Chapter 6

1 The vanity of riches without use. 3 Of children, 6 and old age without riches. 9 The vanity of sight and wandering desires. 11 The conclusion of vanities.

1. Common among men. Literally, “it is much upon men.” Solomon states what he has personally witnessed.

2. God hath given. The Creator and Lord of the universe is God. Whatever there is of good in the world is to be credited to Him.

Riches, wealth, and honour. David acknowledged God as the source of these blessings (1 Chron. 29:12). The “honour” here referred to is that of material glory and splendor, such as God had bestowed upon Solomon (1 Kings 3:13; 2 Chron. 1:11, 12).

Soul. That is, the man himself (see chs. 2:24; 4:8).

Eat. Here used figuratively in the sense of “enjoy,” “take pleasure in,” as in Isa. 3:10; Jer. 15:16.

A stranger. Literally, “a man, a foreigner.” The same word is translated “alien” (Deut. 14:21) and “foreigner” (Deut. 15:3). Here, emphasis is laid upon the fact that this unfortunate man will have no heir of his own to carry on his work and perpetuate his name. Compare the experience of Abraham (Gen. 15:2).

Disease. The same word is translated “grief” in Isa 53:3, 4; Jer. 6:7; 10:19.

3. An hundred children. The word translated “children” is not in the Hebrew text, but is obviously to be understood. To have many sons was the devout hope of every Jew, who looked upon his children as a rich blessing received from the Lord (Gen. 24:60; Ps. 127:3–5). The number given is a round figure used as equivalent to “many” (Gen. 26:12; 2 Sam. 24:3; Prov. 17:10). But compare the size of Rehoboam’s family (2 Chron. 11:21) with that of Ahab’s (2 Kings 10:1).

Years be many. Premature death was looked upon as a curse, even as longevity was regarded as a desirable blessing (Ex. 20:12; Deut. 11:9, 21; cf. Ps. 90:10).

No burial. This represents the supposed climax of all the evil that can come upon a man. Not to be properly buried was regarded as dishonoring in the extreme. Compare David’s threat to Goliath (1 Sam. 17:46) and the experience of Jehoiakim (Jer. 22:18, 19). Like the heathen around them, the Hebrews attached great importance to burial with honor (see Isa. 14:19, 20; Jer. 16:4, 5).

Untimely birth. A stillborn child, one that had never lived (see Job 3:16; Ps. 58:8). Though the stillborn child enjoys none of the pleasures of life, it also suffers none of life’s pains and disappointments.

4. He. Rather “it,” the stillborn child—not the rich man.

With vanity. The meaning is that the stillborn child comes into the world to no purpose.

Darkness. The stillborn child is immediately disposed of, with no funeral rites, no ceremony to pay it honor, to keep it in remembrance. It remains nameless, unrecorded. A child may eventually achieve glory, honor, and fame, but the stillborn child never emerges from the silence and darkness of death.

5. Not seen the sun. A figure of speech in which the sun stands for all the experiences and pleasures of life (see Job 3:16; Ps. 58:8).

More rest. Rest is an Oriental ideal, one that has found expression in such concepts as nirvana, the ideal future state of the Buddhist religion, and the Hindu desire for reabsorption into the great Atman. The experience of a stillborn is here cynically regarded as more desirable than vicissitudes that constitute a normal part of human existence.

6. A thousand years twice. Or, two thousand years. If a rich man lives twice as long as Methuselah (see Gen. 5:27), but derives little or no true enjoyment from life, longevity would have been of little profit to him. Without health and happiness, mere length of years is of little advantage.

Seen no good. It is better not to be born than to miss the supreme good God wills for each of His earthborn children. Life proves worth while only if that supreme good is realized.

One place. Ancient Jewish belief held that all men, good or bad, go to one place, the grave (Eccl. 3:20; see on Prov. 15:11). The grave receives all that die. The stillborn child, says Solomon, is to be congratulated in that it arrives in sheХol without passing through a life of sorrows, ills, and disappointments.

7. Mouth. A figure for indulgence in pleasures of sense (Ps. 128:2; Prov. 16:26; Eccl. 2:24; 3:13).

Appetite. Heb. nephesh. The same word appears in v. 3 as “soul” and in v. 9 as “desire.” The reference here is to the more sensuous side of one’s being (see Job 12:11; Prov. 16:26; Isa. 29:8). A lifetime is spent in labor to meet the requirements of an ever-demanding appetite, observes the wise man, yet without attainment of the supreme good.

8. What hath the wise? Literally, “What advantage hath the wise?” The Heb. yother, left untranslated by the KJV, means “superiority,” “advantage,” “profit.” Like the fool, the wise man toils to satisfy the cravings of appetite.

What hath the poor? Another contrast similar to that in the first clause is no doubt intended here—“What advantage hath the poor man, who knows how to walk before the living, than the fool who does not?” The poor man in his poverty and adverse circumstances has learned how to make the best of what he has. The fool, thinking of nothing but his desires and his appetites, constantly frets and strives for more than he possesses. Yet the poor man and the fool are alike in that neither is able to get all he would like to have.

9. Sight of the eyes. It is better to be content with that which is at hand than to be ever longing for what is not. A fool’s eyes are in the ends of the earth.

Wandering. The intense desire for that which is beyond one’s reach. This “wandering of the desire” often leads to crimes of violence.

10. Named already. Another way of stating the point of view expressed in ch. 1:9—“There is no new thing under the sun.”

It is man. No person is more than human, irrespective of who he may be. The Hebrew word here used for “man” is Хadam, which describes a human being as being taken from the dust, Хadamah (see on Gen. 1:26; Num. 24:3). The greatest of men are but mortal, destined to return to the dust (Eccl. 12:7).

Contend with him. Presumably, with God, in harmony with Isa. 45:9; Rom. 9:20 (see Job 33:12). Jewish commentators prefer the translation, “mightier than it,” making the pronoun refer to death. The KJV translation is preferable.

11. Things. Preferably, “words,” the basic meaning of the Hebrew word thus translated. Men are prone to talk and to complain, but a superabundance of words does not tend to improve any situation. It is more profitable that a man should learn to trust his Creator (Isa. 45:11–18; Acts 17:24–31).

What is man the better? Literally, “what advantage to man?” Many words and vain speculations contribute little to the solution of life’s problems.

12. What is good. That is, the things in life that are worth living for. Inasmuch as man himself cannot discover the ultimate good of life, he should recognize the futility of complaining and disputing with God. The question here asked anticipates a negative answer.

A shadow. Man is compared to a passing shadow, here for a brief moment and then gone (see 1 Chron. 29:15; Job 8:9; Ps. 102:11; 144:4; cf. James 4:14).

What shall be. Man cannot disclose the future. His life is but a moment between two eternities. The things of time are transient; the unseen things are eternal, and are in the hand of God (see 2 Cor. 4:17, 18).