Ecclesiastes 2:5 Meaning and Explanation
“I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The Preacher cultivates gardens and orchards filled with every kind of fruit tree.
What Does Ecclesiastes 2:5 Mean?
The catalogue of works continues. The king lays out gardens and orchards and fills them with trees of every fruit. The scene recalls a planted paradise, an attempt to gather abundance and beauty into one's own estate.
There is an echo here of the garden where humanity first dwelt, given to keep and enjoy. The Preacher reaches for that lost fullness by his own hand. The reaching is not wrong, but it cannot reproduce what was given by grace. The verse leaves the reader longing for a fruitfulness that comes as gift rather than as something built to one's own credit.
Ecclesiastes 2:5 in the Original Language
pardes (פַּרְדֵּס), 'orchard' -- an enclosed park or garden, the word from which 'paradise' comes.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ecclesiastes 2:5
What does Ecclesiastes 2:5 mean?
The Preacher cultivates gardens and orchards filled with every kind of fruit tree.