“Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.”
My Notes
What Does Ecclesiastes 8:15 Mean?
"Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun." Solomon arrives at one of Ecclesiastes' recurring conclusions: commend joy. Eat, drink, and be merry — not as hedonistic abandon but as the wisest possible response to life's uncertainties. The mirth is the portion that ABIDES — that stays with you through your labor days. Everything else is vapor.
The phrase "I commended mirth" (shibbachti ani et hasimchah — I praised joy/gladness) is a deliberate endorsement: after extensive investigation of wisdom, folly, labor, and death, Solomon COMMENDS joy. The joy isn't an escape from the investigation. It's the conclusion OF the investigation. After examining everything, joy is what Solomon recommends.
The "shall abide with him of his labour" (hu yilvenu baamalo — it will accompany him in his toil) makes joy the only lasting companion of labor: the accomplishments may fade. The legacy may crumble. The wealth may transfer to someone else. But the JOY of the labor stays with the laborer. The mirth abides when everything else passes.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Are you enjoying the journey or deferring joy until some future arrival?
- 2.What does Solomon commending joy AFTER investigating everything teach about informed happiness?
- 3.How does joy being the thing that 'abides' reframe what's permanent in a temporary life?
- 4.What eating, drinking, and merriment — simple daily pleasures — are you overlooking?
Devotional
I commend joy. After investigating everything — wisdom, folly, wealth, death, labor, legacy — Solomon's recommendation is: be merry. Eat. Drink. Enjoy. Not because life is meaningless. Because joy is the one thing that STAYS with you through your labor. Everything else passes. The mirth abides.
The 'I commended mirth' comes after chapters of investigation: this isn't naive optimism. It's researched joy. Solomon has looked at everything under the sun — the futility, the injustice, the impermanence, the death that equalizes wise and foolish — and his conclusion is: joy. Not denial. Not escapism. Joy as the wisest possible response to a temporary life.
The 'eat, and drink, and be merry' sounds hedonistic but isn't: Solomon isn't saying 'indulge because nothing matters.' He's saying 'enjoy because this IS your portion.' The eating and drinking and merriment are the tangible, daily pleasures that God gives with the labor. The food on the table tonight. The drink shared with friends. The laughter that accompanies the living. THESE are the gifts.
The 'shall abide with him of his labour' is the surprising claim: joy is the ONE THING that lasts. Not the wealth (it transfers). Not the achievement (it's forgotten). Not the legacy (it crumbles). The JOY of the living — the mirth that accompanied the labor — abides. The person who enjoyed the journey keeps that enjoyment. The person who deferred joy for results keeps neither.
Are you enjoying the journey — or waiting for something that may never arrive to make you happy?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Then I commended mirth,.... Innocent mirth, a cheerfulness of spirit in whatsoever state condition men are; serenity and…
Mirth - Better, Gladness, or “joy” (as in Ecc 2:10). The Hebrew word is applied not only to the pleasures arising from…
Wise and good men have, of old, been perplexed with this difficulty, how the prosperity of the wicked and the troubles…
Then I commended mirth As before in chs. Ecc 2:14; Ecc 3:12; Ecc 3:22; Ecc 5:18, the Epicurean element of thought…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture