Ecclesiastes 2:12 Commentary and Bible Study

He again indicates an upheaval in this thinking as he was forced to reach an unsavoury conclusion about pleasure, and in his restlessness turned to yet another source of satisfaction. It seems that as one door after another closed and denied him access to any meaning and purpose in life, his search became more and more pessimistic in its outlook. Matthew Henry says, ‘he was sick of his pleasures, and, as nauseating them, he turned from them, that he might again apply himself to speculation’. He therefore turned away from tangible forms of pleasure to more speculative forms.‘For what can the man do who comes after the king?’ This is not said to explain why he changed direction in his search, but to underline his warning to those who come after him and might feel they could succeed where he had failed. The last phrase refers to all those who might be considered examples to those who live afterwards, Solomon himself included. He who comes after Solomon can do no more than Solomon and others have done before. Let the naive optimist humble himself and be ready to learn from Solomon. He is aware of his unique opportunities to make this experiment and is clear that where he has failed, no one coming after him is going to succeed. He therefore urges all men to take note of his conclusions and not waste further time in following the same empty paths that ensnared him. It is not said out of pride as if he saw any effort to re-attempt what he had failed to do as a challenge to his greatness, but he speaks out of pity and to spare men from chasing dreams that raise hopes and only to dash them in despair.