distracting me from my relationship with God?
Gill's Exposition on Ecclesiastes 2:5
I made me gardens and orchards,.... Of the king's garden, we read Jeremiah 39:4.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ecclesiastes 2:5
I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 2:5
I made me gardens, Heb. paradises, or gardens of pleasure. I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits, mixing pleasure and profit together.
Trapp's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 2:5
Ecclesiastes 2:5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all [kind of] fruits:Ver. 5. I made me gardens.] So called, because guarded and enclosed with a wall, like as we call garments quasi guardments, in an active acception of the word, because they guard our bodies from the injury of wind and weather. The Hebrew word âï, Gan, comes likewise from a word that signifieth to protect or guard; and there are those who give this for a reason why the Lord forbade the Jews to keep swine, because they are such enemies to gardens, whereof that country is very full. And orchards.] Heb., Paradises; famous for curious variety and excellence of all sorts of trees and foreign fruits, resembling even the garden of God for amenity and delight. And herein perhaps he gratified Pharaoh’ s daughter - the Egyptians took great pleasure in gardens - like as that king of Assyria did his wife horto pensili, with a garden that hung in the air, to his incredible cost. Athenaeus, Diod., lib. ii. cap. 4. Q. Curt., lib. v.
Ellicott's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 2:5
(5) Orchards.—Rather, parks. The word, which occurs also in Son 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.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 2:5
Verse 5. I made me gardens and orchards] פרדסים pardesim, "paradises." I doubt much whether this be an original Hebrew word. [Arabic] ferdoos, is found in the Persian and Arabic; and signifies a pleasant garden, a vineyard. Hence our word paradise, a place full of delights. How well Solomon was qualified to form gardens, orchards, vineyards, conservatories, c., may be at once conceived when we recollect his knowledge of natural history and that he wrote treatises on vegetables and their properties, from the cedar to the hyssop.
Cambridge Bible on Ecclesiastes 2:5
5. I made me gardens and orchards] The latter word, originally Persian, and found only in the O. T. in this book, in Song Son 4:13, and Nehemiah 2:8, is the “paradise” of Xenophon, of later Rabbinic writings and of the New Testament (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 12:4). It indicates what we call a park, with flowing streams and shady groves and fruit trees, and deer feeding on the fresh green grass, and doves flitting through the trees, such as seemed to the Eastern imagination the fittest type of the highest blessedness. The whole scenery of the Song of Solomon is such a garden, planted with pomegranates and pleasant fruits, spikenards and camphire, calamus and cinnamon, and trees of frankincense, and lilies (Song Son 4:13-15; Son 6:2). The pools of Solomon at Etam, on the south-west of Bethlehem, described by Josephus (Ant. viii. 7. 3) still preserve the memory of such a “paradise.” Other traces of these surroundings of the palaces of Jewish kings are found in the history of Naboth’s vineyard, where the “garden of herbs” can hardly be thought of as merely a “kitchen garden” (1 Kings 21:2) and in the garden of Zedekiah (Jeremiah 52:7). all kind of fruits] The horticulture of Palestine included the apple, the fig, the pomegranate, the date, the caper-tree, nuts, almonds, raisins and mandrakes. The account is in strict keeping with the character of the king who spake of trees “from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop on the wall” (1 Kings 4:33).
Barnes' Notes on Ecclesiastes 2:5
Orchards - literally, “paradises,” i. e., parks or pleasure-grounds (compare Nehemiah 2:8 note).
Whedon's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 2:5
5. Orchards — Hebrew, paradises. Paradise is a Sanscrit word for “enclosure,” but, as borrowed into other languages, means, “park,” “pleasure grounds.” See note on Luke 23:42.
Sermons on Ecclesiastes 2:5
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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The Love of Money - Part 4 by Zac Poonen | This sermon emphasizes the importance of financial wisdom and stewardship, drawing lessons from the simplicity and wisdom of Jesus' life. It highlights the principles of buying onl |
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Moral Blindness by E.L. Bevir | E.L. Bevir preaches about moral blindness throughout history, highlighting how infatuation and pride have led to destruction in various civilizations, including the Jewish nation, |
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(A Heavenly Home) 3. a Marriage Like a Garden by Zac Poonen | Zac Poonen emphasizes the significance of cultivating a marriage like a garden, drawing parallels between the first marriage in Eden and the relationship between Sandeep and Laura. |
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Your Life Can Be Like a Watered Garden (Isaiah 58:11) by Zac Poonen | Zac Poonen emphasizes that our lives can be like a watered garden by examining three biblical gardens: the Garden of Eden, where pride and selfishness led to sin; the Garden of Get |
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Emblems From the Story of Creation by A.B. Simpson | A.B. Simpson explores the profound spiritual meanings embedded in the story of creation, emphasizing that while the Scriptures recount historical events, they also convey deeper tr |
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Help Wanted: A Gardener by Warren Wiersbe | In this sermon, the preacher uses the analogy of four gardens to explain the history of sin and redemption. The first garden mentioned is the Garden of Eden, where sin entered the |
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(John - Part 2): In the Beginning Was the Word by A.W. Tozer | In this sermon, the preacher begins by acknowledging the difficulty of preaching on the phrase "in the beginning." He compares it to the impossible task of lifting oneself up on a |