Ecclesiastes 2:25 (KJV)

What does Ecclesiastes 2:25 mean?

Ecclesiastes 2:25 presents the speaker as someone with exceptional experience of eating and pursuing pleasure. His question supports his judgment about enjoyment: he speaks as one who has had ample opportunity to test what pleasure can offer.

The question follows the speaker’s recognition in verse 24 that enjoyment comes from God’s hand. In the KJV, “hasten hereunto” pictures someone eagerly seeking enjoyment. “More than I” makes the question personal: the speaker draws on his own experience as evidence.

The Hebrew behind Ecclesiastes 2:25

• “hasten” — חוּשׁ (ḥush): This word can mean to hurry or hasten. In the KJV’s wording, the speaker pictures an eager pursuit of pleasure.

Why Ecclesiastes 2:25 matters

• The question carries the force of a claim, not a request for a list of rivals. “Who … more than I?” presents the speaker’s experience as unusually extensive.
• The speaker’s experience gives weight to the conclusion he has just reached. After testing pleasure for himself, he connects the enjoyment of food and work with God’s hand in verse 24.
• The next verse adds a contrast to the speaker’s account of enjoyment. Verse 26 speaks of both the person who pleases God and the sinner, placing the speaker’s question within a wider reflection on what people receive and gather.