Ecclesiastes 3:9-10 WEB

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ecclesiastes 3:1-10

The scope of these verses is to show, 1. That we live in a world of changes, that the several events of time, and conditions of human life, are vastly different from one another, and yet occur promiscuously, and we are continually passing and repassing between them, as in the revolutions of every day and every year. In the wheel of nature (Jas. 3:6) sometimes one spoke is uppermost and by and by the contrary; there is a constant ebbing and flowing, waxing and waning; from one extreme to the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 3:9

What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? That is, he has none. This is an inference drawn from the above premises, and confirms what has been before observed, Ecclesiastes 1:3 ; Man has no profit of his labour, since his time is so short to enjoy it, and he leaves it to another, he knows not who; and, while he lives, is attended with continual vicissitudes and changes; sometimes it is a time for one thing, and sometimes for its contrary, so that there is nothing... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 3:10

I have seen the travail which God hath given to the sons of men ,.... The pains and trouble they are at to get a little wisdom and knowledge, Ecclesiastes 1:13 ; and so to obtain riches and honour, peace and plenty, which sometimes they do obtain, and sometimes not; and when they do, do not keep them long, for there is a time for everything. This the wise man had observed, in a variety of instances; and he considered the end of God in it, which was for men to be exercised in it , or... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 3:9

What profit hath he - What real good, what solid pleasure, is derived from all the labors of man? Necessity drives him to the principal part of his cares and toils; he labors that he may eat and drink; and he eats and drinks that he may be preserved alive, and kept from sickness and pain. Love of money, the basest of all passions, and restless ambition, drive men to many labors and expedients, which perplex and often destroy them. He, then, who lives without God, travails in pain all his... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 3:10

I have seen the travail - Man is a sinner; and, because he is such, he suffers. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

Section 4. In confirmation of the truth that man's happiness depends upon the will of God, Koheleth proceeds to show how Providence arranges even the minutest concerns; that man can alter nothing, must make the best of things as they are, bear with anomalies, bounding his desires by this present life. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 3:9

If thus man, in all his actions and under all circumstances, depends upon time and seasons which are beyond his control, we return to the same desponding question already asked in Ecclesiastes 1:3 . What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth? The preceding enumeration leads up to this question, to which the answer is "None." Since time and tide wait for no man, since man cannot know for certain his opportunity, he cannot reckon on reaping any advantage from his labor. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 3:10

I have seen the travail which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it; i . e . to busy themselves therewith ( Ecclesiastes 1:13 ). This travail, exercise, or business is the work that has to be done under the conditions prescribed of time and season in face of the difficulty of man's free action and God's ordering. We take infinite pains, we entertain ample desires, and strive restlessly to carry them out, but our efforts are controlled by a higher law, and results... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 3:10-15

There is a plan and system in all the circumstances of man's life; he feels this instinctively, but he cannot comprehend it. His duty is to make the best of the present, and to recognize the immutability of the law that governs all things. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Ecclesiastes 3:9

Ecclesiastes 3:9. What profit hath he that worketh, &c. Seeing then all events are out of man’s power, and no man can do or enjoy any thing at his pleasure, but only when God pleaseth, as has been shown in many particulars, and is as true and certain in all others, hence it follows that all men’s labours, without God’s blessing, are unprofitable, and utterly insufficient to make them happy. read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ecclesiastes 3:1-10

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 3:9

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 3:10

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 3:9

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 3:10

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 3:9

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 3:10

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 3:10-15

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Ecclesiastes 3:9

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