Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 2:6
I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:
6. I made me pools of water ] Those at Etam have been mentioned above. Besides these we have the fish-pools of Heshbon (Song Son 7:4), the pool of the king (Neh 2:14), possibly also, the pools of Siloam (Joh 9:7), and Beth-esda (Joh 5:2). In Palestine, as in India, these large tanks or reservoirs of water, as meeting the necessities of the climate, were among the favourite works of kingly munificence. Stress is laid on the fact that they were not for beauty only, but for service in irrigating the extensive park.
the wood that bringeth forth trees ] Better, “ a grove making trees to bud,” i. e. in the language of modern gardening, a “nursery” for young trees.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Pools – A short distance south of Bethlehem, in a valley in the defile of Urtas, three Pools of Solomon are still shown and an adjoining hill still bears the name of the Little Paradise.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 6. Pools of water] Tanks and reservoirs.
To water therewith the wood] Aqueducts to lead the water from the tanks to different parts.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I made me pools of water, because the rain there fell but seldom.
The wood that bringeth forth trees; the nurseries of young trees newly planted in the orchards, which for the multitude of them were like a wood or forest.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. poolsartificial, forirrigating the soil (Gen 2:10;Neh 2:14; Isa 1:30).Three such reservoirs are still found, called Solomon’s cisterns, amile and a half from Jerusalem.
wood that bringethforthrather, “the grove that flourisheth withtrees” [LOWTH].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
I made me pools of water,…. For cascades and water works to play in, as well as to keep and produce fish of all kinds: mention is made of the king’s pools, Ne 2:14; the fish pools at Heshbon, by the gate of Bathrabbim, perhaps belonged to Solomon, So 7:4; Little more than a league from Bethlehem are pools of water, which at this day are called the fish pools of Solomon; they are great reservatories cut in the rock, the one at the end of the other; the second being a little lower than the first, and the third than the second, and so communicate the water from one to another when they are full c; and of which Mr. Maundrell d gives the following account:
“They are about an hour and a quarter distant from Bethlehem, southward; they are three in number, lying in a row above each other, being so disposed, that the waters of the uppermost may descend into the second, and those of the second into the third; their figure is quadrangular; the breadth is the same in all, amounting to above ninety paces; in their length there is some difference between them, the first being about an hundred sixty paces long; the second, two hundred; the third, two hundred twenty; they are all lined with a wall, and plastered, and contain a great depth of water.”
And to these, he observes, together with the gardens adjoining, Solomon is supposed to allude, Ec 2:5. There are to be seen, he says e, some remains of an old aqueduct, which anciently conveyed the waters from Solomon’s pools to Jerusalem; this is said to be the genuine work of Solomon, and may well be allowed to be in reality what it is pretended for. So Rauwolff f says,
“beyond the tower of Ader, in another valley, not far from Bethlehem, they show still to this day a large orchard, full of citron, lemon, orange, pomegranate, and fig trees, and many others, which King Solomon did plant in his days; with ponds, canals, and other water works, very pleasantly prepared, as he saith himself, Ec 2:5; this is still in our time full of good and fruitful trees, worthy to be seen for their sakes, and ditches there: wherefore I really believe it to be the same Josephus g makes mention of, called Ethan, about twelve mile from Jerusalem; where Solomon had pleasant gardens and water pools, to which he used to ride early in a morning.”
Mr. Maundrell h also makes mention of some cisterns, called Solomon’s cisterns, at Roselayn, about an hour from the ruins of Tyre; of which there are three entire at this day; one about three hundred yards distant from the sea, the other two a little further up; and, according to tradition, they were made by that great king, in recompence to King Hiram, for supplying materials towards building the temple: but, as he observes, these, though ancient, could not be built before the time of Alexander; since the aqueduct, which conveys the water from hence to Tyre, is carried over the neck of land, by which he joined the city to the continent. Jarchi interprets these pools in this text of places to keep fish alive in, and so the Midrash understands by them fish pools; though they seem to be canals made in the gardens, orchards, and parks;
to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees; the young nurseries, which in time grew up to large fruit bearing trees; which, being numerous and thick, looked like a wood or forest, as the word is; and which canals and nurseries both added greatly to the delight and pleasure of those places. In this manner the Indians water their gardens; who commonly have in them a great pit, or kind of fish pool, which is full of rain water; and just by it there is a basin of brick, raised about two feet higher than the ground: when therefore they have a mind to water the garden, it is filled with water from the fish pool, or pit; which, through a hole that is at the bottom, falls into a canal, that is divided into many branches, proportionable in size to their distance from the basin, and carries the water to the foot of each tree, and to each plot of herbs; and when the gardeners think they are watered enough, they stop up, or turn aside, the canals with clods of earth i. The beauty of a plant, or tree, is thus described by Aelianus k;
“branches generous, leaves thick, stem or trunk firm and stable, roots deep; winds shaking it; a large shadow cast from it; changing with the seasons of the year; and water, partly brought through canals, and partly coming from heaven, to water and nourish it; and such beautiful, well watered, and flourishing trees, contribute much to the pleasure of gardens.”
c Thevenot’s Travels, B. 2. ch. 47. p. 202. d Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 88. edit. 7. e Ibid. p. 90. f Travels, part 3. ch. 22. p. 322. Vid. Egmont and Heyman’s Travels, vol. 1. p. 367, 368. g Antiqu. l. 8. c. 7. s. 13. h Ut supra, p. 50, 51. (Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, edit. 7.) i Agreement of Customs between the East Indians and Jews, Art. 21. p. 78. k Var. Hist. l. 2. c. 14.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(6) Pools.In a place south of Bethlehem are still pointed out three gigantic reservoirs, known as the Pools of Solomon (Stanleys Jewish Church, 2:197). The place is probably the same as that called Etham by Josephus in his description of Solomons luxury (Ant. viii. 7. 3). Josephus speaks of another Pool of Solomon (Bell. Jud. v. 4. 2). Tanks are necessary for irrigation in a land where natural streams are few and are dried up in summer. The kings pool is mentioned in Neh. 2:14.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. Pools of water The making of cisterns and fixtures for watering gardens is in the dry East indispensable. For such purpose, in part, the now famous Pools of Solomon, south of Bethlehem, may have been constructed. The same occurs in our Colorado. A well-watered Eastern garden, enlivened by playing fountains and birds “that sing among the branches,” is a most charming object.
The wood Better, groves, in which the trees were grown.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ecc 2:6. To water therewith the wood, &c. To water therewith the nursery of young trees. Desvoeux. Hebrew, the forest-budding trees.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Ecc 2:6 I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:
Ver. 6. To water therewith the wood, ] i.e., The gardens or hort yards, that were as large as little woods. Christ’s garden in the Canticles, as it hath a wall, Son 4:15 so a well to water it, and make it fruitful.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
wood = forest.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
pools: Neh 2:14, Son 7:4
to water: Psa 1:3, Jer 17:8
Reciprocal: Son 4:15 – fountain