Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 6:7
All the labor of man [is] for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.
7. All the labour of man is for his mouth ] i.e. for self-preservation and enjoyment. That is assumed to be the universal aim, and yet even that is not satisfied. The “appetite,” literally soul (not the higher, but the sensuous, element in man’s nature), still craves for more. Desire is progressive, and insatiable.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Connect these verses with Ecc 6:2-3 : All labor is undertaken with a view to some profit, but as a rule the people who labor are never satisfied. What advantage then has he who labors if (being rich) he is wise, or if being poor he knows how to conduct himself properly; what advantage have such laborers above a fool? (None, so far as they are without contentment, for) a thing present before the eyes is preferable to a future which exists only in the desire.
Ecc 6:8
What – literally, what profit (as in Ecc 1:3).
Knoweth … living – i. e., Knows how to conduct himself rightly among his contemporaries.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. All the labour of man] This is the grand primary object of all human labour; merely to provide for the support of life by procuring things necessary. And life only exists for the sake of the soul; because man puts these things in place of spiritual good, the appetite – the intense desire after the supreme good – is not satisfied. When man learns to provide as distinctly for his soul as he does for his body, then he will begin to be happy, and may soon attain his end.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
For his mouth; for meat to put into his mouth, that he may get food; and as bread is oft put for all food, so food is put for all necessary provisions for this life, as Pro 30:8, and elsewhere; whereof this is the chief, for which a man will sell his house and lands, yea, the very garments upon his back.
Is not filled: although all that a man can go: by his labours is but necessary food, which the meanest sort of men commonly enjoy, as is observed in the next verse; yet such is the vanity of this world, and the folly of mankind, that men are insatiable in their desires, and restless in their endeavours, after more and more, and never say they have enough.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. manrather, “the man,”namely, the miser (Ec 6:3-6).For not all men labor for the mouth, that is, for selfishgratification.
appetiteHebrew,“the soul.” The insatiability of the desire prevents thatwhich is the only end proposed in toils, namely, self-gratification;”the man” thus gets no “good” out of his wealth(Ec 6:3).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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 “anima non implebitur”, Pagninus, Montanus; “anima non expletur”, Mercerus, Gejerus; “non impletur”, Cocceius, so Broughton; “non satiatur”, Drusius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet his soul has never enough;” or, properly, it is not filled, so that it desires nothing further and nothing more; used as appropriately of the soul as of the ear, Ecc 1:8; for that the mouth and the soul are here placed opposite to one another as “organs of the purely sensual and therefore transitory enjoyment, and of the deeper and more spiritual and therefore more lasting kind of joys” (Zck.), is an assertion which brings out of the text what it wishes to be in it, – and stand here so little in contrast, that, as at Pro 16:26; Isa 5:14; Isa 29:8, instead of the soul the stomach could also be named; for it is the soul longing, and that after the means from without of self-preservation, that is here meant; , “beautiful soul,” Chullin iv. 7, is an appetite which is not fastidious, but is contented. , , as at Ecc 3:13; Psa 129:2. All labour, the author means to say, is in the service of the impulse after self-preservation; and yet, although it concentrates all its efforts after this end, it does not bring full satisfaction to the longing soul. This is grounded in the fact that, however in other respects most unlike, men are the same in their unsatisfied longing.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Insatiableness of Desire. | |
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.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
UNSATISFIED DESIRES
Verse 7 suggests that all the labor of man under the sun is for his own preservation and enjoyment, yet his desires are not satisfied, Pro 16:26.
Verse 8 suggests that in the quest for true happiness under the sun, the worldly wise has no advantage over the fool; neither has the poor who has learned to walk acceptably before the living gained true happiness, Ecc 11:8.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
3. Reasons why riches cannot satisfy Ecc. 6:7-9
TEXT 6:79
7
All a mans labor is for his mouth and yet his appetite is not satisfied.
8
For what advantage does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage does the poor man have, knowing how to walk before the living?
9
What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires. This too is futility and striving after wind.
THOUGHT QUESTIONS 6:79
156.
Man labors for what primary cause?
157.
Is mans appetite for either food or pleasure ever completely satisfied?
158.
Does the wise man have an advantage over the fool in respect to being satisfied with pleasure or food?
159.
Does the poor man have an advantage over the rich man?
160.
Explain verse nine in the light of Ecc. 5:18-19.
161.
What parallel is found between verses seven and nine?
162.
After reading over these verses, what does the Preacher identify as futility and striving after wind?
PARAPHRASE 6:79
A man labors all the days of his life for food and pleasure, and regardless of how much he gathers and collects he will never say, It is enough! If ones appetite is never satisfied, how is the wise man better off than the fool? Or, what advantage does the poor man have who at least knows enough to enable him to get along in lifeeven as he walks over against the rich and the wise? It is better that one enjoy daily what he has than fret over what he might be able to acquire. To always anticipate more possessions and additional pleasures and think for a moment that when they are realized you will be satisfied is an empty dream which never will be fulfilled.
COMMENT 6:79
In searching for one idea in these three verses which would give clear insight to the unlocking of the mystery of how one with such great wealth could go through life unfulfilled, one discovers the thought that the appetite is not satisfied. This explains the first seven verses in this chapter as well as giving direction to the remaining verses. The man under consideration has an insatiable appetite. He will never have enough regardless of how much he accumulates. Such a man is given over to the cares of this world and has lost control of his own spirit. In these three verses, therefore, we are discussing the same individual who has been under consideration from the beginning of this chapter. It is not to be concluded that the Preacher has one particular person in mind, but rather this evil which is common to men is simply being illustrated through a hypothetical situation. This activity is so designated as futile and striving after wind.
Ecc. 6:7 Some render this verse as All of mans toil is for his mouth and yet his soul is not appeased. In doing so, it is argued that mouth represents the lower areas of desire and soul represents the higher, spiritual areas. This, however, is not the intention of the verse. It is not a comparison; it is an additional argument to demonstrate that certain men labor endlessly for the products of food and pleasure, and yet their desire is never satisfied. Certainly it is the soul that desires such things and it is the soul that is in difficulty. What Solomon is saying is simply that some men are so attached to earthly things that like fire, the barren womb, and the grave itself they never cry, Enough! (Cf. Pro. 30:15-16) Once again the lesson which teaches the power riches have over the minds of men is vividly demonstrated. Indeed the mans soul is in trouble. He has perverted his true purpose of living to Gods glory and has become slave to things futile and transitory.
Ecc. 6:8 One would think that the wise man would have great advantage over the fool. The wise man in this situation is the one who is skillful and has the ability to increase his possessions and receive healthy profits from his investments. In addition he has merited the esteem of his peers and managed his physical affairs in such a way that his life has been extended. He is also surrounded with his children. Yet, he does not hold an edge on the fool. The fool, of course, is the one who lacks the wisdom to make such a mark in his community as that which distinguishes the wise man. When a wise man fails to enjoy what he possesses, he is no better off than a fool. There is a sense in which he is indeed a fool (Luk. 12:20).
The second part of this verse is difficult to understand. The tenor of this section would lead one to see here the simple statement that the poor man does not have an advantage over the wise man simply because, like the stillborn, all finally go to the grave and there are no distinctions there. The Paraphrase attempted to speak to this truth. However, there is much disagreement as to how the verse should actually be translated. Leupold translates it: or what advantage has the poor man that knows how to walk over against the living? He would argue that the poor Israelite, under Persian rule, is the only one who knows how to walk (because of his inheritance of Wisdom) over against the living (his oppressors). Two items militate against this translation or interpretation. One, the historical setting would necessitate a date at least 500 years later than Solomon, and secondly, such an interpretation does not speak to the line of reasoning pursued in this entire section. The Septuagint suggests that the living is to be translated life, and implies that he knows how to walk in this world to prepare for the life to come. Thus the Septuagint reads, For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? since the poor man knows how to walk before life? This idea appears to be foreign to not only the immediate context, but the thought of the entire book. The Anchor Bible eliminates the problem by actually changing the direction of thought and making the idea of knowing how to conduct himself during his life refer to the wise man and thus pointing out that this is the only advantage the wise man has over the fool. This translation seems to be more from convenience than meeting the issue. Perhaps what Solomon is saying is that the poor has his troubles, too. He never has his desires fulfilled, and thus his appetite does not receive the numerous benefits of the wise man, rich in the things of this world, but like the rich man his desires are insatiable. No man has an advantage over another if each is controlled by greed and earthly goods. If this is indeed the correct interpretation then what Solomon is saying is that such an evil is truly common to all men. Both the rich and the poor have demonstrated a failure to enjoy life, and both have the same misery as the result of a lack of fulfillment. Their inability to eat from what they possess places them on equal status in that respect at least.
Ecc. 6:9 What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires, is not that which is spoken of in the same verse as futility and striving after wind. Rather, it is good advice and is in harmony once again with previous conclusions found in Ecc. 2:24; Ecc. 3:12-13; Ecc. 3:22; Ecc. 5:18 and later in Ecc. 6:12. The adage, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, speaks of this truth. It is better to take what one has and enjoy it rather than entertain a craving for what is possibly in the future and uncertain. To control ones appetites and make the most of what one has is the mark of a truly wise man. God will evidently permit such a one to find joy in living and eat from what he possesses.
The contrary attitude which manifests the dissatisfaction with life regardless of what one possesses is that which Solomon speaks of as futile. The oft-occurring striving after wind marks this type of activity as totally useless.
FACT QUESTIONS 6:79
291.
What key statement found in these verses helps to clarify the conclusions in this entire section?
292.
What is demonstrated by the argument found in verse seven?
293.
What characterizes the wise man of verse eight?
294.
What characterizes the fool?
295.
What advantage does the wise man have over the fool? Discuss.
296.
Give two reasons why Leupolds translation of verse eight should not be considered.
297.
Explain what the Septuagint does with the term the living.
298.
What does the poor man have in common with the rich, wise man?
299.
What good advice does Solomon offer? (Cf. Ecc. 6:9)
300.
How can one eat from what he possesses?
301.
What does futility refer to?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
7. The man spoken of in the preceding verse is still the subject, as contrasted with the perished embryo.
All the labour of man is for his mouth That is, for present enjoyment.
Appetite is not filled Better, Yet his soul is not satisfied.
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. (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?
What a solemn consideration it is, that such and so clamorous are the demands of the body, that the whole of men’s labours is directed to satisfy them. Though the whole world appear to be directed in different pursuits, yet in reality the object proposed is but one and the same; all is swallowed up in this one, how to please the flesh! And so insatiable, and imperious are its demands, that the appetite is never filled. Solomon’s question, therefore, in the close, is truly striking; who knoweth what is good for man in such a life of vanity and fleeting as a shadow! Reader! pause over the thought! Is life so truly vain? Is it no better than a shadow? And is there nothing to discover of certain good, whereby to counteract the evils of our fallen state? Precious Jesus! it is thou alone, who by thy great redemption, hast opened a source of real, solid, and substantial good: and taught thy people that happy lesson, how to improve the vanities of the present life in the pursuits of a better. Lord! impress all thy saving truths, both upon the Writer’s and the header’s heart, that in thee we may find that supreme good, which is liable neither to disappoint, nor to pass away. Be thou thyself our happiness, and our portion forever!
Ecc 6:7 All the labour of man [is] for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.
Ver. 7. All the labour of man is for his mouth. ] That is, For food and raiment, as 1Ti 6:8 a little whereof will content nature, which hath therefore given us a little mouth and stomach, a to teach us moderation, as Chrysostom well observeth; to the shame of those beastly belly gods, that glut themselves, and devour the creatures, as if they were of kin to that Pope that was called Os porci, Mouth of a pig, fattening themselves like boars, till they be brawned, and having, as Eliphaz speaketh, collops in their flank. A man would think, by their greedy and great eating, that their throats were whirlpools, and their bellies bottomless; that they were like locusts, which have but one gut, the ass fish, that hath his heart in his belly, b or the dolphin, that hath his mouth in his maw, as Solinus saith.
And yet the appetite is not filled. a Dii boni. quantum hominum unus exercet venter! – Seneca. Deus homini angustum ventrem, &c. – Sergius PP.
b Aristot.
c Quicquid avium volitat, quicquid piscium natat, quicquid ferarum discurrit, nostris sepelitur ventribus
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Ecc 6:7-9
7All a man’s labor is for his mouth and yet the appetite is not satisfied. 8For what advantage does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage does the poor man have, knowing how to walk before the living? 9What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires. This too is futility and a striving after wind.
Ecc 6:7-9 This may be poetry (cf. NJB). The parallel lines would be:
1. all animals toil just to eat (cf. Gen 3:17-19); yet they can never eat enough to give lasting satisfaction (i.e., they get hungry again), Ecc 6:7
2. both the wise and the foolish are caught up in the trials and problems of a fallen world.
The second line is uncertain; it seems to give an advantage (i.e., street smarts) to the poor man who has to perpetually cope with less, Ecc 6:8
3. all humans want more than they have, yet when they have much (i.e., chapters 1-2) it is still not enough (i.e., vanity, futility, see note at Ecc 1:14), Ecc 6:9
advantage This term (BDB 452, cf. Ecc 6:8; Ecc 6:11) is a recurrent key word in Ecclesiastes. See note at Ecc 1:3.
labour = toil.
the appetite = the soul. Hebrew. nephesh.
Ecc 6:7-9
Ecc 6:7-9
SOLOMON FINDS MORE VANITY AND STRIVING AFTER WIND
“All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled. For what advantage hath the wise man more than the fool? or what hath the poor man that knoweth how to walk 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.”
When life on earth, as considered apart from the knowledge of God, as the author of Ecclesiastes was speaking of it in these lines, “Then life itself is a rat-race that makes no sense at all. This awful truth is just as real to the modern man on his industrial treadmill as it was to the primitive peasant scraping a bare living from the ground (which God has cursed for Adam’s sake). He works to eat, for the strength to go on working, to go on eating; and, even if he enjoys his work and his food, the compulsion is still there.” His mouth, not his mind, is in control.
Even with all of man’s vaunted discoveries, achievements, inventions, etc., there is an epic tragedy of human life on earth continually lived out in the lives of uncounted millions of people. Millions of children annually die without proper food from malnutrition and starvation. Disease and death are rampant in all lands. Oh yes, the average life-span has been increased a little; but it remains only a small fraction of what God intended, as evidenced in the lives of Adam and many of the patriarchs. What is wrong? Just one thing. Man’s wickedness.
Apart from God, “homo sapiens” (the wise one, as he calls himself) would be more appropriately named if he had called himself `homo ignoramus.’! Apart from God, mankind has no more future than the ichthyosaurus or the dinosaur. More and more our wretched human family is claiming for itself the scriptural designation that must be applied to unbelievers, namely, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Psa 14:1 and Psa 53:1).
“Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire” (Ecc 6:9). Cook interpreted this to mean that, “A thing pleasant before the eyes is preferable to a future which exists only in the desire.” If this is correct, then we have here the equivalent of the current saying that, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” the very same thought of every sinner who consents to take what his lustful eyes may see instead of those things eternal which are invisible (2Co 4:18).
In searching for one idea in these three verses which would give clear insight to the unlocking of the mystery of how one with such great wealth could go through life unfulfilled, one discovers the thought that the appetite is not satisfied. This explains the first seven verses in this chapter as well as giving direction to the remaining verses. The man under consideration has an insatiable appetite. He will never have enough regardless of how much he accumulates. Such a man is given over to the cares of this world and has lost control of his own spirit. In these three verses, therefore, we are discussing the same individual who has been under consideration from the beginning of this chapter. It is not to be concluded that the Preacher has one particular person in mind, but rather this evil which is common to men is simply being illustrated through a hypothetical situation. This activity is so designated as futile and striving after wind.
Ecc 6:7 Some render this verse as All of mans toil is for his mouth and yet his soul is not appeased. In doing so, it is argued that mouth represents the lower areas of desire and soul represents the higher, spiritual areas. This, however, is not the intention of the verse. It is not a comparison; it is an additional argument to demonstrate that certain men labor endlessly for the products of food and pleasure, and yet their desire is never satisfied. Certainly it is the soul that desires such things and it is the soul that is in difficulty. What Solomon is saying is simply that some men are so attached to earthly things that like fire, the barren womb, and the grave itself they never cry, Enough! (Cf. Pro 30:15-16) Once again the lesson which teaches the power riches have over the minds of men is vividly demonstrated. Indeed the mans soul is in trouble. He has perverted his true purpose of living to Gods glory and has become slave to things futile and transitory.
Ecc 6:8 One would think that the wise man would have great advantage over the fool. The wise man in this situation is the one who is skillful and has the ability to increase his possessions and receive healthy profits from his investments. In addition he has merited the esteem of his peers and managed his physical affairs in such a way that his life has been extended. He is also surrounded with his children. Yet, he does not hold an edge on the fool. The fool, of course, is the one who lacks the wisdom to make such a mark in his community as that which distinguishes the wise man. When a wise man fails to enjoy what he possesses, he is no better off than a fool. There is a sense in which he is indeed a fool (Luk 12:20).
The second part of this verse is difficult to understand. The tenor of this section would lead one to see here the simple statement that the poor man does not have an advantage over the wise man simply because, like the stillborn, all finally go to the grave and there are no distinctions there. The Paraphrase attempted to speak to this truth. However, there is much disagreement as to how the verse should actually be translated. Leupold translates it: or what advantage has the poor man that knows how to walk over against the living? He would argue that the poor Israelite, under Persian rule, is the only one who knows how to walk (because of his inheritance of Wisdom) over against the living (his oppressors). Two items militate against this translation or interpretation. One, the historical setting would necessitate a date at least 500 years later than Solomon, and secondly, such an interpretation does not speak to the line of reasoning pursued in this entire section. The Septuagint suggests that the living is to be translated life, and implies that he knows how to walk in this world to prepare for the life to come. Thus the Septuagint reads, For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? since the poor man knows how to walk before life? This idea appears to be foreign to not only the immediate context, but the thought of the entire book. The Anchor Bible eliminates the problem by actually changing the direction of thought and making the idea of knowing how to conduct himself during his life refer to the wise man and thus pointing out that this is the only advantage the wise man has over the fool. This translation seems to be more from convenience than meeting the issue. Perhaps what Solomon is saying is that the poor has his troubles, too. He never has his desires fulfilled, and thus his appetite does not receive the numerous benefits of the wise man, rich in the things of this world, but like the rich man his desires are insatiable. No man has an advantage over another if each is controlled by greed and earthly goods. If this is indeed the correct interpretation then what Solomon is saying is that such an evil is truly common to all men. Both the rich and the poor have demonstrated a failure to enjoy life, and both have the same misery as the result of a lack of fulfillment. Their inability to eat from what they possess places them on equal status in that respect at least.
Ecc 6:9 What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires, is not that which is spoken of in the same verse as futility and striving after wind. Rather, it is good advice and is in harmony once again with previous conclusions found in Ecc 2:24; Ecc 3:12-13; Ecc 3:22; Ecc 5:18 and later in Ecc 6:12. The adage, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, speaks of this truth. It is better to take what one has and enjoy it rather than entertain a craving for what is possibly in the future and uncertain. To control ones appetites and make the most of what one has is the mark of a truly wise man. God will evidently permit such a one to find joy in living and eat from what he possesses.
The contrary attitude which manifests the dissatisfaction with life regardless of what one possesses is that which Solomon speaks of as futile. The oft-occurring striving after wind marks this type of activity as totally useless.
the labour: Gen 3:17-19, Pro 16:26, Mat 6:25, Joh 6:27, 1Ti 6:6-8
appetite: Heb. soul, Ecc 6:3, Ecc 5:10, Luk 12:19
Reciprocal: Gen 48:15 – fed me Psa 127:2 – the bread Pro 27:20 – so Ecc 2:22 – hath man
Ecc 6:7-8. All the labour of man is for his mouth For meat and other necessary provisions of this life; and yet the appetite is not filled Although all that a man can obtain by his labours is but a provision for his bodily wants, which the meanest sort of men commonly enjoy, yet such is the vanity of the world, and the folly of mankind, that men are insatiable in their desires, and restless in their endeavours after more and more, and never say they have enough. What hath the wise more than the fool Namely, in these matters? Both are subject to the same calamities, and partakers of the same comforts of this life. What hath the poor Especially? What advantage in this respect? That knoweth Even though he knoweth; to walk before the living? Though he be ingenious and industrious; that is, fit for service and business, and knows how to conduct himself toward his superiors so as to deserve and gain their favour, and to procure a livelihood; what more hath he than the poor that do not know this? The verse is obscure, and some think it should be rendered, For what hath the wise more than the fool? And what than the poor, who knoweth how to walk before the living? That is, who knows how to act prudently: and they think the meaning is, that the wise and the fool, and even the poor, if they be industrious, and know how to behave themselves properly, all enjoy the necessaries of life, food and raiment. The only objection to this interpretation is, that though it seems to improve the sense, it is not consistent with the Hebrew text, , signifying literally, not than the poor, but, What is there to the poor? or, what hath the poor? The Hebrew, however, may be rendered, What excellence hath the wise man more than the fool? What excellence, especially, hath the poor that knoweth, that is, although he knoweth, &c.
6:7 All the labour of man [is] for his mouth, and yet the {e} appetite is not filled.
(e) His desire and affection.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes