Ecclesiastes 6

KJ3 Literal Translation — Chapter 6 of 12

1 There is an evil thing that I have seen under the sun, and it is great upon men:

2 A man to whom God has given riches, and wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires; yet God does not give him the power to eat of it, but a foreign man eats it; this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

3 If a man fathers a hundred, and lives many years, and the days of his years are many, and his soul is not satisfied from the good, and also there is no burial for him; I say, a miscarriage is better than he.

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Chapter Summary

The vanity of riches without use. Of children, and old age without riches.

Key Hebrew Words

יּוֹתֵ֥ר superiority H3148 · TWOT 936d
הֶ֛בֶל vapour H1892 · TWOT 463a
נָ֑פֶשׁ soul H5315 · TWOT 1395a
הָ֣יְתָה fall out H1961 · TWOT 491
ט֥וֹב welfare H2896 · TWOT 793c

People & Context

The Tragedy of Wealth Without Enjoyment

It is a great evil when God grants a man wealth, honor, and riches but not the ability to enjoy them, allowing a foreign man to consume them instead.

A Long Life Unfulfilled

Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives two thousand years, if his soul is not satisfied with good, a miscarriage is deemed better than he.

The Insatiable Appetite and Human Limitation

All human labor is for the mouth yet the soul remains unfilled, leaving the wise with no advantage over the fool since neither can contend with their …

Timeline

The Tragedy of Wealth Without Enjoyment

It is a great evil when God grants a man wealth, honor, and riches but not the ability to enjoy them, allowing a foreign man to consume them instead.

Ecclesiastes 6:1-2
A Long Life Unfulfilled

Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives two thousand years, if his soul is not satisfied with good, a miscarriage is deemed better than he.

Ecclesiastes 6:3-6
The Insatiable Appetite and Human Limitation

All human labor is for the mouth yet the soul remains unfilled, leaving the wise with no advantage over the fool since neither can contend with their Creator.

Ecclesiastes 6:7-10

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Word-for-word literal translation with Hebrew interlinear, Strong's numbers, and audio.

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