There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy on men:
KJV
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:
Commentary
Commentary
In this chapter,
I. The royal preacher goes on further to show the vanity of worldly
wealth, when men place their happiness in it and are eager and
inordinate in laying it up. Riches, in the hands of a man that is wise
and generous, and good for something, but in the hands of a sordid,
sneaking, covetous miser, they are good for nothing.
1. He takes an account of the possessions and enjoyments which such a
man may have. He has wealth
( ver. 2 ),
he has children to inherit it
( ver. 3 ),
and lives long, ver. 3, 6 .
2. He describes his folly in not taking the comfort of it; he has no
power to eat of it, lets strangers devour it, is never filled with
good, and at last has no burial, ver. 2, 3 .
3. He condemns it as an evil, a common evil, vanity, and a disease, ver. 1, 2 .
4. He prefers the condition of a still-born child before the condition
of such a one, ver. 3 .
The still-born child's infelicity is only negative
( ver. 4, 5 ),
but that of the covetous worldling is positive; he lives a great while
to see himself miserable, ver. 6 .
5. He shows the vanity of riches as pertaining only to the body, and
giving no satisfaction to the mind
( ver. 7, 8 ),
and of those boundless desires with which covetous people vex
themselves
( ver. 9 ),
which, if they be gratified ever so fully, leave a man but a man still, ver. 10 .
II. He concludes this discourse of the vanity of the creature with this
plain inference from the whole, That it is folly to think of making up
a happiness for ourselves in the things of this world, ver. 11, 12 .
Our satisfaction must be in another life, not in this.
1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:
2 A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so
that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet
God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth
it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.
3 If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, so
that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled
with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an
untimely birth is better than he.
4 For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and
his name shall be covered with darkness.
5 Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other.
6 Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath
he seen no good: do not all go to one place?
Solomon had shown, in the close of the foregoing chapter, how good it
is to make a comfortable use of the gifts of God's providence; now here
he shows the evil of the contrary, having and not using, gathering to
lay up for I know not what contingent emergencies to come, not to lay
out on the most urgent occasions present. This is an evil which Solomon himself saw under the sun, v. 1 .
A great deal of evil there is under the sun. There is a world
above the sun where there is no evil, yet God causes his sun to
shine upon the evil as well as upon the good, which is an
aggravation of the evil. God has lighted up a candle for his servants
to work by, but they bury their talent as slothful and unprofitable,
and so waste the light and are unworthy of it. Solomon, as a king,
inspected the manners of his subjects, and took notice of this evil as
a prejudice to the public, who are damaged not only by men's
prodigality on the one hand, but by their penuriousness on the other.
As it is with the blood in the natural body, so it is with the wealth
of the body politic, if, instead of circulating, it stagnates, it will
be of ill consequence. Solomon as a preacher observed the evils that
were done that he might reprove them and warn people against them. This
evil was, in his days, common, and yet then there was great
plenty of silver and gold, which, one would think, should have made
people less fond of riches; the times also were peaceable, nor was
there any prospect of trouble, which to some is a temptation to hoard.
But no providence will of itself, unless the grace of God work with it,
cure the corrupt affection that is in the carnal mind to the world and
the things of it; nay, when riches increase we are most apt to
set our hearts upon them. Now concerning this miser observe,
I. The abundant reason he has to serve God with joyfulness and gladness
of heart; how well God has done for him.
1. He has given him riches, wealth, and honour, v. 2 .
Note,
(1.) Riches and wealth commonly gain people honour among men. Though it be but an image, if it be a golden image, all people, nations, and languages, will fall down and
worship it. (2.) Riches, wealth, and honour, are God's gifts, the gifts of
his providence, and not given, as his rain and sunshine, alike to all,
but to some, and not to others, as God sees fit.
(3.) Yet they are given to many that do not make a good use of them, to
many to whom God does not give wisdom and grace to take the comfort of
them and serve God with them. The gifts of common providence are
bestowed on many to whom are denied the gifts of a special grace,
without which the gifts of providence often do more hurt than good.
2. He wants nothing for his soul of all that he desires. Providence has been so liberal to him that he has as much as heart
could wish, and more, Ps. lxxiii. 7 .
He does not desire grace for his soul, the better part; all he desires
is enough to gratify the sensual appetite, and that he has; his belly is filled with these hidden treasures, Ps. xvii. 14 .
3. He is supposed to have a numerous family, to beget a hundred
children, which are the stay and strength of his house and as a quiver full of arrows to him, which are the honour and credit of
his house, and in whom he has the prospect of having his name built up
and having all the immortality this world can give him. They are
full of children ( Ps. xvii. 14 ),
while many of God's people are written childless and stripped of
all.
4. To complete his happiness, he is supposed to live many years, or rather many days, for our life is to be reckoned rather by
days than years: The days of his years are many, and so
healthful is his constitution, and so slowly does age creep upon him,
that they are likely to be many more. Nay, he is supposed to live a
thousand years (which no man, that we know of, ever did), nay, a
thousand years twice told, a small part of which time, one would
think, were enough to convince men, by their own experience, of the
folly both of those that expect to find all good in worldly wealth, and
of those that expect to find any good in it but in using it.
II. The little heart he has to use this which God gives him, for the
ends and purposes for which it was given him. This is his fault and
folly that he renders not again according to the benefit done unto
him, and serves not the Lord God his benefactor, with
joyfulness and gladness of heart, in the abundance of all things. In the day of prosperity he is not joyful. Tristis es, et felix?--Art
thou happy, yet sad? See his folly:
1. He cannot find in his heart to take the comfort of what he has
himself. He has meat before him; he has wherewith to maintain himself
and his family comfortably, but he has not power to eat thereof. His sordid niggardly temper will not suffer him to lay it out, no, not
upon himself, no, not upon that which is most necessary for himself. He
has not power to reason himself out of this absurdity, to conquer his
covetous humour. He is weak indeed, who has not power to use what God
gives him, for God gives him not that power, but
withholds it from him, to punish him for his other abuses of his
wealth. Because he has not the will to serve God with it, God denies
him the power to serve himself with it.
2. He suffers those to prey upon him that he is under no obligation to: A stranger eateth it. This is the common fate of misers; they
will not trust their own children perhaps, but retainers and
hangers-on, that have the art of wheedling, insinuate themselves into
them, and find ways of devouring what they have, or getting it to be
left to them by their wills. God orders it so that a stranger eats
it. Strangers devour his strength, Hos. vii. 9; Prov. v. 10 .
This may be well called vanity, and an evil disease. What we
have we have in vain if we do not use it; and that temper of mind is
certainly a most wretched distemper which keeps us from using it. Our
worst diseases are those that arise from the corruption of our own
hearts.
3. He deprives himself of the good that he might have had of his
worldly possessions, not only forfeits it, but robs himself of it and
throws it from him: His soul is not filled with good, v. 3 .
He is still unsatisfied and uneasy. His hands are filled with riches,
his barns filled, and his bags filled, but his soul is not filled
with good, no, not with that good, for it is still craving more.
Nay
( v. 6 ), he has not seen good; he cannot so much as please his eye, for
that is still looking further and looking with envy on those that have
more. He has not even the sensible good of an estate. Though he looks
not beyond the things that are seen, yet he looks not with any true
pleasure even on them.
4. He has no burial, none agreeable to his rank, no decent
burial, but the burial of an ass. Through the sordidness of his
temper he will not allow himself a fashionable burial, but forbids it,
or the strangers that have eaten him up leave him so poor, at last,
that he has not wherewithal, or those to whom he leaves what he has
have so little esteem for his memory, and are so greedy of what they
are to have from him, that they will not be at the charges of burying
him handsomely, which his own children, if he had left it to them,
would not have grudged him.
III. The preference which the preacher gives to an untimely birth
before him: An untimely birth, a child that is carried from the
womb to the grave, is better than he. Better is the fruit that
drops from the tree before it is ripe than that which is left to hang
on till it is rotten. Job, in his passion, thinks the condition of an untimely birth better than his when he was in adversity
( Job iii. 16 );
but Solomon here pronounces it better than the condition of a worldling
in his greatest prosperity, when the world smiles upon him.
1. He grants the condition of an untimely birth, upon many
accounts, to be very sad
( v. 4, 5 ): He comes in with vanity (for, as to this world, he that is born
and dies immediately was born in vain), and he departs in
darkness; little or no notice is taken of him; being an abortive,
he has no name, or, if he had, it would soon be forgotten and
buried in oblivion; it would be covered with darkness, as the
body is with the earth. Nay
( v. 5 ), he has not seen the sun, but from the darkness of the womb he is
hurried immediately to that of the grave, and, which is worse than not
being known to any, he has not known any thing, and therefore
has come short of that which is the greatest pleasure and honour of
man. Those that live in wilful ignorance, and know nothing to purpose,
are no better than an untimely birth that has not seen the
sun nor known any thing. 2. Yet he prefers it before that of a covetous miser. This untimely birth has more rest than the other, for this has
some rest, but the other has none; this has no trouble
and disquiet, but the other is in perpetual agitation, and has
nothing but trouble, trouble of his own making. The shorter the life is
the longer the rest; and the fewer the days, and the less we have to do
with this troublesome world, the less trouble we know.
The reason he gives why this has more rest is because all go
to one place to rest in, and this is sooner at his rest, v. 6 .
He that lives a thousand years goes to the same place with the
child that does not live an hour, ch. iii. 20 .
The grave is the place we shall all meet in. Whatever differences there
may be in men's condition in this world, they must all die, are all
under the same sentence, and, to outward appearance, their deaths are
alike. The grave is to one, as well as another, a land of silence, of
darkness, of separation from the living, and a sleeping-place. It is
the common rendezvous of rich and poor, honourable and mean, learned
and unlearned; the short-lived and long-lived meet in the grave, only
one rides post thither, the other goes by a slower conveyance; the dust
of both mingles, and lies undistinguished.
7 All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the
appetite is not filled.
8 For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the
poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?
9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the
desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.
10 That which hath been is named already, and it is known that
it is man: neither may he contend with him that is mightier
than he.
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
( v. 7 ): All the labour of man is for his mouth, which craves it of
him ( Prov. xvi. 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 heart, nothing
to nourish or enrich the soul. A little will serve to sustain us
comfortably and a great deal can do no more.
II. Those that have ever so much are still craving; let a man labour
ever so much for his mouth, yet the appetite is not filled. 1. Natural desires are still returning, still pressing; a man may be
feasted to-day and yet hungry to-morrow.
2. Worldly sinful desires are insatiable, ch. v. 10 .
Wealth to a worldling is like drink to one in a dropsy, which does but
increase the thirst. Some read the whole verse thus: Though all a
man's labour fall out to his own mind (ori ejus obveniat--so as to
correspond with his views, Juv.), just as himself would have it, yet his desire is not satisfied, still he has a mind to
something more.
3. The desires of the soul find nothing in the wealth of the world to
give them any satisfaction. The soul is not filled, so the word
is. When God gave Israel their request he sent
leanness into their souls, Ps. cvi. 15 .
He was a fool who, when his barns were full, said, Soul, take thine
ease.
III. A fool may have as much worldly wealth, and may enjoy as much of
the pleasure of it, as a wise man; nay, and perhaps not be so sensible
of the vexation of it: What has the wise more than the fool? v. 8 .
Perhaps he has not so good an estate, so good a trade, nor such good
preferment as the fool has. Nay, suppose them to be equal in their
possessions, what can a wise man, a scholar, a wit, a politician,
squeeze out of his estate more than needful supplies? and a half-witted
man may do this. A fool can fare as well and relish it, can dress as
well, and make as good a figure in any public appearance, as a wise
man; so that if there were not pleasures and honour peculiar to the
mind, which the wise man has more than the fool, as to this
world they would be upon a level.
IV. Even a poor man, who has business, and is discreet, diligent, and
dexterous, in the management of it, may get as comfortably through this
world as he that is loaded with an overgrown estate. Consider what
the poor has less than the rich, if he but knows to walk before
the living, knows how to conduct himself decently, and do his duty
to all, how to get an honest livelihood by his labour, how to spend his
time well and improve his opportunities. What has he? Why, he is
better beloved and more respected among his neighbours, and has a
better interest than many a rich man that is griping and haughty. What has he? Why he has as much of the comfort of this life, has food and raiment, and is therewith content, and so is as
truly rich as he that has abundance.
V. The enjoyment of what we have cannot but be acknowledged more
rational than a greedy grasping at more
( v. 9 ): Better is the sight of the eyes, making the best of that which
is present, than the wandering of the desire, the uneasy walking
of the soul after things at a distance, and the affecting of a variety
of imaginary satisfactions. He is much happier that is always content,
though he has ever so little, than he that is always coveting, though
he has ever so much. We cannot say, Better is the sight of the eyes
than the fixing of the desire upon God, and the resting of
the soul in him; it is better to live by faith in things to come than
to live by sense, which dwells only upon present things; but better
is the sight of the eyes than the roving of the desire after
the world, and the things of it, than which nothing is more uncertain
nor more unsatisfying at the best. This wandering of the desire is
vanity and vexation of spirit. It is vanity at the best; if
what is desired, be obtained, it proves not what we promised ourselves
from it, but commonly the wandering desire is crossed and
disappointed, and then it turns to vexation of spirit.
VI. Our lot, whatever it is, is that which is appointed us by the
counsel of God, which cannot be altered, and it is therefore our wisdom
to reconcile ourselves to it and cheerfully to acquiesce in it
( v. 10 ): That which has been, or (as some read it) that which is, and so likewise that which shall be, is named already; it is
already determined in the divine foreknowledge, and all our care and
pains cannot make it otherwise than as it is fixed. Jacta est
alea--The die is cast. It is therefore folly to quarrel with that
which will be as it is, and wisdom to make a virtue of necessity. We
shall have what pleases God, and let that please us.
VII. Whatever we attain to in this world, still we are but men, and the
greatest possessions and preferments cannot set us above the common
accidents of human life: That which has been, and is, that busy
animal that makes such a stir and such a noise in the world, is
named already. He that made him gave him his name, and it is
known that it is man; that is his name by which he must know
himself, and it is a humbling name, Gen. v. 2 .
He called their name Adam; and all theirs have the same
character, red earth. Though a man could make himself master of
all the treasures of kings and provinces, yet he is a man still, mean,
mutable, and mortal, and may at any time be involved in the calamities
that are common to men. It is good for rich and great men to
know and consider that they are but men, Ps. ix. 20 . It is known that they are but men; let them put what face they
will upon it, and, like the king of Tyre, set their heart as the
heart of God, yet the Egyptians are men, and not gods, and it is
known that they are so.
VIII. How far soever our desires wander, and how closely soever our
endeavours keep pace with them, we cannot strive with the divine
Providence, but must submit to the disposals of it, whether we will or
no. If it is man, he may not contend with him that is mightier than
he. It is presumption to arraign God's proceedings, and to charge
him with folly or iniquity; nor is it to any purpose to complain of
him, for he is in one mind and who can turn him? Elihu pacifies
Job with this incontest able principle, That God is greater than
man ( Job xxxiii. 12 )
and therefore man may not contend with him, nor resist his
judgments, when they come with commission. A man cannot with the
greatest riches make his part good against the arrests of sickness or
death, but must yield to his fate.
11 Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?
12 For who knoweth what is good for man in this 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?
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 happiness for the abundance
that he has in this world: What is man the better for his wealth
and pleasure, his honour and preferment? What remains to man? What
residuum has he, what overplus, what real advantage, when he comes to
balance his accounts? Nothing that will do him any good or turn to
account.
(2.) That we do not know what to wish for, because that which we
promise ourselves most satisfaction in often proves most vexatious to
us: Who knows what is good for a man in this life, where every
thing is vanity, and any thing, even that which we most covet, may
prove a calamity to us? Thoughtful people are in care to do every
thing for the best, if they knew it; but as it is an instance of the
corruption of our hearts that we are apt to desire that as good for us
which is really hurtful, as children that cry for knives to cut their
fingers with, so is it an instance of the vanity of this world that
what, according to all probable conjectures, seems to be for the best,
often proves otherwise; such is our shortsightedness concerning the
issues and events of things, and such broken reeds are all our
creature-confidences. We know not how to advise others for the best,
nor how to act ourselves, because that which we apprehend likely to be
for our welfare may become a trap.
(3.) That therefore our life upon earth is what we have no reason to
take any great complacency in, or to be confident of the continuance
of. It is to be reckoned by days; it is but a vain life, and we spend it as a shadow, so little is there in it
substantial, so fleeting, so uncertain, so transitory is it, and so
little in it to be fond of or to be depended on. If all the comforts of
life be vanity, life itself can have no great reality in it to
constitute a happiness for us.
(4.) That our expectations from this world are as uncertain and
deceitful as our enjoyments are. Since every thing is vanity, Who
can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun? He can no
more please himself with the hopes of what shall be after him, to his children and family, than with the relish of what is with him,
since he can neither foresee himself, nor can any one else foretel to
him, what shall be after him. Nor shall he have any intelligence
sent him of it when he is gone. His sons come to honour, and he
knows it not. So that, look which way we will, Vanity of vanity,
all is vanity.
INTRODUCTION TO ECCLESIASTES 6
The wise man goes on to expose the vanity of riches, as possessed by a covetous man, who makes no use of them; an evil, and a common one under the sun, Ec 6:1; Who is described by the good things he has; which he has not a power to enjoy, but a stranger enjoys them, Ec 6:2; by his numerous offspring and long life; yet neither is he satisfied with good in life, nor has he a burial at death; wherefore an abortive is preferred unto him, Ec 6:3; For though many things may be said of that which are disagreeable, yet worse of him, and that has more rest than he; and besides, they both go to one place, the grave, Ec 6:4; and the vanity of an anxious labour for riches is further argued from the use of them, at most and best, which is only for the body, and the sustenance of it, but cannot satisfy the mind or soul, Ec 6:7; and this use a fool can make of, them, as well as a wise man; and a poor man, that is knowing, diligent, and industrious to live, as well as the rich, Ec 6:8. Wherefore it is best to enjoy and be content with present mercies, than to let loose the wandering desires after what may never be had, Ec 6:9; and especially it should be considered, that let a man be in what circumstances he will, he is but a man; and these circumstances are determined and appointed by God, which he cannot alter; and therefore it is both vain and sinful to contend with him, Ec 6:10. And, after all, a man is never the better for his carking cares and wandering desires, since there are so many things that increase vanity, Ec 6:11; and a man is so ignorant of what is good for him for the present, and of what shall be after him, Ec 6:12.
Ver. 1. There is an evil which I have seen under the sun,.... The Vulgate Latin version reads it, another evil; but wrongly, for the same is considered as before, the evil of covetousness; which is one of the evil things that come out of the heart of man; is abominable to the Lord, contrary to his nature and will, and a breach of his law, which forbids it, and is the root of all evil; this is an evil under the sun, for there is nothing of this kind above it; and it fell under the observation of Solomon in various instances;
and it [is] common among men; or, "great over men" {u}; or "over the man", the covetous man: it spreads itself over them; few were free from it, even so long ago, in those early times, and in such times in which silver was made no account of, and was like stones in Jerusalem, as common as they; and yet the sin of covetousness, of hoarding up money and making no use of it, for a man's own good, and the good of others, was very rife among men, 1Ki 10:27.
{u} Mdah le ayh hbrw "et multum ipsum super hominem", Montanus; "et magaum est illud super hominem istum", Rambachius.
Ecclesiastes 6:2
Ver. 2. A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour,.... By "riches" may be meant gold and silver, things which a covetous man is never satisfied with; and by "wealth", cattle, with which farms and fields are stocked: the wealth of men, especially in former times, and in the eastern countries, lay very much in these, as did the wealth of Abraham and Job, Ge 13:2; and all these, as they are reckoned glorious and honourable in themselves; so they create honour and glory among men, and raise to high and honourable places; and these, as they go, they are usually put together, and are called by the name of honour and glory itself; see Pr 3:16. And they are all the gifts of God, which he either as blessings bestows upon men, or suffers men to attain unto, though a curse may go along with them; which is the case here, for no man whatever is possessed of them but by the will of God or his divine permission; see 1Ch 29:12; and which a man may, and sometimes has, such a plentiful portion of;
so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth: he has not only for the supply of his wants, what is necessary for his daily use and service, but even what is for delight and pleasure; yea, as much as he could reasonably wish for; nay, more than heart could wish,
Ps 73:7;
yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof; the Targum adds, "because of his sin"; either he takes it away from him, he making no use of it; or his appetite is taken away, that he has no desire to it; or rather he has no heart to enjoy what he has, and scarce any part of it; not to eat and drink, and wear suitably to his circumstances, but grudges whatever he lays out on his back or belly, or in housekeeping in his family; for though God gives him a large substance, yet not a heart to make use of it, without which he cannot enjoy it; and therefore it would have been as good, or better for him, to have been without it; see Ec 5:19;
but a stranger eateth it; the Syriac version adds, "after him"; enjoys it, not only a part of it, but the whole; one that is not akin to him, and perhaps was never known by him; and yet, by one means or another, either in a lawful or unlawful way, comes into the possession of all he has; this has been always reckoned a great unhappiness, La 5:2. Hence it follows,
this [is] vanity, and it [is] an evil disease; it is a vain thing to be possessed of great substance, and not enjoy anything of it in a comfortable way, through the sin of covetousness; which is a spiritual disease, and a very bad one; very prejudicial to the soul, and the state of it, and is rarely cured. Juvenal {w} calls it frenzy and madness for a man to live poor, that be may die rich; he is like the ass that Crassus Agelastus saw, loaded with figs, and eating thorns.
{w} "Cum furor dubius", &c. Satyr. 14. v. 136. exposed by Persius, Sat. 6. v. 69, &c. "unge puer caules", &c.
Ecclesiastes 6:3
Ver. 3. If a man beget an hundred [children],.... Sons and daughters, a certain number for an uncertain. Some have had many children, and almost this number; Rehoboam had twenty eight sons and threescore daughters; and Ahab had seventy sons, how many daughters is not said,
2Ch 11:21; this was reckoned a great honour and happiness to have many children; happy was the man that had his quiver full of them,
Ps 127:3; such a case is here supposed;
and live many years, so that the days of his years be many; or "sufficient", as Jarchi interprets it; he lives as long as life is desirable; lives to a good old age, to the full age of men, threescore years and ten; yea, supposing he was to live to be as old as Methuselah,
and his soul be not filled with good; does not enjoy the good things he has; has no pleasure nor satisfaction in the temporal good things of life, has not the comfort of them, and is always uneasy, because he has not more of them; and especially if his soul is not filled with spiritual good things, the grace of God, and righteousness of Christ;
And also [that] he have no burial; as Jezebel, Jehoiakim, and others; who is either destroyed by robbers and cutthroats, for the sake of his substance, and cast into a ditch or a river, or some place, where he is never found to be interred; or else, being of such a sordid disposition, he provides not for a decent burial, suitably to his circumstances, or forbids one; or, being despised and disesteemed by all men, his heirs and successors either neglect or refuse to give him one; see Jer 22:29;
I say [that] an untimely birth [is] better than he; an abortive is to be preferred unto him; it would have been better for him if he had never been born, or had been in such a case.
Ecclesiastes 6:4
Ver. 4. For he cometh in with vanity,.... The Targum adds, "into this world." Some understand this of the abortive, and render it, "though he cometh in with vanity" {x}, yet is to be preferred to the covetous man: others interpret it of the covetous man himself; and scrape of both: or, however, they may be compared together in these instances; the abortive comes into the world in vain, for nothing, and answers no purpose, as can well be observed; and the same may be said of a covetous rich man; he walks in a vain show, and is altogether vanity, in his coming in, in his life, and going out;
and departeth in darkness; or, "into darkness" {y}; goes out of the world without any notice taken of him; and goes down to the dark grave, where he lies in obscurity;
and his name shall be covered with darkness; the abortive has no name, and is never spoken of; and so the name and memory of such a man as is here described rot and perish: and in this respect the abortive has the preference to him; for though he is covered with darkness, yet no ill is ever spoken of him; whereas the name of the wicked covetous man is cursed.
{x} ab yk "quamvis venit", Drusius. {y} Kvxb "in tenebrositatem", Montanus; "in tenebras", Tigurine version, Mercerus, so Broughton.
Ecclesiastes 6:5
Ver. 5. Moreover, he hath not seen the sun,.... This must be spoken of the abortive, and seems to confirm the sense of the former text, as belonging to it; and whereas it has never seen the light of the sun, nor enjoyed the pleasure and comfort of it, it is no ways distressing to it to be without it. The Targum is,
"the light of the law he seeth not; and knoweth not between good and evil, to judge between this world and that to come:''
so the Vulgate Latin version, "neither knows the difference of good and evil";
nor known [anything]; not the sun, nor anything else: or "experienced" {z} and "felt" the heat of the sun, and its comfortable influences; which a man may, who is blind, and has never seen it, but an abortive has not; and indeed has known no man, nor any creature nor thing in this world, and therefore it is no concern to it to be without them; and besides, has never had any knowledge or experience of the troubles of lifts, which every living man is liable to. Wherefore this is certain,
this hath more rest than the other; that is, the abortive than the covetous man; having never been distressed with the troubles of life, and now not affected with the sense of loss.
{z} edy alw "ueque expertus est", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Rambachius, so Broughton.
Ecclesiastes 6:6
Ver. 6. Yea, though he live a thousand years twice [told],.... Or two thousand years, which no man ever did, nor even one thousand years; Methuselah, the oldest man, did not live so long as that; this is than twice the age of the oldest man: there is one sort of the Ethiopians, who are said {a} to live almost half space of time longer than usual, called from thence Macrobii; which Pliny {b} makes to be one hundred and forty years, which is just double the common term of life. This here is only a supposition. Aben Ezra interprets it, "a thousand thousand", but wrongly; so the Arabic version, "though he lives many thousand years";
yet hath he seen no good, not enjoyed the good of his labour, what he has been labouring for and was possessed of; and therefore has lived so long as he has to very little purpose, and with very little comfort or credit; and especially he has had no experience of spiritual good;
do not all go to one place? that is, the grave; they do, even all men; it is the house appointed for all living, Job 30:23; and hither go both the abortive, and the covetous rich man; so that he has in this no pre-eminence to it. Jarchi interprets it of hell, the one place, whither all sinners go; but the former sense is best.
{a} Mela tie Situ Orbis, l. 3. c. 9. {b} Nat. Hist. 1. 7. c. 2.
Ecclesiastes 6:7
Ver. 7. All the labour of man [is] for his mouth,.... For the food of his mouth, as the Targum; for the sustenance of his body, for food and clothing, part being put for the whole: all that a man labours for is to get this; and if he does not enjoy it, his labour is in vain; meats are for the belly, which are taken in by the mouth, and for these a man labours; and if he does not eat them, when he has got them, he labours to no purpose;
and yet the appetite is not filled; even the bodily or sensual appetite; no, not even by those who eat the fruit of their labour; for though their hunger is allayed for the present, and the appetite is satisfied for a while, yet it returns again, and requires more food, and so continually: or, "the soul is not filled", or "satisfied" {c}; it is the body only that is filled or satisfied with such things, at best; the mind of man grasps after greater things, and can find no contentment or satisfaction in earthly or sensual enjoyments. This seems to be a new argument, proving the vanity of riches, from the narrow use of them; which only reaches to the body, not to the soul.
{c} almt al vpnh "anima non implebitur", Pagninus, Montanus; "anima non expletur", Mercerus, Gejerus; "non impletur", Cocceius, so Broughton; "non satiatur", Drusius.
Ecclesiastes 6:8
Ver. 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 the rich man, that knows how to get his bread, and is diligent and industrious among men to live, and does get a livelihood for himself and family; he enjoys all the sweets and comforts of life, as well as the rich man: or what hath the poor knowing man? as Aben Ezra interprets it, according to the accents; what has he more or does he enjoy more, than the poor foolish man, provided he has but sense enough to behave himself among men, so as to have bread to eat, and clothes to wear; which is as much as any man can enjoy, be he ever so rich or so wise?
Ecclesiastes 6:9
Ver. 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 Ec 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, Heb 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 think of; such a mind roves through the whole creation, and covets everything under the sun: now it is better to enjoy contentedly things in sight and in possession, than to let the mind loose in vague desires, after things that may never be come at, and, if attained to, would give no satisfaction;
this [is] also vanity and vexation of spirit: a most vain thing, to give the mind such a loose and liberty in its unbounded desires after worldly things; and a vexation of spirit it is to such a craving mind, that it cannot obtain what it is so desirous of.
Ecclesiastes 6:10
Ver. 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 name from the Lord himself, suitable to his nature and formation; he called his name Adam, from "Adamah", the earth, from whence he was taken; and though he was so wise and great, and even affected deity, which was the snare laid for him by his enemy, it is well known he was but a man, of the earth, earthly, and returned to it again. Some have applied this to the second man, the Lord from heaven, as the ordinary gloss, and Jerom; and render it, "that which shall be", so the Vulgate Latin version; as yet he was not man, though he had agreed to be and was prophesied of that he should; however be was named already the seed of the woman, Shiloh, Ithiel, the Messiah, or Anointed; hence by Solomon, in allusion to this name, his "name is [said to be] as ointment poured forth", So 1:3; and as it was known that he should be man, so it is now known that he is really and truly man; though not merely so, but God as well as man; yet as to his human nature his Father is greater and mightier than he; but this sense some interpreters despise and laugh at: and indeed though the whole of it is truth, it does not seem to be the truth of the text, nor suitable to the context: rather the words are to be understood of mankind in general, of all men, not only that have been, but that are or shall be; these were all appointed to come into being by the Lord; they have been in his eternal purposes and decrees, and their names are written or not written in the Lamb's book of life; and they have all one common name, that of "man", weak, frail, mortal, wretched man; they are, as is said of the Egyptians, men and not God, Isa 31:3; particularly this is true of persons the most famous that have been in the world; such who have been in ages past, and their names have been called, or they have obtained a name among men, men of renown, that are on the list of fame; such who have been the most famous for wisdom, for riches, for strength, or for power and authority, and have even had deity ascribed to them, and divine worship given them; yet it has been notorious that they were but men, and not God, so Jarchi; and died as such; see Ps 9:20. Moreover, this may be understood of all things relating to men; that all that has been, is, or shall be, has been already named of God, determined and appointed by him; so the Targum renders it,
"all is the decree of the Word of the Lord;''
all things relating to the temporal affairs of men, as to their birth and place of abode, their callings and stations of life; so to their circumstances of poverty or riches, which with all their craving desires and carking cares it is impossible for them to alter, or make them otherwise than they are; which is observed, to check the wandering and insatiable desires of men after worldly things;
neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he; the Lord of the world, as the Targum; not the angel of death, as Jarchi; the devil, which had the power of death, and is stronger than men; nor death itself, as others, against which there is no standing, Ec 8:8
Isa 28:15; but God himself, who is mightier than men, and with whom a creature should not strive or contend; either about his being and the make of it, or concerning his circumstances in the world, that they are not, greater and better than they be; or about God's decrees concerning these or other things; but quietly submit to his will, and be content in whatsoever circumstances they are, considering that he is the Creator, and a sovereign Being, they are creatures, and dependent on him; and let their circumstances be what they will, wise or unwise, rich or poor, they are but men, and can never rise higher; see Job 9:3. It is observed by the Masorites that this is just the middle of the book.
Ecclesiastes 6:11
Ver. 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 him from them, no happiness in them, nothing that will be of any service to him, especially with respect to a future state, or when he comes to die. It may be rendered, as it is in the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions, "seeing there are many words that multiply vanity"; as all such words do that are used with God by way of murmur and complaint concerning a man's lot and condition in this world, and as expostulating and contending with him about it; these increase sin, and by them men contract more guilt, and therefore are not the better for such litigations, but the worse; and so the words stand in connection with Ec 6:10: but the former sense seems best, this being the conclusion of the wise man's discourse concerning vanity. So the Targum and Jarchi understand it of things, and not words.
Ecclesiastes 6:12
Ver. 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 it to the best ends and purposes he can. The Targum is,
"for who is he that knows what is good for a man in this world, but to study in the law, which is the life of the world?''
so the Midrash,
all the days of his vain life, which he spendeth as a shadow? or "the number of the days of vain life, which he makes as a shadow" {d}; that is, which God makes as a "shadow", as Cocceius observes; makes to pass away swiftly: this is a description of the vanity, brevity, and uncertainty of human life; it consists of days, rather than of months and years; and those such as are easily numbered, and which pass away suddenly and swiftly, like a shadow that has no substance and reality in it, and leaves nothing behind it; or like a bird that flies away, as Jarchi, and is seen no more; such is the life of man, a most vain life, vanity itself; so it may be rendered, "the number of the days of the life of his vanity" {e}; since therefore he has so short a time to enjoy anything in, it is hard to say what is best for him to have, and the rather since he is quite ignorant of what is to come;
for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun? he does not know himself, nor can any man inform him, what will become of his wealth and riches after his death, which he has got together; who shall enjoy them, and how long and what use will be made of them, either to their own good, or the good of others.
{d} luk Mveyw "et facit eos at umbram", Cocceius. {e} wlbh yyx ymy rpom "numero dierum vitae", ("vitarum", Montanus), "vanitatis suae", Pagninus, Rambachius.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
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.
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.
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.
Sources: Matthew Henry; Gill's Exposition; Matthew Henry Concise
Commentary
Commentary