The Pulpit Commentary — Ecclesiastes — Section 51

•• Dulce est desipere in loco," sl\ys Hornce It is probably derived from the Zend (' Carm.,' iv. 12. 2S); 'Ev µ/;v µa.1110µ/110,1 pafridaeza," an euolosme." (For the trees in µJ.J..a µafvoµa, (Tlleognis, 313). Till I such pn.1·ks, see C1mt. iv. 13, 14; and for o.u might see. His purpose we.s to discover ir estimate of Solomon's works,' Josephus, there we.s in these tllings Rny real good • Ant.,' viii. 7. 3.) which might satisfy men's cravings, and be Ver. 6.-Pools of water. Great core wna e. worthy object for them to pursue e.ll the exercised by Solomon to provide his capital days of their life. with water, and vast opero.tions were under- Yer. 4. -Th is commences a new experience te.keu for this purpose. "The king's pool," in the pursuit of his object. Leaving this mentioned in Neh. ii. 14, may havo beon life of self-indulgence, he takes to art and constructed by him (Josephus,' Dell. Jud.,' culture, the details being drawn from the v. 4. 2); but the most celebrated work ascribed accounts of tile historical Solomon. I made to him is the water-supply at Etharn, south- me great works; literally, I made great west of Bethlehem, and the aqueduct leading my ,corks; Septungiut, 'EµryclAwa 1rol7Jµcl from thence to Jerusalem. Most modern µou; Yulgate, Maqn;fiea'L-i opera mea. travellers have described these pools. They Among these works the temple, with all its are three in number, and, according to wonderful structural preparations, is not Robinson's measurement, are of immense specially mentioned, perllaps because no ono size. The first, to the east, is. 582 feet long, could think of Solomon without connecting 207 wide, and 50 deep; the second, 432 by his name with this magnificent building, 250, and 39 feet deep ; the third, 380 by 236, and it was superfluous to call attention to and 25 feet deep. They nre all, however, it; or else because the religious aspect of his narrower at the upper end, and widen out operations is not here in question, but only gradually, flowing one into the other. There his taste and pursuit of beauty. But the is a copious spring led into the uppermost omission tells strongly against the Solomonic pool from the north-east, but this supply is authorship of the book. I builded me augmented by other sources now choked and houses. Solomon bad a passion for erecting rniued. The water from the pools was magnificent buildings. We have various conveyed round the ridge on which Bethle- accounts of his works of this nature in l hem stands in earthen pipes to Jerusalem. Kings vii. and ix.; 2 Chron. viii. There Dr. Thomson (' The Land and the Book,' was the huge palace for himself, which occu- p. 326) says," Near that city it was carried pied thirteen years in building; there was along the west side of the Valley of Gihon to the "house of the forest of Lebanon," a the north-western end of the lower Pool of splendid ball constructed with pillars of Gihon, where it crossed to the east side, and, cedar; the porch of pillars; the hall of winding round the southern declivity of jadgment; the harem for the daughter of Zion below Neby Daud, finally entered the Phare.oh. Then there were fortresses, store- south-eastern comer of tile temple area, cities, chariot-towns, national works of great where the water was employed in the importance; cities in distant Ia.nds which he various services of the sanctuary." Ethnm founded, such e.s Tadmor in the wilderness. is, with good reason, identified with the I planteft me vineyards. David had vine- beautiful valley of Urtas, which lies south- yards and oliveyards (1 Cbron. n:vii. 27, 28), west of Bethlehem, in the immediate which passed into the possession of his son; neighbourhood of the pools of Solomon. nnd we read in Cant. viii. 11 of a vineyard The fountain near the present village that Solomon had in Baal-bamon, which watered the gardens and orche.rde which some identify with Belamon (Judith viii. 3), were planted here, the terraced hills around a place near Shunem, in the Plaiu of were covered with vines, figs, and olives, Esdraelon. and the prospect must have been delight- Ver. 5.-I ma.de me gardens and orchards. ful nnd refreshing in that thirsty land. To Solomon's love of gardens appears through- water therewith the wood that bringeth out the Canticles (vi. 2, etc.). He had a forth trees ; Revised Version, to water king's garden on the slope of the hills south therefrom the forest wl,ere trees were reared; of the city (2 Kings xxv. 4); and Beth- literally, in order to irrigate a wood sprout- haccherem, "the House of the Vine," at Ain ing forth trees; i.e. a nursery of saplings. Karim, about six miles east of Jerusalem So we read how the Garden of Eden was (J~r. vi. 1); and at Daal-hamon another watered (Gen. ii. 10; xiii. 10)-a most extensive vineyard (Cant. viii. 11). The necessary feature in Eastern countries, word rendered "orchard" (parder) occurs where streams and pools are not constructed nlso in Cant. iv. 13 and Neh. ii. 8. It is a for picturesque reasons, but for mate.rial Persian word, and passed into the Greek uses. form 1r11pcl3rnros (Xenophon, • Anab.,' i. 2. 7), Ver. 7.-I got me--I bought, procured- meaning "a park" planted with forest and servants and maideD.11. These ore distinct fruit trees, awl containini; herde of ~nimals, from tho~o meQticined immodiutcly after, OH, II, 1-26.] ECCLESIASTES; OH, THE PREACHEf!. 33