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Text -- Ecclesiastes 6:2-12 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
6:2 God gives a man riches , property, and wealth so that he lacks nothing that his heart desires , yet God does not enable him to enjoy the fruit of his labor– instead , someone else enjoys it! This is fruitless and a grave misfortune .
6:3 Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years – even if he lives a long, long time , but cannot enjoy his prosperity – even if he were to live forever – I would say , “A stillborn child is better off than he is!”
6:4 Though the stillborn child came into the world for no reason and departed into darkness , though its name is shrouded in darkness ,
6:5 though it never saw the light of day nor knew anything, yet it has more rest than that man–
6:6 if he should live a thousand years twice , yet does not enjoy his prosperity . For both of them die !
6:7 All of man’s labor is for nothing more than to fill his stomach – yet his appetite is never satisfied !
6:8 So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool ? And what advantage does a pauper gain by knowing how to survive ?
6:9 It is better to be content with what the eyes can see than for one’s heart always to crave more. This continual longing is futile – like chasing the wind .
The Futile Way Life Works
6:10 Whatever has happened was foreordained , and what happens to a person was also foreknown . It is useless for him to argue with God about his fate because God is more powerful than he is.
6:11 The more one argues with words , the less he accomplishes . How does that benefit him ?
6:12 For no one knows what is best for a person during his life – during the few days of his fleeting life – for they pass away like a shadow . Nor can anyone tell him what the future will hold for him on earth .
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Dictionary Themes and Topics:
Philosophy |
Instruction |
Life |
Contentment |
Vanity |
Worldliness |
Death |
Old Age |
Ignorance |
APPETITE |
Riches |
Poor |
WEALTH, WEALTHY |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Ecc 6:2; Ecc 6:2; Ecc 6:2; Ecc 6:2; Ecc 6:2; Ecc 6:2; Ecc 6:2; Ecc 6:2; Ecc 6:2; Ecc 6:3; Ecc 6:3; Ecc 6:3; Ecc 6:3; Ecc 6:4; Ecc 6:4; Ecc 6:4; Ecc 6:4; Ecc 6:5; Ecc 6:5; Ecc 6:5; Ecc 6:6; Ecc 6:7; Ecc 6:7; Ecc 6:7; Ecc 6:8; Ecc 6:8; Ecc 6:8; Ecc 6:9; Ecc 6:9; Ecc 6:9; Ecc 6:9; Ecc 6:9; Ecc 6:10; Ecc 6:10; Ecc 6:10; Ecc 6:11; Ecc 6:11; Ecc 6:12; Ecc 6:12; Ecc 6:12; Ecc 6:12
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NET Notes: Ecc 6:3 The point of 6:3-6 is that the futility of unenjoyed wealth is worse than the tragedy of being stillborn.
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NET Notes: Ecc 6:5 The Hebrew term translated rest here refers to freedom from toil, anxiety, and misery – part of the miserable misfortune that the miserly man of...
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NET Notes: Ecc 6:6 Heb “Do not all go to the same place?” The rhetorical question is an example of erotesis of positive affirmation, expecting a positive ans...
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NET Notes: Ecc 6:7 The term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “desire; appetite”) is used as a metonymy of association, that is, the soul i...
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NET Notes: Ecc 6:8 Heb “ What to the pauper who knows to walk before the living”; or “how to get along in life.”
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NET Notes: Ecc 6:9 The term “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.
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NET Notes: Ecc 6:10 Heb “he cannot contend with the one who is more powerful than him.” The referent of the “the one who is more powerful than he isR...
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