Ecclesiastes 2:2 kjv

I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?

Ecclesiastes 2:2 nkjv

I said of laughter?"Madness!"; and of mirth, "What does it accomplish?"

Ecclesiastes 2:2 niv

"Laughter," I said, "is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?"

Ecclesiastes 2:2 esv

I said of laughter, "It is mad," and of pleasure, "What use is it?"

Ecclesiastes 2:2 nlt

So I said, "Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?"

Ecclesiastes 2 verses

Ecclesiastes 2 2 Meaning

Ecclesiastes 2:2 conveys Qoheleth's stark conclusion about his extensive experiment with worldly sources of joy and merriment. He reflects on his pursuit of hedonistic pleasures and determines that superficial laughter is utterly senseless and brings no lasting benefit. Similarly, he judges mere pleasure and revelry as achieving nothing substantial or enduring. This verse highlights his growing disillusionment with any form of happiness that is divorced from true meaning or purpose, leading to an indictment of temporary emotional highs as ultimate solutions to life's deepest questions.

Ecclesiastes 2 2 Context

Ecclesiastes chapter 2 records Qoheleth's meticulous, self-directed experiment to find meaning and satisfaction in all the worldly pursuits that humans typically engage in. Having declared intellectual wisdom as "vanity" in Chapter 1, he turns his focus to pleasure, wealth, and grand achievements. This chapter details his indulgence in wine, building lavish estates and gardens, accumulating vast wealth (servants, silver, gold, livestock), enjoying every sensual delight, and acquiring more wisdom than all before him. He deliberately holds nothing back, granting himself every desire (Eccl 2:10) to test whether any of these things, pursued to their fullest extent, could provide lasting fulfillment "under the sun." Verse 2 is an early, powerful statement of his negative verdict on the specific categories of laughter and pleasure within this grand personal quest for ultimate satisfaction.

Ecclesiastes 2 2 Word analysis

• I said (אָמַרְתִּי - 'amar'ti): This is a personal declaration, emphasizing Qoheleth's subjective yet thoroughly examined conclusion. It indicates a reasoned judgment, not a fleeting thought, following his "experiment" (as mentioned in Eccl 2:1, "I said in my heart"). This phrase underscores the experiential nature of his findings, giving weight to his pronouncements as deriving from profound personal engagement.

• of laughter (לְשִׂחוֹק - l'sichok): This refers to mirth, amusement, or light-hearted joy. The preposition לְ (l') indicates "concerning" or "to." While laughter itself isn't inherently bad, Qoheleth addresses laughter sought as an end in itself, a purely human effort to inject happiness into a meaningless existence. This points to the superficial, fleeting, and often empty nature of forced gaiety or laughter that merely masks an underlying despair.

• 'It is madness,' (מְהוֹלֵל - meholêl): Derived from a root meaning "to praise" or "to make foolish/mad." Here, it's a participle conveying something that is foolish or drives one to folly. It's not necessarily a moral condemnation, but a pragmatic judgment that this kind of laughter is senseless, unreasoning, and devoid of true benefit or lasting wisdom. It signifies a pursuit that leads away from reason or truth, dissolving into unproductive chaos rather than building meaning.

• and of pleasure (וּלְשִׂמְחָה - ul'simchah): This term, שִׂמְחָה (simchah), often refers to a broader, deeper sense of joy, gaiety, or festive gladness, often accompanying significant events. Coupled with sichok (laughter), it emphasizes all forms of human revelry and enjoyment sought for their own sake. Qoheleth specifically questions the ultimate value of this human pursuit when it is disconnected from any higher purpose.

• 'What does it accomplish?' (מַה־זֹּאת עֹשָׂה - mah zot 'osah): This is a rhetorical question that powerfully implies "nothing" or "nothing of substance." It asks about the practical utility or enduring effect of such pleasure. Qoheleth's conclusion is that despite its temporary appeal, pleasure as an ultimate goal yields no lasting contribution, no profound insight, and no eternal reward. It simply exists, does its brief work of sensation, and then vanishes, leaving behind only emptiness.

• Word-groups analysis:

  • "I said of laughter, 'It is madness,'": This phrase captures the immediate and decisive dismissal of superficial mirth. The shift from a personal observation ("I said") to a strong, negative verdict ("madness") reveals the disillusionment. The brevity emphasizes the quick, firm rejection of mere frivolity as a path to meaning.
  • "and of pleasure, 'What does it accomplish?'": This extends the condemnation from fleeting laughter to broader enjoyment, culminating in a powerful rhetorical question. The interrogative challenges the very purpose or outcome of such pursuits. It suggests a lack of productivity, purpose, or enduring legacy, reinforcing the concept of vanity.

Ecclesiastes 2 2 Bonus section

Qoheleth's methodology throughout Ecclesiastes, particularly in chapter 2, is one of systematic exploration and dispassionate analysis, making him unique in the wisdom tradition. He fully commits to the "pleasure principle" not out of casual interest but with scientific rigor, giving himself over to everything his "eyes desired" (Eccl 2:10). This intensifies the force of his ultimate verdict. His conclusion about laughter and pleasure is therefore not merely a moralizing judgment but the painful outcome of an exhaustive empirical test. The book acknowledges that while true joy (often rooted in accepting God's provisions, Eccl 9:7) is part of life, any attempt to build life's meaning solely upon sensory or emotional experiences leads only to disillusionment, revealing them as empty in the face of death and the human longing for something more. This ancient wisdom deeply resonates in contemporary society, where entertainment and momentary pleasure are often pursued as an escape from existential questions or a substitute for deeper fulfillment, yet still leave many feeling empty.

Ecclesiastes 2 2 Commentary

Ecclesiastes 2:2 represents Qoheleth's direct, even blunt, verdict on hedonism and superficial gaiety as a source of lasting meaning. Having engaged fully in these pursuits as part of his extensive personal experiment, he concludes that chasing laughter and pleasure for their own sake is fundamentally futile. The word "madness" (meholêl) suggests that such a pursuit is irrational, illogical, and doesn't lead to true wisdom or substance. It’s an intellectual and experiential condemnation: there is no inherent logic in seeking ultimate joy from that which provides only momentary sensation. The rhetorical question "What does it accomplish?" regarding pleasure underscores its lack of tangible, enduring output or lasting satisfaction. This isn't a general biblical prohibition against laughter or joy, which are acknowledged elsewhere as gifts from God (Eccl 3:4, 9:7; Neh 8:10), but rather a specific indictment of joy when it becomes the sole or primary pursuit of life's meaning "under the sun." Such joy offers no lasting fulfillment and fails to answer life's ultimate questions, leaving one as empty as before, or even more so. It is a vital counterpoint to the idea that life's difficulties can be escaped through endless amusement, reminding us that without a grounding in ultimate purpose (often found in God), such escapes lead nowhere truly significant.