Ecclesiastes 6:3 Parallel Translations

If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many they be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper burial, then I say, "Better the miscarriage than he, (NASB ©1995)

GWT:

Suppose a rich person wasn't satisfied with good things while he was alive and didn't even get an honorable burial after he died. Suppose he had a hundred children and lived for many years. No matter how long he would have lived, it still would have been better for him to have been born dead.(GOD'S WORD®)

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.

ASV:

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

BBE:

If a man has a hundred children, and his life is long so that the days of his years are great in number, but his soul takes no pleasure in good, and he is not honoured at his death; I say that a birth before its time is better than he.

DBY:

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

ERV:

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

JPS:

If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul have not enough of good, and moreover he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he;

WBS:

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

WEB:

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 filled with good, and moreover he has no burial; I say, that a stillborn child is better than he:

YLT:

If a man doth beget a hundred, and live many years, and is great, because they are the days of his years, and his soul is not satisfied from the goodness, and also he hath not had a grave, I have said, 'Better than he is the untimely birth.'

Ecclesiastes 6:3 Cross References

XREF:

Job 3:16 "Or like a miscarriage which is discarded, I would not be, As infants that never saw light.

Ecclesiastes 4:3 But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.

Isaiah 14:20 "You will not be united with them in burial, Because you have ruined your country, You have slain your people. May the offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever.

Jeremiah 8:2 "They will spread them out to the sun, the moon and to all the host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served, and which they have gone after and which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered or buried; they will be as dung on the face of the ground.

Jeremiah 22:19 "He will be buried with a donkey's burial, Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem. (NASB ©1995)

Commentaries and Concordances

GSB:

6:3 If a man begetteth an hundred [children], and liveth many years, so that the days of his years are many, and his soul is not {b} filled with good, and also [that] he hath no {c} burial; I say, [that] an untimely birth [is] better than he.
(b) If he can never have enough.
(c) As we see often that the covetous man either falls into crimes that deserve death, or is murdered or drowned or hangs himself or such like and so lacks the honour of burial, which is the last office of humanity.

WES:

6:3 With good - He hath not a contented mind and comfortable enjoyment of his estate. Is better - Which as it never enjoyed the comforts, so it never felt the calamities of life.

MHC:

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 makes 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. A numerous family was a matter of fond desire and of high honour among the Hebrews; and long life is the desire of mankind in general. Even 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 been born for no end or use. And he who has entered on life only for one moment, to quit it the next, has a preferable lot to him who has lived long, but only to suffer.

CONC:

Beget Begets Begetteth Better Birth Burial Child Death Enjoy Fathers Filled Goodness Grave Honoured However Hundred Life's Matter Miscarriage Moreover Pleasure Proper Prosperity Receive Satisfied Sons Soul Stillborn Takes Untimely Yet

Beget Begetteth Better Birth Burial Child Children Enjoy Fathers Filled Good However Hundred Live Matter Miscarriage Moreover Proper Prosperity Receive Satisfied Soul Stillborn Untimely Years

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GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Quotations are used by permission. Copyright 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved.

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