There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: AN EVIL ... COMMON AMONG MEN - or else, more literally, great upon man, falls heavily upon man. Wealth, which seems, on a superficial look, so great a good, often is found, on closer examination, to be a great evil.... [ Continue Reading ]
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. HE WANTETH NOTHING FOR HIS SOUL - i:e., for his enjoyment.... [ Continue Reading ]
If a man beget an 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. BEGET AN HUNDRED (I:E., VERY MANY) CHILDREN (thus not having a "stranger" as his... [ Continue Reading ]
For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness. FOR HE - rather, it, the "untimely birth." COMETH IN WITH VANITY - to no purpose; a type of the driftless existence of him who maketh riches the chief good. AND HIS NAME SHALL BE COVERED WIT... [ Continue Reading ]
Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other. THIS - yet it. HATH MORE REST THAN THE OTHER - than the toiling, gloomy miser. The more unenviable is the state of the embryo, the worse is the misery of the covetous rich man. It has "rest" from sufferi... [ Continue Reading ]
Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place? YEA, THOUGH HE LIVE A THOUSAND YEARS TWICE (i:e., not only almost a thousand years, like Methuselah, but twice a thousand), YET HATH HE SEEN NO GOOD. If the miser's length of "life" be though... [ Continue Reading ]
All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled. ALL THE LABOUR OF MAN (IS) FOR HIS MOUTH - rather, 'of the man,' namely, the miser (Ecclesiastes 6:3). For not all men labour for the mouth, i:e., for selfish gratification. So the Hebrew, haa'aadaam (H120). THE APPETIT... [ Continue Reading ]
For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living? FOR WHAT HATH THE WISE MORE THAN THE FOOL? The "for" means (in contrast to the insatiability of the miser), For what else but this, namely, that 'his appetite is satisfied,' is the advantage wh... [ Continue Reading ]
Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit. BETTER IS THE SIGHT OF THE EYES ... Answer to , "What hath the wise more than the fool?" This is the advantage, "Better is the sight of the eyes (the wise man's godly enjoyment of present... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Part II. here begins. Since man's toils are vain, what is the chief good? (Ecclesiastes 6:12.) The answer is contained in the rest of the book. THAT WHICH HATH BEEN ... [ Continue Reading ]
Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better? MANY THINGS THAT INCREASE VANITY. The more wealth the more vanity. WHAT (IS) MAN THE BETTER? "Seeing" that man cannot escape from the vanity," which by God's "mighty" will is inherent in earthly things, and cannot call i... [ Continue Reading ]
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? WHO KNOWETH WHAT IS GOOD? ... The ungodly know not what is really "good" during life, nor "what shall be after them," i:e.,... [ Continue Reading ]