Ecclesiastes 6:5

5 Even the sun he hath not seen nor known, more rest hath this than that.

Ecclesiastes 6:5 Meaning and Commentary

Ecclesiastes 6:5

Moreover, he hath not seen the sun
This must be spoken of the abortive, and seems to confirm the sense of the former text, as belonging to it; and whereas it has never seen the light of the sun, nor enjoyed the pleasure and comfort of it, it is no ways distressing to it to be without it. The Targum is,

``the light of the law he seeth not; and knoweth not between good and evil, to judge between this world and that to come:''

so the Vulgate Latin version, "neither knows the difference of good and evil"; nor known [anything];
not the sun, nor anything else: or "experienced" ^F26 and "felt" the heat of the sun, and its comfortable influences; which a man may, who is blind, and has never seen it, but an abortive has not; and indeed has known no man, nor any creature nor thing in this world, and therefore it is no concern to it to be without them; and besides, has never had any knowledge or experience of the troubles of lifts, which every living man is liable to. Wherefore this is certain, this hath more rest than the other;
that is, the abortive than the covetous man; having never been distressed with the troubles of life, and now not affected with the sense of loss.

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FOOTNOTES:

F26 (edy alw) "ueque expertus est", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Rambachius, so Broughton.

Ecclesiastes 6:5 In-Context

3 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.'

4 For in vanity he came in, and in darkness he goeth, and in darkness his name is covered,

5 Even the sun he hath not seen nor known, more rest hath this than that.

6 And though he had lived a thousand years twice over, yet good he hath not seen; to the same place doth not every one go?

7 All the labour of man [is] for his mouth, and yet the soul is not filled.