Ecclesiastes 6:9

9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Ecclesiastes 6:9 Meaning and Commentary

Ecclesiastes 6:9

Better [is] the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the
desire
By "the sight of the eyes" is not meant the bare beholding outward riches, as in ( 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, ( 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 loose in vague desires, after things that may never be come at, and, if attained to, would give no satisfaction; this [is] also vanity and vexation of spirit:
a most vain thing, to give the mind such a loose and liberty in its unbounded desires after worldly things; and a vexation of spirit it is to such a craving mind, that it cannot obtain what it is so desirous of.

Ecclesiastes 6:9 In-Context

7 All the labor of man is for his mouth, And yet the soul is not satisfied.
8 For what more has the wise man than the fool? What does the poor man have, Who knows how to walk before the living?
9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
10 Whatever one is, he has been named already, For it is known that he is man; And he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he.
11 Since there are many things that increase vanity, How is man the better?
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.