Ecclesiastes 6:9

9 melius est videre quod cupias quam desiderare quod nescias sed et hoc vanitas est et praesumptio spiritus

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 omnis labor hominis in ore eius sed anima illius non impletur
8 quid habet amplius sapiens ab stulto et quid pauper nisi ut pergat illuc ubi est vita
9 melius est videre quod cupias quam desiderare quod nescias sed et hoc vanitas est et praesumptio spiritus
10 qui futurus est iam vocatum est nomen eius et scitur quod homo sit et non possit contra fortiorem se in iudicio contendere
11 verba sunt plurima multa in disputando habentia vanitatem
The Latin Vulgate is in the public domain.