Ecclesiastes 6 3

Ecclesiastes 6:3 kjv

If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.

Ecclesiastes 6:3 nkjv

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?

Ecclesiastes 6:3 niv

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.

Ecclesiastes 6:3 esv

If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life's good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.

Ecclesiastes 6:3 nlt

A man might have a hundred children and live to be very old. But if he finds no satisfaction in life and doesn't even get a decent burial, it would have been better for him to be born dead.

Ecclesiastes 6 verses

Ecclesiastes 6 3 Meaning

Ecclesiastes 6:3 articulates the profound futility of a long and outwardly prosperous life that lacks true enjoyment or spiritual contentment. Even if one lives to an extreme old age, bears many children, and possesses great wealth, if genuine satisfaction is absent, and ultimately, if a dignified burial is denied, such a life is deemed more regrettable than never having existed at all. The Preacher startlingly suggests that an untimely birth, or a stillborn child, is in a more fortunate state because it avoids the sorrows and ultimate meaninglessness of a life filled with "no enjoyment of good" under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 6 3 Context

Ecclesiastes chapter 6 continues Qôheleth's exploration of life's "vanity" (hebel) and the pervasive inequities and dissatisfactions "under the sun." Immediately preceding this verse (6:1-2), the Preacher introduces the concept of a grave "evil" he has observed: a man to whom God has given wealth, possessions, and honor, lacking nothing his soul desires, yet God does not enable him to enjoy these blessings; instead, a stranger consumes them. This sets the stage for 6:3, where Qôheleth intensifies this observation, taking the seemingly ideal life (long life, many children) and showing its ultimate meaninglessness without the crucial element of enjoyment and proper ending. The chapter as a whole dissects various illusions of success – wealth, large family, long life – to demonstrate that without God's enablement of enjoyment, they are nothing more than a striving after wind, utterly empty. This reflects a deeper polemic against the simplistic ancient belief that a long life, numerous offspring, and great wealth automatically equated to divine blessing and a good life; Qôheleth asserts that the quality of life, measured by true contentment, far outweighs its mere quantity or outward appearances.

Ecclesiastes 6 3 Word analysis

• though he live: Emphasizes the duration of life. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, a long life was generally considered a sign of divine favor and blessing (e.g., Exod 20:12, Prov 3:1-2, Ps 91:16). Qôheleth, however, challenges this assumption here.
• a thousand years: This is hyperbole, meaning an exceptionally long, almost unimaginable lifespan. It exaggerates the blessing of longevity to underscore the point that even extreme length does not guarantee "good."
• twice over: Further emphasizes the hyperbolic length, signifying the absolute maximum possible longevity and adding intensity to the idea. Even beyond what's normally considered "long."
• and have no enjoyment of good: This is the critical turning point. The Hebrew word for "enjoyment" here is not just sensory pleasure but an active experience of the inherent "goodness" (טֹוב - tov) within life's blessings. Tov here refers to true satisfaction, delight, or the meaningful experience of prosperity and pleasure. It highlights a disconnect between possession and experience. One may have much, but if God has not "given him authority to enjoy it" (Ecc 6:2), it holds no real "good" for him.
• yet do not have a burial: Hebrew: קְבוּרָה (q'vurah). In ancient Israel, a proper burial was immensely significant. It signified honor, continuity with one's ancestors, and a resting place. To be denied burial, or to have one's body exposed, was a grave disgrace, a curse, and the ultimate sign of rejection or a life poorly ended (e.g., Jer 22:18-19, 8:1-2). Even with extreme wealth and progeny, a lack of burial indicates a final dishonor, rendering all preceding achievements meaningless. It also implied an unstable or tragic end.
• I say: This interjection serves to mark Qôheleth's strong, personal, and provocative declaration, asserting his wisdom and the gravity of his conclusion.
• that an untimely birth: Hebrew: נֵפֶל (nephel), meaning a stillborn child, or a miscarriage. This is a stark and deeply counter-intuitive comparison. In ancient societies, childbearing was highly valued, and a stillbirth was a source of profound sorrow and loss.
• is better than he: This radical statement encapsulates the Preacher's pessimistic assessment of a prosperous, long life without genuine "good." A stillborn child, though a tragedy, never experiences the vanity, striving, sorrow, or ultimately, the hollow unfulfillment of such a life, nor does it suffer the indignity of lacking a proper burial. Thus, in Qôheleth's dark perspective, non-existence is preferable to an unfulfilling, unhonored existence.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "though he live a thousand years twice over and have no enjoyment of good": This phrase starkly juxtaposes ultimate human desire (extreme longevity and material prosperity) with a core human lack (true internal enjoyment). It critiques the external metrics of success prevalent in society by highlighting their emptiness without the deeper, God-given capacity for contentment.
• "yet do not have a burial": This final indignity, occurring despite an outwardly successful life, seals the argument. It underscores the fragility of even apparent achievements, as they can culminate in disgrace. This final state implies a life unremembered, dishonored, or abandoned, canceling out any supposed "good" accumulated over millennia.
• "I say that an untimely birth is better than he": This is Qôheleth's shocking and provocative thesis. It shatters the conventional wisdom that existence itself is inherently good. He contends that a brief, tragic non-existence (a stillbirth) is morally and experientially superior to a long, full life devoid of satisfaction and honor, ultimately culminating in oblivion. It posits that a life of meaninglessness is worse than no life at all.

Ecclesiastes 6 3 Bonus section

The concept of "good" (tov) in Ecclesiastes is complex and crucial for understanding Qôheleth's perspective. While tov can refer to material prosperity or pleasurable experiences, Qôheleth often redefines it in contrast to these. For him, the true "good" or "enjoyment of good" is not something one achieves by striving but is a divine gift, often found in simple pleasures and the fruits of one's labor when shared and received with contentment from God (Ecc 2:24, 3:12-13, 5:18-20). The individual described in Ecc 6:3 clearly lacks this God-given ability to enjoy, despite possessing every external sign of blessing. This verse powerfully serves as a rhetorical device to shake the reader out of complacent assumptions about what constitutes a blessed or successful life, pointing instead to an underlying spiritual or experiential reality that transcends outward appearances. It anticipates the later New Testament emphasis on contentment regardless of circumstances (Phil 4:11-13, 1 Tim 6:6).

Ecclesiastes 6 3 Commentary

Ecclesiastes 6:3 represents a pinnacle of Qôheleth's argument regarding the futility of human endeavor and achievement when God is not acknowledged as the source of true good. It powerfully negates several deeply ingrained cultural values: the blessing of longevity, the fruitfulness of many children, and the security of accumulated wealth. Qôheleth asserts that the absence of genuine, God-given enjoyment of one's labors and blessings renders any amount of temporal success hollow. This "good" is not merely possessions but the internal, divinely enabled capacity to appreciate and derive satisfaction from life as it is experienced.

Moreover, the added element of being "denied a burial" symbolizes the complete failure and disgrace of such a life, perhaps suggesting a violent, lonely, or disowned end, irrespective of all prior wealth or honor. In the ancient world, to be unburied was a profound shame, denying even the final rest and commemoration. The Preacher’s ultimate conclusion—that a stillborn child is "better"—is an incredibly jarring and bleak judgment. It posits that avoiding the emptiness, sorrow, and ultimate dishonor of such a life, even through non-existence, is preferable. This severe pronouncement serves to underscore the utter vanity and tragedy of living a life focused solely on accumulating earthly things without discovering true meaning or contentment, which Qôheleth elsewhere suggests can only be found as a gift from God. The practical lesson echoes throughout the Bible: seeking lasting joy and significance must extend beyond what this temporal world offers.