--- title: "Clarke" description: "CHAPTER VI The vanity of riches without use, 1, 2. Of children and of old age without riches and enjoyment, 3-7. Man does not know what is good for himsel" image: "/images/missing.jpg" url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/ecclesiastes/6" --- CHAPTER VI *The vanity of riches without use*, 1, 2. *Of children and of old age without riches and enjoyment*, 3-7. *Man does not know what is good for himself*, 8-12. NOTES ON CHAP. VI Verse [Ecclesiastes 6:2](../../../kjv/ecclesiastes/6/2). ***A man to whom God hath given riches*** — A man may possess much earthly goods, and yet enjoy nothing of them. Possession and fruition are not necessarily joined together; and this is also among the *vanities* of life. It is worthy of remark, that it belongs to God as much to give the power to enjoy as it does to give the earthly blessings. A wise heathen saw this: - Di tibi divitias dederant, artemque fruendi. HOR. Ep. lib. i., ep. 4, ver. 7. "The gods had given thee riches, and the art to enjoy them." Verse [Ecclesiastes 6:3](../../../kjv/ecclesiastes/6/3). ***If a man beget a hundred*****children**] If he have the most numerous family and the largest possessions, and is so much attached to his riches that he grudges himself a monument; an *abortion* in the eye of reason is to be preferred to such a man; *himself* is contemptible, and his *life* worthless. The abortion *comes in with vanity* - baulks expectation, *departs in* *darkness* - never opened its eyes upon the light, and *its name is* *covered with darkness* - it has no place in the family register, or in the chronicles of Israel. This, that hath neither *seen the sun,* *nor known any thing* is preferable to the *miser* who has his coffers and granaries well furnished, should he have *lived a thousand* *years*, and had *a hundred children*. He *has seen* - possessed, no good; *and he and the abortion go to one place*, equally unknown, and wholly forgotten. Verse [Ecclesiastes 6:7](../../../kjv/ecclesiastes/6/7). ***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. Verse [Ecclesiastes 6:8](../../../kjv/ecclesiastes/6/8). ***For what hath the wise more than the fool?*** — They must both labour for the same end. Both depend upon the labour of themselves or others for the necessaries of life. Both must eat and drink in order to live; and the rich man can no more eat two meals at a time, than he can comfortably wear two changes of raiment. The necessaries of life are the same to both, and their *condition* in life is nearly similar; liable to the same diseases, dissolution, and death. Verse [Ecclesiastes 6:9](../../../kjv/ecclesiastes/6/9). ***Better*****is*****the sight of the eyes than the wandering of**********the desire*** — This is translated by the *Vulgate*, as a sort of adage: Melius est videre quod cupias, quam desiderare quod nescias, "It is better to see what one desires than to covet what one knows not." It is better to enjoy the present than to feed one's self with vain desires of the *future*. What we translate *the wandering* *of desire*, מהלך נפש mehaloch nephesh, is the *travelling of the* *soul*. What is this? Does it simply mean *desire*? Or is there any reference here to the state of *separate spirits*! It however shows the soul to be in a *restless state*, and consequently to be *unhappy*. If Christ dwell in the heart by faith, the soul is then at *rest*, and this is properly the *rest of the people of God*. Verse [Ecclesiastes 6:10](../../../kjv/ecclesiastes/6/10). ***That which hath been is named already*** — The *Hebrew* of this verse might be translated, "Who is he who is? His name has been already called. And it is known that he is Adam; and that he cannot contend in judgment with him who is stronger than he." "What is more excellent than man; yet can he not, in the lawe, get the victory of him that is mightier than he." - COVERDALE. ADAM is his name; and it at once points out, 1. His *dignity*; he was made in the image of God. 2. His *fall*; he sinned against his Maker and was cast out of Paradise. And 3. His *recovery* by *Christ*; the *second man* (Adam) *was the Lord from heaven*, and a *quickening* *Spirit*. Verse [Ecclesiastes 6:12](../../../kjv/ecclesiastes/6/12). ***For who knoweth what*****is*****good for man in*****this*****life*** — Those things which we deem *good* are often *evil*. And those which we think *evil* are often *good*. So ignorant are we, that we run the greatest hazard in making a *choice*. It is better to leave ourselves and our concerns in the hands of the Lord, than to keep them in our own. ***For who can tell a man what shall be after him*** — Futurity is with God. While he lives, man wishes to know what is before him. When he is about to die, he wishes to know what will be after him. All this is vanity; God, because he is merciful, will reveal neither. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/ecclesiastes/6#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","width":640,"height":370,"caption":"Clarke's Commentary - Ecclesiastes 6"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/ecclesiastes/6#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/ecclesiastes/6","name":"Clarke's Commentary - Ecclesiastes 6","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/ecclesiastes/6#primaryimage"},"datePublished":null,"dateModified":null,"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"CHAPTER VI The vanity of riches without use, 1, 2. Of children and of old age without riches and enjoyment, 3-7. 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