Ecclesiastes 2:8

I gathered me also silver and gold,.... In great quantities: the weight of gold which came to him in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents; see 1 Kings 9:14; and the peculiar treasure

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

The peculiar treasure of kings; either, 1. Vast riches, answerable to the state of a king. Or, 2. The greatest jewels and rarities of other kings, which they gave to me either as a tribute, or by way of present; of which see 9:11 10:2,10. Of the provinces; which were imposed upon or presented by all the provinces of my dominions. Women singers; whose voices were more sweet than the men’ s. And the delights of the sons of men; either, 1. All other delightful things. Or, 2. That in which men generally delight, to wit, musical instruments, as it follows.

Ecclesiastes 2:8 I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, [as] musical instruments, and that of all sorts.Ver. 8. I gathered me also silver and gold.] Gold of Ophir, now called Peru, where the Spaniards are said to meet with more gold ore than earth; besides his great gifts from other princes, as Hiram, [the] queen of Sheba, &c., his royal revenue, his tributes from foreign nations subdued by his father David, to a very great value. Sextus IV was wont to say, that a pope could never want money while he could hold a pen in his hand. His predecessor, John XXII, left in his treasury to his heirs two hundred and fifty tons of gold. Boniface VIII being plundered by the French, was found to have more wealth, saith mine author, than all the kings of the earth could have raised by one year’ s revenue. It should seem, by the people’ s complaint after Solomon’ s death, that he lay over heavy upon them by his exactors and gold gatherers, which caused the revolt of the ten tribes. One act of injustice oft loseth much that was justly gotten. Chedorlaomer and his fellow kings were deprived of the whole victory, because they spared not a man whom they should have spared. Ill-gotten gold hath a poisonful operation, and will bring up the good food, together with ill humours. And the delights of the sons of men.] These drew out his spirits and dissolved him, and brought him to so low an ebb in grace; his wealth did him far more hurt than his wisdom did him good. It is as hard to bear prosperity as to drink much wine and not be giddy. It is also dangerous to take pleasure in pleasure, to spend too much time in it; as Solomon, for seven years spent in building God’ s house, spent thirteen in his own. Lovers of pleasures, φιληδονοι, are set as last and worst in that catalogue of wickedness in the last days. Petrarch. Heidfield.

(8) Peculiar treasure.—The word is used of the Jewish people (Exodus 19:9; Psalms 135:4; Malachi 3:17; but generally 1 Chronicles 29:3). That Solomon had tributary kings is stated (1 Kings 4:21; 2 Chronicles 9:24; Psalms 72:10; Ezra 4:20). The word used for “provinces” here and in Ecclesiastes 5:8, occurs in reference to the provinces of the Persian Empire repeatedly in the Book of Esther; Ezra 2:1; Nehemiah 7:6; Daniel 8:2. (See also Lamentations 1:1; Ezekiel 19:8.) The word is almost wholly absent from the earlier books, save that it occurs where the “princes of the provinces” are mentioned (1 Kings 20). Singers.—Music was regarded as a necessary accompaniment of feasts (Isaiah 5:12; Amos 6:5; Sir 32:5; Sir 49:1). For David’s employment of professional singers, see 2 Samuel 19:35. Delights.—Son 7:6; Proverbs 19:10; Micah 1:16; Micah 2:9. Musical instruments.—The Hebrew word here used occurs nowhere else, and commentators are reduced to look to the etymology for the explanation of it. Their guesses are so numerous that it would be wearisome to recount them. That adopted in our version is by no means one of the most probable. The interpretation “concubines” is most in favour with commentators, though they differ among themselves as to the grounds on which they justify this translation. And it does appear unlikely that this notorious feature of Solomon’s court should be omitted in an enumeration of his luxury. It will be seen from the margin that the words “of all sorts” have nothing corresponding to them in the original, but are intended as an equivalent for a Hebrew idiom, in which a plural is intensified by prefixing a noun in the singular.

Verse 8. The peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces] 1. The taxes levied off his subjects. 2. The tribute given by the neighboring potentates. Both these make the "peculiar treasure of kings;" taxes and tribute. Men singers and women singers] This includes all instrumental and vocal performers. These may be called the delights of the sons of men. Musical instruments, and that of all sorts.] For these seven words, there are only two in the original, שדה ושדות shiddah veshiddoth. These words are acknowledged on all hands to be utterly unknown, if not utterly inexplicable. Some render them male and female captives; others, cups and flagons; others, cooks and confectioners; others, a species of musical compositions derived from a celebrated Phoenician woman named Sido, to whom Sanchoniatha attributes the invention of music. Others, with more probability, wives and concubines; of the former of whom Solomon had seven hundred, and of the latter, three hundred; and if these be not spoken of here, they are not mentioned at all; whereas music, and every thing connected with that, was referred to before. The author of Choheleth paraphrases thus: - "To complete This scene of earthly bliss, how large a span Of that which most delights the sons of men Fell to my portion! What a lovely train Of blooming beauties, by connubial ties, By purchase, or the gifts of neighboring kings, Or spoils of war, made mine." If, after all this, I may add one conjecture, it shall be this; שדה sadeh, in Hebrew, is a field, and occurs in various parts of the Bible. שדות sadoth is fields, 1 Samuel 22:7, the points in such a case are of no consideration. May not Solomon be speaking here of farms upon farms, or estates upon estates, which he had added by purchase to the common regal portion? We know that a king of Israel (Ahab) once desired to have a vineyard (Naboth's) which he could not obtain: now, Solomon having spoken before of gardens, orchards, and vineyards, why may he not here speak of supernumerary estates? Perhaps every man who critically examines the place will be dissatisfied, and have a conjecture of his own.

8. I gathered me also silver and gold] Here also we find a counterpart in what is recorded of the wealth of Solomon, the ships of Hiram that brought gold from Ophir, to the amount of 420 talents (1 Kings 9:28), the gifts from the queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1), the total revenue of 666 talents (1 Kings 10:15), the 200 targets and 300 shields of beaten gold, and the throne of gold and ivory and the drinking vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon, and the silver that was in Jerusalem as stones (1 Kings 10:16-27). the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces] The words may point to the special gifts which came to Solomon by way of tribute from other lands, from Seba and Sheba (Psalms 72:10), from the “kings of Arabia and the governors of the country” (1 Kings 9:15; 1 Kings 10:27). Many commentators, however, see in the phrase a description of the treasures of Solomon as being such as were the special possessions of sovereign rulers and sovereign states as distinct from the wealth of private citizens. The word for “province” may be noted as a comparatively late word, hardly coming into use till the time of the Captivity (Lamentations 1:1; Ezekiel 19:8), and prominent chiefly in the books of the Persian period, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther and Daniel. It probably designates here the twelve districts into which Solomon divided his empire (1 Kings 4:7-19). men singers and women singers] The mention of women shews that the singers meant are not those connected with the choir of the Temple, but those who, as in the speech of Barzillai (2 Samuel 19:35), figured at state banquets. These women, as in Isaiah 23:6, were commonly taken from the class of harlot aliens, and as such were condemned by the counsel of the wise of heart (Sir 9:4). For the general use of music at feasts, comp. Isaiah 5:11-12; Amos 6:5; Sir 32:5-6; Sir 49:1. the delights of the sons of men] The use of the word in Song Son 7:6 leaves little doubt that the phrase is an euphemism for sensual pleasures, and as such it helps to determine the meaning of the words that follow. musical instruments, and that of all sorts] The Hebrew substantive, which is not found elsewhere, is first given in the singular and then in the plural, as an emphatic way of expressing multitude, and has been very variously interpreted, as meaning, with the A.V., following Luther, a “musical instrument,” or with the Vulgate “cups,” or with the LXX.

Kings - Both tributary 1 Kings 10:15 and independent 1 Kings 5:1; 1 Kings 9:14; 1 Kings 10:2; the “provinces” probably correspond to the kingdoms mentioned in 1 Kings 4:21.

8. Gathered… silver and gold — Solomon’s income, in gold, from trade, was over $3,300,000, besides all other revenue. He made silver like stones for abundance in Jerusalem. 1 Kings 10:27, and elsewhere.