This verse uses a typical Hebrew figurative expression, substituting a part of an object for its whole. Thus Qoheleth speaks of his eyes desiring and his heart finding pleasure. In some languages these figures of speech may be maintained, but in other languages it may be more natural to speak of the whole person, namely, “I.”

Qoheleth has used the verb “see” in connection with his experiment or test of life (see 1.14; 2.3). When he refers in this verse to whatever my eyes desired, we know that he is still talking about the full process of examining life. This link between “see,” “test,” and “eyes” is important in helping us determine the meaning of the verse. There is no doubt that whatever my eyes desired means he thoroughly examined everything he wanted. The Hebrew is literally “everything my eyes asked for,” and Revised Standard Version stays close to that form. In some languages it may be awkward to say that eyes desire something. In that case we may need to use a less literal translation such as “whatever I wanted to test.”

I did not keep from them shows that nothing was overlooked, and no pleasure was beyond his experience. We can say “I overlooked nothing,” or “Whatever I desired to test, I tested; I overlooked nothing at all,” or even “Whatever I desired, I tested to find out everything about it.”

The expression in the next clause is parallel but not as broad as that in the first clause; it speaks of the thorough testing of pleasure. (Note the comments about “pleasure” in verse 1.) The fuller content of the word is seen also in the way it is used in conjunction with “toil” in the next part of the verse. Qoheleth’s enjoyment of “pleasure” was largely intellectual; he wasn’t simply looking for a good time. Thus I kept my heart from no pleasure indicates that he seriously tested every pleasure without reserve and then pondered the meaning of what he had seen and experienced. We can give its meaning as “I determined to examine everything that offered enjoyment.” This form is more positive than the Hebrew, “I did not hold back on testing every form of pleasure,” but communicates the same meaning.

For my heart … is not a motive clause as Revised Standard Version suggests, but one indicating the result of his examination. In fact the verse should be punctuated to indicate that a new thought begins here, perhaps by beginning a new sentence. The opening particle for is the emphatic marker ki, “indeed” or “truly.” When Qoheleth says my heart found pleasure in all my toil, he brings together the two ideas of “pleasure” and “work,” showing how they are related. Again note that heart (that is to say, his “mind” or “himself”) is the means for finding pleasure; it is an intellectual exercise. For the meaning of the word toil, refer to the discussion in 1.3. Here we can stress that toil is not a negative or tiresome task, because it relates closely with pleasure. Toil can be understood as a technical term for the serious task he was pursuing, namely, the testing of pleasure. Here a good translation for “toil” is “all I did.” We can say “So I was pleased with all I did.”

And this was my reward for all my toil: the demonstrative this refers back to the pleasure Qoheleth derived from his toil. With this point clear, we know now that he was able to find some value in all he did and achieved. He uses the word reward or “portion” to describe that benefit. This is an important term in Qoheleth’s vocabulary, and we find it used alongside the word “toil” in 2.21; 3.22; 5.18; 9.6, 9; and 11.2. This context shows what he means by this word “portion” or “reward”: it describes the joy of achieving, as well as his pleasure in the things themselves. However, it is clear that “portion” is not the complete answer to what he was seeking; it is only a part of what might be available. It is distinct from the “lasting benefit” he was searching for. “Portion” is available under the sun; it can also be lost, as 5.12-13 demonstrates, or be left to an heir. In contrast “lasting benefit” (yithron) refers to something less material that cannot be gained in this world. The last part of the verse can be rendered “Indeed, in all I did I found real joy, and that joy was my reward.”

A model for the translation of the whole verse is:

• Everything I wanted to do, I did. I denied myself no pleasure. Yes, I was pleased with all I was able to do, and the pleasure it gave me was its [own] reward.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .