Ecclesiastes 5

### CHAP. VII.

Ecclesiastes 5:7

7. All the labour of man &c.] All the labour of man that is necessary to be taken is only for his mouth, or what is required to sustain him; and yet the appetite of the covetous is never satisfied. Dr. Wells.

8. — knoweth to walk before the living? Knoweth to behave himself among men suitably to his condition, and to be contented with it. Dr. Wells.

Ecclesiastes 5:9

9. Better is the sight of the eyes &c.] The meaning is, It is better to make a wise use of what lies before us, and to enjoy quietly and contentedly what we have, than to let our desires be continually running out after fresh objects, and shifting from point to point; such restless pursuits being not only vain and unprofitable, but creating abundance of needless trouble and perplexity. Dr. J. Bolguy.

Ecclesiastes 5:10

10. That which hath been &c.] The sense seems to be, What if a man be renowned? It is known that he is but man, made out of dust, and therefore subject to much evil which he cannot overcome. Bp. Patrick.

Ecclesiastes 5:12

12. — all the days of his vain life &c.] The reflections which Solomon here makes are very proper to moderate the heat of men’s pursuits after earthly goods. The vanity of their labours appears not only in their not knowing how to enjoy the good things which they so eagerly pursue, but chiefly in this, that they often deprive themselves of the greatest blessing of life, which is ease and a contented mind, and cannot secure themselves any thing for the future. The gospel gives us clearer directions on this head, when we are told that “goodliness with contentment is great gain,” 1 Tim. vi. 6. Ostervald.

Chap. VII. Having discoursed, in the foregoing

part of the book, of the courses which men usually take to make themselves happy; the Preacher now seems to proceed to prescribe the best remedies that can be found against that vanity to which we are subject, by setting down many wise precepts for our direction, comfort, and support in a troublesome world. Of this nature are the doctrines which begin this chapter, quite opposite to the common opinions of the world; but they are the maxims of true wisdom and policy, which must be learnt in order to the settlement of our minds in peace and tranquillity, notwithstanding the vanity that is in all things. Bp. Patrick.

Ver. 1. — and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.] The day of a good and faithful man’s death is better than the day of his birth; for his death puts an end to those miseries which his birth begins, and opens that more perfect happiness, of which the present life is not capable. Bp. Hall.

As death to a good man is more advantageous than life, so to a wise man the contemplation of the former is more desirable than all the enjoyments of the latter. Bp. Atterbury.