Ecclesiastes 2:5 kjv

I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:

Ecclesiastes 2:5 nkjv

I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.

Ecclesiastes 2:5 niv

I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.

Ecclesiastes 2:5 esv

I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees.

Ecclesiastes 2:5 nlt

I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees.

Ecclesiastes 2 verses

Ecclesiastes 2 5 Meaning

Ecclesiastes 2:5 describes the immense scale of Qohelet's (the Teacher/Preacher) personal building and horticultural projects. He meticulously established grand gardens and expansive parks, systematically filling them with an unparalleled diversity of fruit trees. This verse illustrates Qohelet's extensive and luxurious endeavors undertaken in his rigorous quest to discover ultimate meaning, satisfaction, and enduring pleasure solely through human achievements and earthly possessions "under the sun."

Ecclesiastes 2 5 Context

This verse is integral to Ecclesiastes 2, which details Qohelet's intensive exploration into human experience to discover life's meaning beyond intellectual pursuits. After concluding that the pursuit of wisdom alone yielded "vanity," he shifts his focus in chapter 2 to fully engage with pleasure and material achievements. Verse 5 is part of a grand list of opulent personal endeavors, including constructing lavish homes, acquiring vast herds and servants, accumulating immense wealth, and undertaking extensive building projects. His creation of elaborate gardens and pardesim (parks) filled with "all kinds of fruit trees" serves as a specific illustration of his deep dive into sensuous enjoyment and aesthetic luxury, demonstrating a deliberate and comprehensive attempt to extract lasting satisfaction from personal affluence and cultivated beauty. These ventures, all undertaken "for myself," highlight a self-centric worldview that the Teacher ultimately finds wanting.

Ecclesiastes 2 5 Word analysis

• "I made myself" (עָשִׂיתִי לִי - ʿāśîtî lî):

  • ʿāśîtî is the first-person singular form of the verb ʿāśâ ("to make, do, acquire"), indicating personal initiation and accomplishment.
  • lî is a dative pronoun meaning "for myself" or "to me." This emphatic repetition highlights Qohelet's deliberate and singular focus on his own gratification and benefit. These grand projects were not for the people, for the kingdom, or for divine worship, but exclusively for personal indulgence, underscoring the self-centered nature of his experiment.

• "gardens" (גַּנּוֹת - gannôt):

  • The plural of gan (גַּן), meaning "garden" or "enclosed space." In the ancient world, gardens represented a cultivated oasis, requiring significant labor and resources, often indicating wealth and luxury. These were spaces for beauty, relaxation, and cultivation, often yielding valuable produce.

• "and parks" (וּפַרְדֵּסִים - uphardēsîm):

  • This is a crucial word. Pardēs (פַּרְדֵּס) is a Persian loanword related to "paradise" (from pairidaēza, meaning an "enclosure" or "park"). It signifies a grand, walled royal pleasure park, typically extensive, often with diverse trees, flowing water, and sometimes animals, designed for leisurely strolls, hunting, and enjoyment.
  • The term evokes images of lush, magnificent estates, emphasizing the unparalleled extravagance and royal scale of Qohelet's projects, consciously paralleling legendary "paradises" while ironically foreshadowing their ultimate vanity.

• "and I planted" (וְנָטַעְתִּי - wənaṭaʿtî):

  • From the verb naṭaʿ (נָטַע), "to plant," it indicates deliberate effort and foresight. Planting trees is a long-term investment, suggesting a sustained commitment to these grand designs and an expectation of long-lasting returns in pleasure or status.

• "in them" (בָהֶם - bāhem):

  • Refers collectively to both the "gardens and parks," indicating that these vast cultivated spaces were meticulously filled and purposed for their specific contents.

• "all kinds of fruit trees" (עֵץ כָּל-פֶּרִי - ʿēṣ kol-perî):

  • ʿēṣ (tree), kol (all/every), perî (fruit). This phrase emphasizes comprehensiveness and exotic diversity. It suggests not just an orchard, but a vast botanical collection, comprising every imaginable variety of fruit-bearing tree, chosen for taste, beauty, and rarity. This demonstrates an unquenchable desire for having "everything," a characteristic pursuit of those seeking satisfaction through accumulation and worldly abundance.

Ecclesiastes 2 5 Bonus section

The choice of the Persian loanword pardēs (park/paradise) is particularly evocative, as its Greek equivalent (paradeisos) is notably used in the Septuagint to translate "Garden of Eden" (Gen 2:8). This subtly contrasts Qohelet's self-made pleasure ground with God's perfect, pristine garden designed for human fellowship and flourishing. Qohelet attempts to recreate a "paradise" through human effort and wealth, but without God, it becomes just another facet of the transient "vanity." This implicit comparison reinforces the theme that humanity's best efforts "under the sun," no matter how magnificent, are inherently incomplete and cannot provide ultimate rest or joy without reference to their Creator.

Ecclesiastes 2 5 Commentary

Ecclesiastes 2:5 provides a vivid image of Qohelet's maximalist pursuit of pleasure through personal grandeur. His creation of extensive gardens and elaborate pardesim (parks), densely populated with every imaginable variety of fruit tree, showcases immense wealth, foresight, and a singular focus on self-indulgence. This pursuit, typical of the powerful and privileged "under the sun," was an attempt to derive lasting contentment from aesthetic beauty, luxurious provision, and a tangible sense of mastery over nature. However, Qohelet's later verdict of "vanity" reveals the profound inadequacy of even the most elaborate earthly achievements to provide genuine, enduring meaning. The verse highlights humanity's natural inclination to find ultimate satisfaction in the physical and self-made, while demonstrating that such pursuits, however impressive, ultimately lead to an existential void when severed from a divine perspective. It serves as a stark reminder that true "paradise" is not manufactured by human hands for personal gain.