Bible Commentary

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. 10. That which hath been is named already ] The maxim is enigmatic. As viewed by many commentators, it asserts that man is the creature of a destiny, which … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 6:10”

Better [is] the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this [is] also vanity and vexation of spirit. 9. Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire ] Literally, than the wandering of the soul. The truth is substantially that embodied in the fable of “the dog … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 6:9”

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 … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 6:8”

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 … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 6:7”

Yea, though he live a thousand years twice [told], yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place? 6. Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told ] The weariness of life carries the thinker yet further. Carry it to the furthest point conceivable, and still the result is the … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 6:6”

Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known [any thing]: this hath more rest than the other. Rather, it hath not seen nor known the sun: this (the untimely birth) hath rest rather than the other. Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible He hath not seen the sun; he never beheld the light, … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 6:5”

For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness. 4. he cometh in with vanity ] The pronoun in the English Version refers the clause to the man who has heaped up riches, and had a long life with no real enjoyment. Probably, however, the words … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 6:4”

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. 3. If a man beget an hundred children ] A … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 6:3”

A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honor, 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. Verse 2. A man to whom God hath … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 6:2”

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it [is] common among men: 1. There is an evil which I have seen under the sun ] The picture is substantially the same as that of ch. Ecc 4:7-8. The repetition is characteristic, consciously or unconsciously, of the pessimism from which the … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 6:1”