2:9 before me in Jerusalem. Assuming that Solomon was the author of Ecclesiastes (note Ecclesiastes 1:1), then there had been only one king in Jerusalem before Solomon. David had taken Jerusalem from the Jebusites, so only David and his other sons (especially Absalom) could have accumulated wealth on a large scale. In any case, Solomon found that wealth and all it could purchase were completely unsatisfying in themselves. The New Testament also warns frequently of the deceptive allure of riches (I Timothy 6:10,17; James 5:1-3; etc.).