Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 6:8
For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?
8. For what hath wise more than the fool? ] The question so far is easy. In this matter, the gifts of intellect make no difference. The wise, no less than the fool, is subject to the pressure of bodily necessities, and has to labour for them. The second clause is somewhat less clear. Of the many interpretations that have been given, two have most to commend them, (1) supplying the subject of comparison from the first clause, what advantage hath the poor that knows to walk before the living ( i.e. that has learnt the art to live) over the fool ( who is the mere slave of appetite)? what does wisdom and self-control and freedom from the snares of wealth really profit him? and (2), treating the sentence as elliptical, What advantage hath the poor over him who knows how to walk before the living ( i.e. the man of high birth or station, who lives in public, with the eyes of men on him)? The latter explanation has the merit of giving a more balanced symmetry to the two clauses. The question, with its implied answer, seems at first at variance with the praise of the lot of the labouring poor in ch. Ecc 5:12, “Don’t trust,” the writer seems to say in his half-cynical, half-ironical mood, “even to poverty, as a condition of happiness. The poor man is as open to cares and anxieties as the man of culture and refinement. After all, poor and rich stand on nearly the same level.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 8. For what hath the wise more than the fool?] They must both labour for the same end. Both depend upon the labour 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.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The fool, to wit, in these matters. Both are equally subject to the same calamities, and partakers of the same comforts of this life.
Before the living, to wit, before the poor, that doth not know this; which words are easily understood by comparing this clause with the former. And such defects are usual, both in Scripture and other authors, as hath been formerly noted, by a figure which the learned call anantapodoton. And by this phrase, that knoweth, &c., he means such a poor man who is ingenious and industrious; who is fit for service and business, and knows how to carry himself towards rich men, so as to deserve and gain their favour, and to procure a livelihood.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. For“However”[MAURER]. The “for”means (in contrast to the insatiability of the miser), For whatelse is the advantage which the wise man hath above the fool?“
Whatadvantage, thatis, superiority, above him who knows not how to walk uprightly
hath the poor who knoweth towalk before the living?that is, to use and enjoy life aright(Ecc 5:18; Ecc 5:19),a cheerful, thankful, godly “walk” (Ps116:9).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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?
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“For what hath the wise more than the fool; what the poor who knoweth to walk before the living?” The old translators present nothing for the interpretation, but defend the traditional text; for Jerome, like the Syr., which translates freely, follows the Midrash (fixed in the Targ.), which understands , contrary to the spirit of the book, of the blessed future. The question would be easier if we could, with Bernst. and Ginsburg, introduce a comparat. min before ; we would then require to understand by him who knows to walk before the living, some one who acts a part in public life; but how strange a designation of distinguished persons would that be! Thus, as the text stands, ,sdnat is attrib. to , what preference hath the poor, such an one, viz., as understands ( vid., regarding instead of , under Psa 143:10); not: who is intelligent (Aben Ezra); is not, as at Ecc 9:11, an idea contained in itself, but by the foll. … (cf. Ecc 4:13, Ecc 4:14; and the inf. form, Exo 3:19; Num 22:13; Job 34:23) obtains the supplement and colouring required: the sequence of the accents ( Zakeph, Tifcha, Silluk, as e.g., at Gen 7:4) is not against this. How the lxx understood its , and the Venet. it’s , is not clear; scarcely as Grtz, with Mendelss.: who, to go against ( , as at Ecc 4:12) life, to fight against it, has to exercise himself in self-denial and patience; for “to fight with life” is an expression of modern coinage. signifies here, without doubt, not life, but the living. But we explain now, not as Ewald, who separates from the foll. inf. : What profit has then the wise man, the intelligent, patient man, above the fool, that he walks before the living? – by which is meant (but how does this interrog. form agree thereto?), that the wise, patient man has thereby an advantage which makes life endurable by him, in this, that he does not suffer destroying eagerness of desire so to rule over him, but is satisfied to live in quietness.Also this meaning of a quiet life does not lie in the words … . “To know to walk before the living” is, as is now generally acknowledged = to understand the right rule of life (Elst.), to possess the savoir vivre (Heiligst.), to be experienced in the right art of living. the question accordingly is: What advantage has the wise above the fool; and what the poor, who, although poor, yet knows how to maintain his social position? The matter treated of is the insatiable nature of sensual desire. The wise seeks to control his desire; and he who is more closely designated poor, knows how to conceal it; for he lays upon himself restraints, that he may be able to appear and make something of himself. But desire is present in both; and they have in this nothing above the fool, who follows the bent of his desire and lives for the day. He is a fool because he acts as one not free, and without consideration; but, in itself, it is and remains true, that enjoyment and satisfaction stand higher than striving and longing for a thing.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(8) That knoweth to walk.Understands how to conduct himself. But why this should be limited to the poor is not obvious.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
8. The familiar question is asked, If this be the case, What hath, etc. The latter part should be, What hath the poor more than he who knoweth, etc. In the phraseology of the Old Testament “poor” is often synonymous with “humble,” “obscure.” To walk before the living, means, as in chap.
Ecc 4:16, to have leadership and supremacy. The contrast is between the obscure and him who is able to govern the generation living with him. Thus the verse includes the most opposite classes of men, and therefore all men.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Even The Wise Do Not In The Last Analysis Have Any Advantage Over The Unthinking. So We Should Hold On To What God Gives Us Rather Than Dreaming Of More ( Ecc 6:8-9 ).
Ecc 6:8-9
‘For what advantage has the wise more than the fool? Or what advantage does the poor man have who knows how to walk before the living (or ‘who has understanding, in walking before the living)? Better is the sight of the eyes, than the wandering of the desire. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.’
In the face of these vicissitudes of life, and especially in the face of death (compare Ecc 6:6 and Ecc 2:14-16), what advantage does the wise man have over the fool? In the face of such circumstances neither can do anything about it. So both are in the same position. Nor could the poor man do anything in that situation, whatever understanding he may have about walking before the living. Illness and death are the great equalisers for all. Thus it is best to accept what we are given, holding on to what we can see rather than dreaming of what is unobtainable..
‘Better is the sight of the eyes, than the wandering of the desire.’ It is better to have something which is real and can be seen, than a desire and dream which may never be fulfilled, caused by wandering longings. This expresses a general thought following the descriptions of the two men whose lives were sadly lacking. Its point is simply to stress the fact that if we have something good we should hold on to it, and not look for more, for if we are too ambitious we may lose what we have.
So his final word of counsel is to be content with what we have (compare. Heb 13:5). This is the last of nine times that the phrase “striving after wind” occurs (see Ecc 1:14; Ecc 1:17; Ecc 2:11; Ecc 2:17; Ecc 2:26; Ecc 4:4; Ecc 4:6; Ecc 4:16). It opens and closes the section of the book dealing with the futility of human achievement (Ecc 1:12 to Ecc 6:9), and stresses that that is what much of life can be if we do not walk with God, a striving after what cannot be obtained.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Ecc 6:8. What hath the poor, &c. What remaineth also to the very beggar, who knoweth how to walk before the living? The desire of the wise man who labours, is undoubtedly to make himself more comfortable than he could expect to be, by giving himself no manner of trouble: yet, when all is duly considered, it is plain, on the one hand, that the ultimate drift of all our occupations is, to be supplied with the necessaries of life; which is thus proverbially expressed, All the labour of man is for his mouth; and we find, on, the other hand, that all that the wisest man can consume, or really enjoy, is no more than generally falls to the lot of the most wretched among men; viz. those who are forced to beg their bread; provided they behave so as not to preclude themselves from the beneficence of other men. What remaineth to the wise more than to the ignorant? What, or that which remaineth also to the most miserable wretch, who knoweth how to walk before the living. Thus the wise really has an advantage over the ignorant or fool, who either does not get, or, after he has gotten, does not enjoy (Ecc 6:2.) the necessaries of life; but that advantage does not fill his soul, or satisfy his desires; as it does not raise him above the level of those who depend upon others for their subsistence, and who seldom fail of getting that by a proper demeanour, which the most industrious attains through his labour and application.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Ecc 6:8 For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?
Ver. 8. For what hath the wise more than the fool? ] Nothing at all in this vanity of human nature, that it needeth still new supply of nourishment to preserve it. When a wise man hath eaten, is he not again hungry? and must not his hunger again be satisfied as well as a fool’s hunger? Indeed, as any man is more wise, he is more temperate: he eats to live, not lives to eat. He needs not much, nor is a slave to his appetite, or to his palate. He can feed upon gruel for a need, with Daniel; upon coleworts, with Elisha; upon a cake on the coals and a cruise of water, with Elijah; upon locusts and wild honey, with the Baptist; upon barley bread, with the disciples; upon a herring or two, as Luther, &c. This a fool can ill frame to. He eats as a beast with the old world – T Mat 24:38 – and “feeds without fear”; Jdg 1:12 he “caters for the flesh” Rom 13:14 and “overchargeth it with surfeiting and drunkenness”; Luk 21:34 he measureth not his cheer by that which nature requireth, but that which greedy appetite desireth, as if therein consisteth his whole happiness.
What hath the poor that knoweth to walk before the living,
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
what = what [advantage].
the wise = a wise one, or sage.
the fool = a fool. Hebrew. kesil. See note on Pro 1:7.
the poor = a wretched one. Heb ‘anah. See note on “poverty”, Pro 6:11.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
what hath the wise: Ecc 2:14-16, Ecc 5:11
the poor: Gen 17:1, Psa 101:2, Psa 116:9, Pro 19:1, Luk 1:6, 1Ti 6:17
Reciprocal: Ecc 2:16 – how Ecc 2:22 – hath man Rom 3:1 – advantage