Man is a poor vain creature himself, all he is and has is vanity; and these serve but to increase it, and make him vainer and vainer still; what [is] man the better ? for these things? not at all, rather the worse, being more vain; there is no profit by them, no excellency arises to him from them, no happiness in them, nothing that will be of any service to him, especially with respect to a future state, or when he comes to die. It may be rendered, as it is in the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions, “seeing there are many words that multiply vanity”; as all such words do that are used with God by way of murmur and complaint concerning a man’s lot and condition in this world, and as expostulating and contending with him about it; these increase sin, and by them men contract more guilt, and therefore are not the better for such litigations, but the worse; and so the words stand in connection with ( Ecclesiastes 6:10): but the former sense seems best, this being the conclusion of the wise man’s discourse concerning vanity. So the Targum and Jarchi understand it of things, and not words.

Matthew Henry Commentary

Eccl. 6:1-6 A man often has all he needs for outward enjoyment; yet the Lord leaves him so to covetousness or evil dispositions, that he make no good or comfortable use of what he has. By one means or other his possessions come to strangers; this is vanity, and an evil disease. numerous family was a matter of fond desire and of high honour amon the Hebrews; and long life is the desire of mankind in general. Eve with these additions a man may not be able to enjoy his riches, family and life. Such a man, in his passage through life, seems to have bee born for no end or use. And he who has entered on life only for on moment, to quit it the next, has a preferable lot to him who has live long, but only to suffer.

Eccl. 6:7-12 A little will serve to sustain us comfortably, and a grea deal can do no more. The desires of the soul find nothing in the wealt of the world to give satisfaction. The poor man has comfort as well a the richest, and is under no real disadvantage. We cannot say, Bette is the sight of the eyes than the resting of the soul in God; for it is better to live by faith in things to come, than to live by sense, whic dwells only upon present things. Our lot is appointed. We have what pleases God, and let that please us. The greatest possessions an honours cannot set us above the common events of human life. Seein that the things men pursue on earth increase vanities, what is man the better for his worldly devices? Our life upon earth is to be reckone by days. It is fleeting and uncertain, and with little in it to be fon of, or to be depended on. Let us return to God, trust in his merc through Jesus Christ, and submit to his will. Then soon shall we glid through this vexatious world, and find ourselves in that happy place where there is fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore __________________________________________________________________

Original Hebrew