Teks -- Ecclesiastes 6:3 (NET)

6:3 Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years– even if he lives a long, long time, but cannot enjoy his prosperity– even if he were to live forever– I would say, “A stillborn child is better off than he is!”

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Wesley: Ecc 6:3 - With good

He hath not a contented mind and comfortable enjoyment of his estate.

Wesley: Ecc 6:3 - Is better

Which as it never enjoyed the comforts, so it never felt the calamities of life.

JFB: Ecc 6:3

Even if a man (of this character) have very many (equivalent to "a hundred," 2Ki 10:1) children, and not have a "stranger" as his heir (Ecc 6:2), and live long ("days of years" express the brevity of life at its best, Gen 47:9), yet enjoy no real "good" in life, and lie unhonored, without "burial," at death (2Ki 9:26, 2Ki 9:35), the embryo is better than he. In the East to be without burial is the greatest degradation. "Better the fruit that drops from the tree before it is ripe than that left to hang on till rotten" [HENRY].

Clarke: Ecc 6:3 - If a man beget a hundred children

If a man beget a hundred children - If he have the most numerous family and the largest possessions, and is so much attached to his riches that he grudges himself a monument; an abortion in the eye of reason is to be preferred to such a man; himself is contemptible, and his life worthless. The abortion comes in with vanity - baulks expectation, departs in darkness - never opened its eyes upon the light, and its name is covered with darkness - it has no place in the family register, or in the chronicles of Israel. This, that hath neither seen the sun, nor known any thing is preferable to the miser who has his coffers and granaries well furnished, should he have lived a thousand years, and had a hundred children. He has seen - possessed, no good; and he and the abortion go to one place, equally unknown, and wholly forgotten.

Defender: Ecc 6:3 - untimely birth

"An untimely birth," resulting in the death of the infant, is better than a life lived away from God. The infant is safe in Christ and will be with Him eternally; those who live without God will spend eternity in hell."

TSK: Ecc 6:3 - a man // so // and also // that an

a man : Gen 33:5; 1Sa 2:20, 1Sa 2:21; 2Ki 10:1; 1Ch 28:5; 2Ch 11:21; Est 5:11; Psa 127:4, Psa 127:5; Pro 17:6

so : Ecc 5:17-19; Gen 47:9

and also : 2Ki 9:35; Est 7:10, Est 9:14, Est 9:15; Isa 14:19, Isa 14:20; Jer 22:19, Jer 36:30

that an : Ecc 4:3; Job 3:16; Psa 58:8; Mat 26:24

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: Ecc 6:3 - An hundred children // Live many years // The days // Be not filled with good // An untimely birth

An hundred children i.e. very many children, to whom he intends to leave his estate.

Live many years which is the chief thing that he desires, and which giveth him opportunity of increasing his estate vastly.

The days he saith days, because the years of men’ s life are but few.

Be not filled with good hath not a contented mind and comfortable enjoyment of his estate whilst he lives. Have no burial ; and if after his death he hath either none, or a mean and dishonourable burial, because his sordid and covetous carriage made him hateful and contemptible to all persons, his children and heirs not excepted, and he was by all sorts of men thought unworthy of any testimonies of honour, either in his life or after his death. Thus he describes a man who lives miserably, and dies ignominiously.

An untimely birth which as it never enjoyed the comforts, so it never felt the calamities, of this life, which are far more considerable than its comforts, at least to a man that denied himself the comforts, and plunged himself into the toils and vexations, of this life.

Haydock: Ecc 6:3 - Than he

Than he, since the latter has injured no one, nor experienced any evil in the world, (Calmet) by his own fault; (Menochius) whereas the miser has both hurt himself and others, and has neglected to make himself friends of the mammon of iniquity.

Gill: Ecc 6:3 - 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

If a man beget an hundred children,.... Sons and daughters, a certain number for an uncertain. Some have had many children, and almost this number; Rehoboam had twenty eight sons and threescore daughters; and Ahab had seventy sons, how many daughters is not said, 2Ch 11:21; this was reckoned a great honour and happiness to have many children; happy was the man that had his quiver full of them, Psa 127:3; such a case is here supposed;

and live many years, so that the days of his years be many; or "sufficient", as Jarchi interprets it; he lives as long as life is desirable; lives to a good old age, to the full age of men, threescore years and ten; yea, supposing he was to live to be as old as Methuselah,

and his soul be not filled with good; does not enjoy the good things he has; has no pleasure nor satisfaction in the temporal good things of life, has not the comfort of them, and is always uneasy, because he has not more of them; and especially if his soul is not filled with spiritual good things, the grace of God, and righteousness of Christ;

And also that he have no burial; as Jezebel, Jehoiakim, and others; who is either destroyed by robbers and cutthroats, for the sake of his substance, and cast into a ditch or a river, or some place, where he is never found to be interred; or else, being of such a sordid disposition, he provides not for a decent burial, suitably to his circumstances, or forbids one; or, being despised and disesteemed by all men, his heirs and successors either neglect or refuse to give him one; see Jer 22:29;

I say that an untimely birth is better than he; an abortive is to be preferred unto him; it would have been better for him if he had never been born, or had been in such a case.