Eat, drink and be merry (Ecclesiastes 8:15 KJV)

Picture description: Feasts
Picture copyright: V. Gilbert and Arlisle F. Beers

bible verse

“…a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry…”

origin and application

Eat, drink and be merry is a common phrase seen in restaurant guides or leisure magazines. Happy hours at pubs are often depicted as a time to “eat, drink and be merry.” With this present-day usage, it may come to you as a surprise that this verse in fact first appeared in the Bible.
It appeared in the Book of Ecclesiastes, believed to be written by King Solomon, a wise king in Israel who is the son of King David. In his later years, he composed a lot of wise sayings which were entered into the Bible as Proverbs and Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament.
The Book of Ecclesiastes is believed to be written during his latter years as he reflected on the meaning of life. To say that “…a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry…” may easily lead us to think of him as a hedonist, a player. But at a deeper level, the author is comparing the limits of man’s life on earth to the limitlessness of eternity that God grants us in heaven.