Ecclesiastes 6

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Ecclesiastes 6

1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

2 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.

3 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.

4 For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.

5 Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other.

6 Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?

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.

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?

Notes

Cross Reference

Concordance

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 1

<html>And it weighs heavily on man. It is prevalent among mankind.¹It causes distress upon mankind. </html>

Verse 2

<html>Wealth [and] possessions. Its simple explanation, is its apparent meaning. Yet God does not give him the power to eat thereof. That he should be happy with his portion to find satisfaction in his wealth, for he strives to oppress and to accumulate much wealth, as the matter is stated, “and he is like death and is never satisfied,”²Chavakuk 2:5. and also He does not give him the power to perform charity, from which to eat in the future, but a stranger will take that money and perform charity and he will benefit from it.³According to Targum, the verse is dealing with a person who dies on account of his sins without leaving heirs. His wife marries a stranger who enjoys the estate that he left. However, the Midrash Aggadah explains it as referring to Torah study. Wealth, possessions and honor. Scripture, Mishnah, and Aggadah. Does not give him the power. Because he did not achieve [knowledge of] Gemara, he consequently has no benefit from his studies in any practical decision making. For instead a stranger will enjoy them. The one who is versed in Gemara.</html>

Verse 3

<html>If a man begets a hundred [children]. Children.⁴“A hundred” is figuratively speaking, it is an expression used to denote “many.” (Ibn Ezra) So that the days of his years are many. (and much wealth and all goodness during the days of his life) His; וְרַב is an expression meaning “sufficient,” [i.e.,] a sufficient [=וְרַב degree of all goodness.⁵Alternatively, ורב means “and honorable” (Metsudas Dovid). Or, “the length of his life is greater [=ורב] than the average.” (Ibn Ezra) And his soul is not sated. From that goodness, for he is not happy with his portion, to be satisfied with what is his.⁶According to the Midrash, this phrase refers to the soul which comes from Above and is not sated with physical pleasures. Rather, its needs are spiritual, e.g., studying Torah, performing mitzvos and doing good deeds. And moreover he has no burial. Sometimes he is slain, and dogs devour him. All these happened to Achav, he begot many children, and he had great wealth, but he coveted [the property of] others and was not satisfied with his wealth, and [after he was killed] dogs devoured him.⁷According to the Midrash, only Achav’s blood was not buried, as Scripture states in I Melochim 22:38, “the dogs licked it up,” but his body was buried in Shomron [Ibid. Verse 37]. Alternatively, he did not have a proper burial, e.g., he was buried without burial shrouds (Ibn Ezra). Or, he was involved and focused on accumulating wealth to such a degree that one might think he would live forever and need “no burial.” (Ateres Shmuel) Better off than he is the stillborn child. [The stillborn] of a woman, for the stillborn came in vanity and went, he neither saw good nor desired it; so he does not need to be distressed. </html>

Verse 6

<html>Though he live. And if he had lived two thousand years,⁸Alternatively, one million years [אלף פעמים=1000 x1000]. (Ibn Ezra) what advantage would he have, since he did not experience any pleasure. Will he not ultimately return to the dust like all the poor people? </html>

Verse 7

<html>All man’s labor. Is for his mouth, that he should benefit and eat in this world and in the next, but this one had no benefit in his life. Yet his appetite is never filled. This is a question; i.e., but this one, did he not even gratify his desire with a small pleasure? This is similar to, “I will satisfy תִּמְלָאֵמוֹ my lust with them,”⁹Shemos 15:9. an expression of attaining a desire. And since this is so — </html>

Verse 8

<html>What advantage. [What advantage does he have] with his wisdom, over what he would have if he were a fool. What disadvantage has the poor man. Over the rich man who has no satisfaction. He too knows how to go along with the living. Another explanation: Yet his appetite is never filled. For the World to Come, for he did not perform good deeds in his lifetime. </html>

Verse 9

<html>Better is what the eyes actually see than the imagination of the soul. It would have been better and more proper for this one to gaze upon his wealth [to enjoy] what his eyes see, than [by investing his wealth] in food and drink that nourish the soul. Another explanation: Better is what the eyes actually see than the imagination of the soul. It would have better and more proper for this one to follow his eyes, to rob and to oppress, rather than [being mindful of] the course of his soul, that he did not care where his soul will go when he dies.¹⁰Alternatively, it would be better for a person to actually see where the soul of the righteous goes and where the soul of the wicked goes after their death. He would realize the difference and mend his ways. (Metsudas Dovid) This too is vanity. It is what is given to the wicked.</html>

Verse 10

<html>Whatever has been has already been named. The stature and greatness that had been established during his lifetime, “has already been named,” i.e., it already was and passed, he already had attained fame, and now it has passed, and it was made known that he was a man¹¹According to the Midrash, this refers to Adam. Note that the gematria (numerical value) of ‘מה’ [=45] is equal to ‘אדם’ [=45], man. and not god, and his end was that he died, and he was unable to strive with the angel of death, who is more powerful than he. </html>

Verse 11

<html>For there are many things. With which he occupied himself during his lifetime, such as the games of the kings, [e.g.,] monkeys, elephants and lions. They increased vanity for him, and what remains for him after he dies. </html>

Verse 12

<html>For who knows. For who knows good deeds and what man should do during his life, so that it will bring him goodness in the hereafter. In the counted days of his vanity. Which are limited in number Which he spends. Those deeds, in the limited time that he lives, for this time is as short as the shadow of a passing bird,¹²Alternatively, “that he may do them [ויעשם] like a shadow,” i.e., while alive, a person should never rest, just as a shadow moves constantly as a result of the sun’s angle, so should a person constantly be on the move and be performing these good deeds constantly. (Metsudas Dovid) and although Shlomo said, “like a shadow,” in general, and did not specify whether the shadow of a palm tree, or the shadow of a wall, which are permanent, his father Dovid had already explained it, “his days are like a passing shadow,”¹³Tehillim 144:4. this is the shadow of a flying bird.¹⁴This is deduced in the following manner. A shadow has no permanency so when Scripture states “passing shadow,” it seems superfluous. Obviously, the “passing shadow” is a description of the object that is casting the shadow, e.g., a flying bird that passes [=flies] by. It is thus expounded in this manner in the Midrash. For who can tell a man. How will the wealth that he gathered from oppression remain for his children after him, under the sun.</html>

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Table of Contents

Ecclesiastes 6

Ecclesiastes 6

Notes

Cross Reference

Concordance

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 1

Verse 2

Verse 3

Verse 6

Verse 7

Verse 8

Verse 9

Verse 10

Verse 11

Verse 12