Ecclesiastes 2:10

"So I was great, and increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also remained with me."

Key Reflection

This verse suggests Solomon’s personal experience of surpassing his predecessors in both power and wisdom within Jerusalem, highlighting his zenith in material and intellectual achievement. However, it also foreshadows the fleeting nature of such accomplishments, setting up a contrast with the ultimate meaninglessness he later concludes in the book.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Portion -A word of frequent occurrence. By it Solomon describes the pleasure found in the act of working and also perhaps the pleasure felt in the process of acquiring wisdom; this pleasure is admitted to be good, if received from God (Ecclesiastes 2:26;Ecclesiastes 5:18; compare1 Timothy 4:4); but being transitory it is subject to vanity, and therefore does not afford a sufficient answer to the repeated question, “What profit etc.?”Ecclesiastes 1:3.

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