Ecclesiastes 6:9

“Better [is] the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire, etc.] By “the sight of the eyes” is not meant the bare beholding outward riches, as in (<210511>Ecclesiastes 5:11); but the enjoyment of present mercies; such things as a man is in the possession of, and with which he should be content, (<581305>Hebrews 13:5); and by “the wandering of the desire”, the craving appetite and insatiable lust of the covetous mind, which enlarges its desire as hell, after a thousand things, and everything it can think of; such a mind roves through the whole creation, and covets everything under the sun: now it is better to enjoy contentedly things in sight and in possession, than to let the mind…”

“Answer to the question in Ecc 6:8. This is the advantage: Better is the sight of the eyes--the wise man's godly enjoyment of present seen blessings than the (fool's) wandering--literally, walking (Psa 73:9), of the desire, that is, vague, insatiable desires for what he has not (Ecc 6:7; Heb 13:5). this--restless wandering of desire, and not enjoying contentedly the present (Ti1 6:6, Ti1 6:8).”

“Connect these verses with Ecclesiastes 6:2-3 : “All labor is undertaken with a view to some profit, but as a rule the people who labor are never satisfied. What advantage then has he who labors if (being rich) he is wise, or if being poor he knows how to conduct himself properly; what advantage have such laborers above a fool? (None, so far as they are without contentment, for) a thing present before the eyes is preferable to a future which exists only in the desire.” Ecclesiastes 6:8 What - literally, what profit (as in Ecclesiastes 1:3). Knoweth ... living - i. e., “Knows how to conduct himself rightly among his contemporaries.” return to 'Top of Page'”

“The fight - The comfortable enjoyment of what a man hath. Than - Restless desires of what a man hath not. This - Wandering of the desire. Ecclesiastes 6:10”

“Better: Ecc 2:24, Ecc 3:12, Ecc 3:13, Ecc 5:18 wandering of the desire: Heb. walking of the soul, Job 31:7; Pro 30:15, Pro 30:16; Jer 2:20 this: Ecc 6:2, Ecc 1:2, Ecc 1:14, Ecc 2:11, Ecc 2:22, Ecc 2:23, Ecc 4:4 Ecclesiastes 6:10”

“"Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the soul: also this is vain and windy effort." We see from the fin. הל־ן interchanging with מר that the latter is not meant of the object ( Ecc 11:9), but of the action, viz., the "rejoicing in that which one has" (Targ.); but this does not signify grassatio,-i.e., impetus animae appetentis, ὁρμὴ τῆς ψυχῆς (cf. Marcus Aurelius, iii. 16), which Knobel, Heiligst., and Ginsburg compare (for הלך means grassari only with certain subjects, as fire, contagion, and the life; and in certain forms, as יהלך for ילך, to which הלך = לכת does not belong), - but erratio, a going out in extent, roving to a distance (cf. הלך, wanderer), ῥεμβασμὸς…”