Ecclesiastes 2 10

Ecclesiastes 2:10 kjv

And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.

Ecclesiastes 2:10 nkjv

Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; And this was my reward from all my labor.

Ecclesiastes 2:10 niv

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil.

Ecclesiastes 2:10 esv

And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil.

Ecclesiastes 2:10 nlt

Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors.

Ecclesiastes 2 verses

Ecclesiastes 2 10 Meaning

Ecclesiastes 2:10 encapsulates the Preacher's exhaustive and unreserved experimentation in the pursuit of every earthly desire and joy. He states that he allowed himself to acquire and experience everything his senses yearned for and withheld no form of pleasure from his inner self. He observed that his heart indeed found temporary gratification and joy within the immense efforts and grand achievements of his labor. This immediate, fleeting satisfaction and the temporary fruit of his works, he concluded, represented the sum total—his "portion"—received from all his vast earthly endeavors before he assessed its ultimate worth.

Ecclesiastes 2 10 Context

Ecclesiastes 2:10 stands as the summary statement and high point of the Preacher's intensive, methodical investigation into sources of happiness and meaning apart from God. Having explored the limitations of wisdom in Chapter 1, he embarked on an extreme personal experiment documented in Ecclesiastes 2:1-9. This experiment involved systematically indulging in mirth and pleasure, constructing grand projects (houses, vineyards, gardens), acquiring vast possessions (servants, cattle), accumulating unprecedented wealth (silver, gold from kings and provinces), and experiencing diverse forms of enjoyment (male and female singers, many concubines).

Verse 10 confirms that he pursued these desires without any restraint, holding back nothing his senses or heart wished for. It precedes his ultimate declaration in verse 11 that "all was vanity and grasping for the wind, and there was no profit under the sun." Thus, Ecclesiastes 2:10 sets the stage for the definitive conclusion about the emptiness of seeking ultimate fulfillment in earthly pursuits alone, establishing that even with total access and the best conditions, such endeavors yield only a temporary, insufficient "portion." Historically, this account resonates strongly with the documented wealth and vast undertakings of King Solomon (1 Kings 10:14-25), often considered the likely author or the persona through which the Preacher speaks.

Ecclesiastes 2 10 Word analysis

• And whatsoever mine eyes desired:
  • Original Hebrew: וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר שָׁאֲלוּ עֵינַי (wəḵol ʾăšer šāʾălû ʿênay)
  • ʿênay (עיני - eyes) represent the primary conduits of sensory desire, attraction to the visible and tangible. This emphasizes that his pursuit was driven by external stimulation and acquisition.
  • The phrase šāʾălû ʿênay can imply not just "desired" but also "asked for" or "demanded," conveying the intensity and active nature of his longing.
• I kept not from them:
  • Original Hebrew: לֹא אָצַלְתִּי מֵהֶם (lōʾ ʾāṣaltî mēhem)
  • ʾāṣal (אצל - to reserve, hold back, keep in reserve).
  • Significance: Underscores the complete lack of self-restraint. No object of desire, however fleeting or grand, was denied him. It speaks to absolute indulgence and full pursuit of all impulses.
• I withheld not my heart:
  • Original Hebrew: לִבִּי לֹא מָנַעְתִּי (libbî lōʾ mānaʿtî)
  • lēḇ (לב - heart): In Hebrew thought, the seat of not just emotions, but intellect, will, and conscience; the entire inner person.
  • mānaʿ (מנע - to withhold, restrain, deny).
  • Significance: Expands the pursuit beyond mere external acquisition to the internal experience and psychological commitment. He didn't just get things; he fully engaged his inner being in seeking joy from them. It speaks to total immersion and intentional engagement.
• from any joy:
  • Original Hebrew: מִכֹּל שִׂמְחָה (mikol śimḥāh)
  • śimḥāh (שמחה - gladness, merriment, joy).
  • Significance: Reinforces the comprehensive nature of his experiment; no form of delight or pleasure was left untasted.
• for my heart rejoiced:
  • Original Hebrew: כִּי לִבִּי שָׂמֵחַ (kî libbî śāmaḥ)
  • kî (כי - for, because): Introduces the reason or explanation for his complete indulgence.
  • śāmaḥ (שמח - to be joyful, rejoice): An active verb expressing genuine, albeit temporary, inner pleasure.
  • Significance: It's not merely an external action but a genuine internal experience. This indicates that a certain satisfaction was indeed derived during the process of his grand efforts.
• in all my labour:
  • Original Hebrew: בְּכָל עֲמָלִי (bəḵol ʿāmālî)
  • ʿāmāl (עמל - toil, painful effort, strenuous exertion, labor). In Ecclesiastes, often carries a connotation of fruitless or frustrating toil.
  • Significance: This joy was found in the very effort and acquisition, not just from the final possession. It points to the satisfaction derived from productive work, building, and accumulating.
• and this was my portion:
  • Original Hebrew: וְזֶה הָיָה חֶלְקִי (wəzeh hāyāh ḥelqî)
  • zeh (זה - this): Points back to the immediately experienced joy and transient results of his indulgence and effort.
  • ḥēleq (חלק - portion, share, allotment): What one receives or is granted as a due or outcome.
  • Significance: This defines the result or takeaway from his comprehensive experiment. It establishes a tangible, albeit limited, return on his vast investments. It marks what he actually gained.
• of all my labour:
  • Original Hebrew: מִכֹּל עֲמָלִי (mikol ʿāmālî)
  • Repetition of ʿāmālî emphasizes the exhaustiveness of his efforts and sets up the following verse.
  • Significance: Re-emphasizes that all his extensive efforts culminated only in this transient pleasure, and nothing more lasting or profoundly meaningful was attained.

Words-group Analysis:

• "whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy": This phrase eloquently summarizes a twin-tracked, absolute self-indulgence. "Eyes desired" speaks to the external, sensory, and materialistic pursuit, while "heart from any joy" signifies the internal, experiential, and emotional fulfillment. The repetition of "kept not from them" and "withheld not" powerfully conveys a complete and deliberate lack of self-restraint or denial, an all-out dive into every conceivable pleasure and acquisition.
• "for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour": This crucial concluding section links the internal experience of joy with the material output and defines his "portion." The joy was not just from the outcome, but in the "labour" itself, implying a certain satisfaction in the process of accomplishment and acquisition. The re-statement of "all my labour" highlights the enormous investment and effort made, making the conclusion "this was my portion" a profound understatement of the ultimate, enduring worth, setting the stage for the revelation of its true "vanity" in Ecc 2:11. It underlines that all his immense toil only yielded a subjective, temporal enjoyment.

Ecclesiastes 2 10 Bonus section

• The phrasing "my heart rejoiced in all my labour" provides a fascinating counterpoint to the common refrain of ʿāmāl (labor) throughout Ecclesiastes, which often denotes pain or futility. Here, it briefly speaks to a human inclination to find joy in productivity itself, even if the ultimate outcome is meaningless from a divine perspective.
• This verse represents a stark contrast to how a believer defines their "portion." For the person of faith, God Himself is often called their portion or inheritance (Psa 16:5, Lam 3:24), offering an eternal, unchanging satisfaction far superior to any transient earthly joy. The Preacher's conclusion here implicitly highlights the deficiency of any humanly defined portion.
• The exhaustive nature described in this verse demonstrates the "control group" of the Preacher's experiment: total, unrestrained access to worldly means and ends. This maximises the validity of his coming declaration of futility.
• It subtly hints at the gift nature of true enjoyment of one's labor later revealed in Ecclesiastes (e.g., Ecc 3:13, 5:19), implying that any positive experience, even temporary joy, ultimately originates from God's benevolence, not human striving alone.

Ecclesiastes 2 10 Commentary

Ecclesiastes 2:10 is a pivotal verse, serving as the zenith of the Preacher's self-funded experiment in finding meaning "under the sun" through wisdom, pleasure, and colossal works. It is not merely an admission of indulgence but a meticulous recounting of its breadth: every external desire met, every internal longing for joy pursued without reservation. He deliberately denied himself nothing, showcasing an unprecedented level of opportunity and action. Crucially, the verse acknowledges that a genuine internal satisfaction, a "rejoicing," was found in the very process of his "labour"—the construction, the acquisition, the experience of leading.

This highlights the allure and immediate gratification found in human achievement and sensuous enjoyment. However, this joy is explicitly qualified as "my portion," signifying a bounded and complete outcome for that particular set of efforts. It is the most he gained from this earthly pursuit. By specifying this temporary pleasure as the portion, the Preacher is implicitly laying the groundwork for the ensuing declaration of its insufficiency and ultimate "vanity" in Ecc 2:11. The verse avoids denying that fleeting pleasures or the satisfaction of work exist, but critically assesses that even when fully embraced and experienced, they do not constitute ultimate or lasting meaning in a life lived without the divine.

• Example: Consider a highly ambitious business owner who, after building a vast empire, purchasing every luxury, and experiencing every lavish pleasure imaginable, sits back. He acknowledges that he felt genuine thrill in the pursuit, joy in seeing his wealth accumulate, and satisfaction in his lavish lifestyle. Yet, he then articulates that this temporary joy and acquisition were "all" he received for his life's toil, ultimately leaving a deeper, unanswered yearning for lasting purpose.