Ecclesiastes6

American Standard Version · Public Domain

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¹There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy upon men:

²a man to whom God giveth riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacketh nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but an alien eateth it; this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

³If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul be not filled with good, and moreover he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he:

⁴for it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is covered with darkness;

⁵moreover it hath not seen the sun nor known it; this hath rest rather than the other:

⁶yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet enjoy no good, do not all go to one place?

⁷All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

⁸For what advantage hath the wise more than the fool? or what hath the poor man, that knoweth how to walk before the living?

⁹Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

¹⁰Whatsoever hath been, the name thereof was given long ago; and it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him that is mightier than he.

¹¹Seeing there are many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?

¹²For who knoweth what is good for man in his life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?

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Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Ecclesiastes 6.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: The vanity of riches. Also of long life and flourishing families. (1-6). The little advantage any one has in outward things. (7-12).

vv1-6

A man often has all he needs for outward enjoyment; yet the Lord leaves him so to covetousness or evil dispositions, that he makes no good or comfortable use of what he has. By one means or other his possessions come to strangers; this is vanity, and an evil disease. A numerous family was a matter of fond desire and of high honour among the Hebrews; and long life is the desire of mankind in general. Even with these additions a man may not be able to enjoy his riches, family, and life. Such a man, in his passage through life, seems to have been born for no end or use. And he who has entered on life only for one moment, to quit it the next, has a preferable lot to him who has lived long, but only to suffer.

vv7-12

A little will serve to sustain us comfortably, and a great deal can do no more. The desires of the soul find nothing in the wealth of the world to give satisfaction. The poor man has comfort as well as the richest, and is under no real disadvantage. We cannot say, Better is the sight of the eyes than the resting of the soul in God; for it is better to live by faith in things to come, than to live by sense, which dwells only upon present things. Our lot is appointed. We have what pleases God, and let that please us. The greatest possessions and honours cannot set us above the common events of human life. Seeing that the things men pursue on earth increase vanities, what is man the better for his worldly devices? Our life upon earth is to be reckoned by days. It is fleeting and uncertain, and with little in it to be fond of, or to be depended on. Let us return to God, trust in his mercy through Jesus Christ, and submit to his will. Then soon shall we glide through this vexatious world, and find ourselves in that happy place, where there is fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore.

Key Words

isH3426Hebrew

יֵשׁ: there is or are (or any other form of the verb to be, as may suit the connection)

evilH7451Hebrew

רַע: bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)

thatH834Hebrew

אֲשֶׁר: who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.

seenH7200Hebrew

רָאָה: to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)

underH8478Hebrew

תַּחַת: the bottom (as depressed); only adverbially, below (often with prepositional prefix underneath), in lieu of, etc.

sunH8121Hebrew

שֶׁמֶשׁ: the sun; by implication, the east; figuratively, a ray, i.e. (architectural) a notched battlement

lies heavyH7227Hebrew

רַב: abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality)

onH5921Hebrew

עַל: above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications

mankindH120Hebrew

אָדָם: ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.)

manH376Hebrew

אִישׁ: a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)