Internet Verse Search Commentaries Word Analysis ITL - draft

Ecclesiastes 6:3

NETBible	Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years – even if he lives a long, long time,¹ but cannot enjoy his prosperity – even if he were to live forever² – I would say, “A stillborn child³ is better off than he is!”⁴
NIV © biblegateway Ecc 6:3	A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.
NASB © biblegateway Ecc 6:3	If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many they be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper burial, then I say, "Better the miscarriage than he,
NLT © biblegateway Ecc 6:3	A man might have a hundred children and live to be very old. But if he finds no satisfaction in life and in the end does not even get a decent burial, I say he would have been better off born dead.
MSG © biblegateway Ecc 6:3	Say a couple have scores of children and live a long, long life but never enjoy themselves--even though they end up with a big funeral! I'd say that a stillborn baby gets the better deal.
BBE © SABDAweb Ecc 6:3	If a man has a hundred children, and his life is long so that the days of his years are great in number, but his soul takes no pleasure in good, and he is not honoured at his death; I say that a birth before its time is better than he.
NRSV © bibleoremus Ecc 6:3	A man may beget a hundred children, and live many years; but however many are the days of his years, if he does not enjoy life’s good things, or has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.
NKJV © biblegateway Ecc 6:3	If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with goodness, or indeed he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he––
[+] More English


KJV	If a man <0376> beget <03205> (8686) an hundred <03967> [children], and live <02421> (8799) many <07227> years <08141>_, so that the days <03117> of his years <08141> be many <07227>_, and his soul <05315> be not filled <07646> (8799) with good <02896>_, and also [that] he have no burial <06900>_; I say <0559> (8804)_, [that] an untimely birth <05309> [is] better <02896> than he.
NASB © biblegateway Ecc 6:3	If <0518> a man <0376> fathers <03205> a hundred <03967> children and lives <02421> many <07227> years <08141> , however many <07227> they be, but his soul <05315> is not satisfied <07646> with good <02899> things <02899> and he does not even <01571> have <01961> a proper burial <06900> , then I say <0559> , "Better <02896> the miscarriage <05309> than <04480> he,
LXXM	ean <1437> CONJ gennhsh <1080> V-FMI-2S anhr <435> N-NSM ekaton <1540> N-NUI kai <2532> CONJ eth <2094> N-APN polla <4183> A-APN zhsetai <2198> V-FMI-3S kai <2532> CONJ plhyov <4128> N-ASN o <3739> R-ASN ti <5100> I-ASN esontai <1510> V-FMI-3P hmerai <2250> N-NPF etwn <2094> N-GPN autou <846> D-GSM kai <2532> CONJ quch <5590> N-NSF autou <846> D-GSM ouk <3364> ADV emplhsyhsetai {V-FPI-3S} apo <575> PREP thv <3588> T-GSF agaywsunhv <19> N-GSF kai <2532> CONJ ge <1065> PRT tafh <5027> N-NSF ouk <3364> ADV egeneto <1096> V-AMI-3S autw <846> D-DSM eipa {V-AAI-1S} agayon <18> A-NSN uper <5228> PREP auton <846> D-ASM to <3588> T-NSN ektrwma <1626> N-NSN
NET [draft] ITL	Even if <0518> a man <0376> fathers <03205> a hundred <03967> children and lives <02421> many <07227> years <08141> – even if he lives <05315> a long, long <07227> time <03117> , but cannot <03808> enjoy <07646> his prosperity <02896> – even if <01571> he were <01961> to live forever <03808> <06900> – I would say <0559> , “A stillborn child <05309> is better off <02896> than <04480> he is!”
HEBREW	lpnh <05309> wnmm <04480> bwj <02896> ytrma <0559> wl <0> htyh <01961> al <03808> hrwbq <06900> Mgw <01571> hbwjh <02896> Nm <04480> ebvt <07646> al <03808> wspnw <05315> wyns <08141> ymy <03117> wyhys <01961> brw <07227> hyxy <02421> twbr <07227> Mynsw <08141> ham <03967> sya <0376> dylwy <03205> Ma (6:3) <0518>

NETBible

Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years – even if he lives a long, long time,¹ but cannot enjoy his prosperity – even if he were to live forever² – I would say, “A stillborn child³ is better off than he is!”⁴

NET Notes

¹tn Heb “the days of his years are many.”

²tn Heb “he has no burial.” The phrase וְגַם־קְבוּרָה לֹא־הָיְתָה (vÿgam-qÿvurah lo’-haytah, “he even has no burial”) is traditionally treated as part of a description of the man’s sorry final state, that is, he is deprived of even a proper burial (KJV, NEB, RSV, NRSV, ASV, NASB, NIV, NJPS, MLB, Moffatt). However, the preceding parallel lines suggest that this a hyperbolic protasis: “If he were to live one hundred years…even if he were never buried [i.e., were to live forever]….” A similar idea occurs elsewhere (e.g., Pss 49:9; 89:48). See D. R. Glenn, “Ecclesiastes,” BKCOT, 990.

³tn The noun נֶפֶל (nefel) denotes “miscarriage” and by metonymy of effect, “stillborn child” (e.g., Ps 58:9; Job 3:16; Eccl 6:3); cf. HALOT 711. The noun is related to the verb נָפַל (nafal, “to fall,” but occasionally “to be born”; see Isa 26:18); cf. HALOT 710 s.v. נפל 5.

⁴sn The point of 6:3-6 is that the futility of unenjoyed wealth is worse than the tragedy of being stillborn.