Ecclesiastes 6
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Ecclesiastes chapter 6 is given here in full, verse by verse, in Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), with the Greek text of the Septuagint set beneath each verse. The text follows the Septuagint tradition received throughout the Orthodox Church.
1 patristic excerpt is attached to this chapter, from Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus.
Ecclesiastes 6
1There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is abundant with man:Ἔστι πονηρία ἣν εἶδον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ πολλή ἐστιν ὑπὸ τὸν ἄνθρωπον·
2a man to whom God shall give wealth, and substance, and honor, and he wants nothing for his soul of all things that he shall desire, yet God shall not give him power to eat of it, for a stranger shall devour it: this is vanity, and an evil infirmity.Ἀνὴρ ᾧ δώσει αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς πλοῦτον καὶ ὑπαρχοντα καὶ δόξαν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὑστερῶν τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ πάντων ὧν ἐπιθυμήσει, καὶ οὐκ ἐξουσιάσει αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ φαγεῖν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἀνὴρ ξένος φάγεται αὐτόν· τοῦτο ματαιότης καὶ ἀῤῥωστία πονηρά ἐστιν.
3If a man beget one hundred children, and live many years, yes, however abundant the days of his years shall be, yet if his soul shall not be satisfied with good, and also he have no burial; I said, An untimely birth is better than he.Ἐὰν γεννήσῃ ἀνὴρ ἑκατόν, καὶ ἔτη πολλὰ ζήσεται, καὶ πλῆθος ὅ, τι ἔσονται αἱ ἡμέραι ἐτῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ οὐ πλησθήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγαθωσύνης, καί γε ταφὴ οὐκ ἐγένετο αὐτῷ, εἶπα, ἀγαθὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν τὸ ἔκτρωμα.
4For he came in vanity, and departs in darkness, and his name shall be covered in darkness.Ὅτι ἐν ματαιότητι ἦλθε, καὶ ἐν σκότει πορεύεται, καὶ ἐν σκότει ὄνομα αὐτοῦ καλυφθήσεται·
5Moreover he has not seen the sun, nor known rest: there is no more rest to this one than another.Καί γε ἥλιον οὐκ εἶδε, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνω ἀναπαύσεις, τούτῳ ὑπὲρ τοῦτον·
6Though he has lived to the return of a thousand years, yet he has seen no good: do not all go to one place?Καὶ ἔζησε χιλίων ἐτῶν καθόδους, καὶ ἀγαθωσύνην οὐκ εἶδε, μὴ οὐκ εἰς τόπον ἕνα πορεύεται τὰ πάντα;
7All the labor of a man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite shall not be satisfied.Πᾶς μόχθος ἀνθρώπου εἰς στόμα αὐτοῦ, καί γε ἡ ψυχὴ οὐ πληρωθήσεται.
8For what advantage has the wise man over the fool, since even the poor knows how to walk in the direction of life?Ὅτι περίσσεια τῷ σοφῷ ὑπὲρ τὸν ἄφρονα, διότι ὁ πένης οἶδε πορευθῆναι κατέναντι τῆς ζωῆς.
9The sight of the eyes is better than that which wanders in soul: this is also vanity, and waywardness of spirit.Ἀγαθὸν ὅραμα ὀφθαλμῶν ὑπερπορευόμενον ψυχῇ· καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος.
10If anything has been, its name has already been called: and it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him who is stronger than he.Εἰ τι ἐγένετο, ἤδη κέκληται ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐγνώσθη ὅ ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, καὶ οὐ δυνήσεται κριθῆναι μετὰ τοῦ ἰσχυροτὲρου ὑπὲρ αὐτόν.
11For there are many things which increase vanity.Ὅτι εἰσι λόγοι πολλοὶ πληθύνοντες ματαιότητα.
12Τί περισσὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ; ὅτι τίς οἶδεν ἀγαθὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ, ἀριθμὸν ζωῆς ἡμερῶν ματαιότητος αὐτοῦ; καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτὰ ἐν σκιᾷ· ὅτι τίς ἀπαγγελεῖ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, τί ἔσται ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον;
The Fathers on Ecclesiastes 6
Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Ecclesiastes 6Open Ecclesiastes 6 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint Gregory ThaumaturgusChapter VI. Moreover, I shall exhibit in discourse the ill-fortune that most of all prevails among men. While God may supply a man with all that is according to his mind, and deprive him of no object which may in any manner appeal to his desires, whether it be wealth, or honour, or any other of those things for which men distract themselves; yet the man,…
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