Ecclesiastes 6:8-12

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ecclesiastes 6:7-10

The preacher here further shows the vanity and folly of heaping up worldly wealth and expecting happiness in it. I. How much soever we toil about the world, and get out of it, we can have for ourselves no more than a maintenance (Eccl. 6:7): All the labour of man is for his mouth, which craves it of him (Prov. 16:26); it is but food and raiment; what is more others have, not we; it is all for the mouth. Meats are but for the belly and the belly for meats; there is nothing for the head and... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ecclesiastes 6:11-22

Here, 1. Solomon lays down his conclusion which he had undertaken to prove, as that which was fully confirmed by the foregoing discourse: There be many things that increase vanity; the life of man is vain, at the best, and there are abundance of accidents that concur to make it more so; even that which pretends to increase the vanity and make it more vexatious. 2. He draws some inferences from it, which serve further to evince the truth of it. (1.) That a man is never the nearer to true... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 6:8

For what hath the wise more than the fool ,.... More delight and pleasure, in gratifying his senses, by eating and drinking: the wise man enjoys no more than the fool; the fool finds as much pleasure in the labour of his hands, which is for his mouth, as the wise man does; and the wise man can get no more satisfaction to his mind, from these outward gratifications, than the fool; what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living ? either, what does the poor man want more than... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 6:9

Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire ,.... By "the sight of the eyes" is not meant the bare beholding outward riches, as in Ecclesiastes 5:11 ; but the enjoyment of present mercies; such things as a man is in the possession of, and with which he should be content, Hebrews 13:5 ; and by "the wandering of the desire", the craving appetite and insatiable lust of the covetous mind, which enlarges its desire as hell, after a thousand things, and everything it can... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 6:10

That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it is man ,.... Which may be understood of the first man Adam, who has been, has existed, was produced by the immediate power of God, creating and forming him out of the dust of the earth; was made after the image, and in the likeness of God, a wise and knowing creature, a rich and powerful one, the figure of him that was to come, being the head and representative of all his posterity; and he has been named already, he had his... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 6:11

Seeing there be many things that increase vanity ,.... As appears by all that has been said in this and the preceding chapters; such as wisdom and knowledge, wealth and riches, pleasure, power, and authority. Man is a poor vain creature himself, all he is and has is vanity; and these serve but to increase it, and make him vainer and vainer still; what is man the better ? for these things? not at all, rather the worse, being more vain; there is no profit by them, no excellency arises to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 6:12

For who knoweth what is good for man in this life ?.... To be in a higher or lower station of life, to live in grandeur or meanness, to be rich or poor, learned or unlearned; since that which seems most agreeable to human nature is at, ended with so much vanity, the occasion of so much sin, and often issues in ruin and misery, that no man knows what is best for him; and therefore it is the wisest way to be content with what a man has, and enjoy it in the most comfortable manner, and use... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 6:8

For what hath the wise more than the fool? - They must both labor for the same end. Both depend upon the labor of themselves or others for the necessaries of life. Both must eat and drink in order to live; and the rich man can no more eat two meals at a time, than he can comfortably wear two changes of raiment. The necessaries of life are the same to both, and their condition in life is nearly similar; liable to the same diseases, dissolution, and death. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 6:9

Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire - This is translated by the Vulgate, as a sort of adage: Melius est videre quod cupias, quam desiderare quod nescias, "It is better to see what one desires than to covet what one knows not." It is better to enjoy the present than to feed one's self with vain desires of the future. What we translate the wandering of desire, נפש מהלך mehaloch nephesh , is the travelling of the soul. What is this? Does it simply mean desire?... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 6:10

That which hath been is named already - The Hebrew of this verse might be translated, "Who is he who is? His name has been already called. And it is known that he is Adam; and that he cannot contend in judgment with him who is stronger than he." "What is more excellent than man; yet can he not, in the lawe, get the victory of him that is mightier than he." - Coverdale. Adam is his name; and it at once points out, His dignity; he was made in the image of God. His fall; he sinned... read more

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