PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible — Ecclesiastes
Gill, John, 1697-1771 · 98,270 words · 160 reading sections
Ecclesiastes 4:13
Ecclesiastes 4:13 Ver. 13. Better [is] a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king,.... The wise man proceeds to show the vanity of worldly power and dignity, in the highest instance of it, which is kingly; and, in order to illustrate and exemplify this, he supposes, on the one hand, a person possessed of roy…
495 wordsSECTION 62Ecclesiastes 4:14
Ecclesiastes 4:14 Ver. 14. For out of prison he cometh to reign,.... That is, this is sometimes the case of a poor and wise child; he rises out of a low, mean, abject, obscure state and condition, to the highest dignity; from a prison house, or a place where servants are, to sit among princes, and even to have the sup…
451 wordsSECTION 63Ecclesiastes 4:15
Ecclesiastes 4:15 Ver. 15. I considered all the living which walk under the sun,.... All men that were then alive, who were capable of walking upon the earth; even all of them that were under the heavens, in every land and nation, under whatsoever dominion or government: these, and their manners, Solomon had particula…
445 wordsSECTION 64Ecclesiastes 4:16
Ecclesiastes 4:16 Ver. 16. [There is] no end of all the people, [even] of all that have been before them,.... Before the present generation, the living that walked under the sun; a vast number they were that lived before them, and they were of the same restless temper and disposition; changeable in their affection and…
276 wordsSECTION 65Ecclesiastes 5:1
Ecclesiastes 5:1 INTRODUCTION TO ECCLESIASTES 5 This chapter contains some rules and directions concerning the worship of God; how persons should behave when they go into the house of God; concerning hearing the word, to which there should be a readiness, and which should be preferred to the sacrifices of fools, Ec 5…
1,440 wordsSECTION 66Ecclesiastes 5:2
Ecclesiastes 5:2 Ver. 2. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter [any] thing before God,.... In private conversation care should be taken that no rash and unadvised words be spoken in haste, as were by Moses and David; and that no evil, nor even any idle word he uttered, since from, the a…
733 wordsSECTION 67Ecclesiastes 5:3
Ecclesiastes 5:3 Ver. 3. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business,.... Or, "for as a dream" {q}, so Aben Ezra; as that comes through a multiplicity of business in the daytime, in which the mind has been busied, and the body employed; and this brings on dreams in the night season, which are confused and inc…
155 wordsSECTION 68Ecclesiastes 5:4
Ecclesiastes 5:4 Ver. 4. When thou vowest a vow unto God,.... Or "if thou vowest" {r}, as the Vulgate Latin version; for vows are free and indifferent things, which persons may make or not; there is no precept for them in the word of God; instances and examples there are, and they may be lawfully made, when they are i…
318 wordsSECTION 69Ecclesiastes 5:5
Ecclesiastes 5:5 Ver. 5. Better [is it] that thou shouldest not vow,.... For a vow is an arbitrary thing; a man is not bound to make it, and while he vows not, it is in his own power, and at his option, whether he will do this or that, or not; but when he has once vowed, he is then brought under an obligation, and mus…
117 wordsSECTION 70Ecclesiastes 5:6
Ecclesiastes 5:6 Ver. 6. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin,.... That is, himself, who is corrupt and depraved; either by making a rash vow, which it is not in his power to keep; or such is the corruption of his nature, and the weakness of the flesh, that he cannot keep it; or by making sinful excuses afte…
430 wordsSECTION 71Ecclesiastes 5:7
Ecclesiastes 5:7 Ver. 7. For in the multitude of dreams, and many words, [there are] also [divers] vanities,.... Or as, "in a multitude of dreams, [there are] many vanities, [so] also in a multitude of words" {s}; as dreams are vain things, or there are abundance of vain things that come into the mind in dreams; so va…
220 wordsSECTION 72Ecclesiastes 5:8
Ecclesiastes 5:8 Ver. 8. If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of justice in a province,.... Which is a very disagreeable sight, but often seen; the poor are oppressed, and judgment and justice perverted, and that in a very violent and flagrant manner, in open courts of judicature, in the se…
629 wordsSECTION 73Ecclesiastes 5:9
Ecclesiastes 5:9 Ver. 9. Moreover, the profit of the earth is for all,.... Or, "the excellency of the earth in" or "above all things [is] this" {y}; that God most high rules over all the earth, and is higher than the kings of it, and all oppressors in it; or in all respects there is a preference, a superior excellency…
516 wordsSECTION 74Ecclesiastes 5:10
Ecclesiastes 5:10 Ver. 10. He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver,.... The tillage of the earth is necessary, a very laudable and useful employment, and men do well to busy themselves in it; without this, neither the common people nor the greatest personages can be supplied with the necessaries of li…
338 wordsSECTION 75Ecclesiastes 5:11
Ecclesiastes 5:11 Ver. 11. When goods increase, they are increased that eat them,.... When a man's substance increases by trade, or otherwise, very often so it is that his family increases, and he has more mouths to feed, and backs to clothe; or his estate growing larger, if he lives suitably to it, he must keep more …
465 wordsSECTION 76Ecclesiastes 5:12
Ecclesiastes 5:12 Ver. 12. The sleep of a labouring man [is] sweet, whether he eat little or much,.... Or "of a servant" {i}, who enjoys sleep equally as a king; a tiller of the ground, as Jarchi; who also interprets it of one that serves the Lord, as likewise the Targum; a beloved one of his, to whom he gives sleep, …
435 wordsSECTION 77Ecclesiastes 5:13
Ecclesiastes 5:13 Ver. 13. There is a sore evil [which] I have seen under the sun,.... Or "an evil sickness" {m}. A sinful disease in the person with whom it is found, and very disagreeable to others to behold; it is enough to make one sick to see it; and what he is about to relate he himself was an eyewitness of: [n…
370 wordsSECTION 78Ecclesiastes 5:14
Ecclesiastes 5:14 Ver. 14. But those riches perish by evil travail,.... Or, "by an evil business or affair" {n}. That is, such riches as are not well got, or are not used as they should be, these waste away and come to nothing; either by the owner's bad management, and misconduct in trade and business; or by fire, tem…
275 wordsSECTION 79Ecclesiastes 5:15
Ecclesiastes 5:15 Ver. 15. As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came,.... This may be understood either of the covetous rich man, or of his son; and that supposing what is before said should not be the case of either of them, but they should possess their substance as long as they l…
2,531 wordsSECTION 80Ecclesiastes 6:1
Ecclesiastes 6:1 INTRODUCTION TO ECCLESIASTES 6 The wise man goes on to expose the vanity of riches, as possessed by a covetous man, who makes no use of them; an evil, and a common one under the sun, Ec 6:1; Who is described by the good things he has; which he has not a power to enjoy, but a stranger enjoys them, Ec …
557 wordsSECTION 81Ecclesiastes 6:2
Ecclesiastes 6:2 Ver. 2. A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour,.... By "riches" may be meant gold and silver, things which a covetous man is never satisfied with; and by "wealth", cattle, with which farms and fields are stocked: the wealth of men, especially in former times, and in the eastern countr…
569 wordsSECTION 82Ecclesiastes 6:3
Ecclesiastes 6:3 Ver. 3. 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…
333 wordsSECTION 83Ecclesiastes 6:4
Ecclesiastes 6:4 Ver. 4. For he cometh in with vanity,.... The Targum adds, "into this world." Some understand this of the abortive, and render it, "though he cometh in with vanity" {x}, yet is to be preferred to the covetous man: others interpret it of the covetous man himself; and scrape of both: or, however, they m…
234 wordsSECTION 84Ecclesiastes 6:5
Ecclesiastes 6:5 Ver. 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. …
239 wordsSECTION 85Ecclesiastes 6:6
Ecclesiastes 6:6 Ver. 6. Yea, though he live a thousand years twice [told],.... Or two thousand years, which no man ever did, nor even one thousand years; Methuselah, the oldest man, did not live so long as that; this is than twice the age of the oldest man: there is one sort of the Ethiopians, who are said {a} to liv…
255 wordsSECTION 86Ecclesiastes 6:7
Ecclesiastes 6:7 Ver. 7. All the labour of man [is] for his mouth,.... For the food of his mouth, as the Targum; for the sustenance of his body, for food and clothing, part being put for the whole: all that a man labours for is to get this; and if he does not enjoy it, his labour is in vain; meats are for the belly, w…
243 wordsSECTION 87Ecclesiastes 6:8
Ecclesiastes 6:8 Ver. 8. For what hath the wise more than the fool,.... More delight and pleasure, in gratifying his senses, by eating and drinking: the wise man enjoys no more than the fool; the fool finds as much pleasure in the labour of his hands, which is for his mouth, as the wise man does; and the wise man can …
208 wordsSECTION 88Ecclesiastes 6:9
Ecclesiastes 6:9 Ver. 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 Ec 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, Heb 13:5; a…
198 wordsSECTION 89Ecclesiastes 6:10
Ecclesiastes 6:10 Ver. 10. That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it [is] man,.... Which may be understood of the first man Adam, who has been, has existed, was produced by the immediate power of God, creating and forming him out of the dust of the earth; was made after the image, and in the liken…
817 wordsSECTION 90Ecclesiastes 6:11
Ecclesiastes 6:11 Ver. 11. Seeing there be many things that increase vanity,.... As appears by all that has been said in this and the preceding chapters; such as wisdom and knowledge, wealth and riches, pleasure, power, and authority. Man is a poor vain creature himself, all he is and has is vanity; and these serve bu…
241 wordsSECTION 91Ecclesiastes 6:12
Ecclesiastes 6:12 Ver. 12. For who knoweth what [is] good for man in [this] life?.... To be in a higher or lower station of life, to live in grandeur or meanness, to be rich or poor, learned or unlearned; since that which seems most agreeable to human nature is at, ended with so much vanity, the occasion of so much si…
420 wordsSECTION 92Ecclesiastes 7:1
Ecclesiastes 7:1 INTRODUCTION TO ECCLESIASTES 7 The wise man having exposed the many vanities to which men are subject in this life, and showed that there is no real happiness in all outward enjoyments under the sun; proceeds to observe what are remedies against them, of which he had interspersed some few hints befor…
1,538 wordsSECTION 93Ecclesiastes 7:2
Ecclesiastes 7:2 Ver. 2. [It is] better to go to the house of mourning,.... For deceased relations or friends, who either lie unburied, or have been lately inferred; for the Jews kept their mourning for their dead several days afterwards, when their friends visited them in order to comfort them, as the Jews did Martha…
368 wordsSECTION 94Ecclesiastes 7:3
Ecclesiastes 7:3 Ver. 3. Sorrow [is] better than laughter,.... Sorrow, expressed in the house of mourning, is better, more useful and commendable, than that foolish laughter, and those airs of levity, expressed in the house of feasting; or sorrow on account of affliction and troubles, even adversity itself, is oftenti…
361 wordsSECTION 95Ecclesiastes 7:4
Ecclesiastes 7:4 Ver. 4. The heart of the wise [is] in the house of mourning,.... When his body is not; when it does not suit him to go thither in person, his mind is there, and his thoughts are employed on the useful subjects of the frailty and mortality of human nature, of death, a future judgment, and a world to co…
159 wordsSECTION 96Ecclesiastes 7:5
Ecclesiastes 7:5 Ver. 5. [It is] better to hear the rebuke of the wise,.... To listen to it diligently, receive it cordially, and act according to it; though it may be disagreeable to the flesh, and give present pain, yet the effect and issue will be good, and show that man to be wise that hears it, as well as he that…
144 wordsSECTION 97Ecclesiastes 7:6
Ecclesiastes 7:6 Ver. 6. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so [is] the laughter of the fool,.... As thorns are weak, useless, and unprofitable; yea, hurtful and pernicious, and only fit for burning; so are foolish and wicked men, 2Sa 23:6; and as the noise and sound of the one under a pot is very short, they…
128 wordsSECTION 98Ecclesiastes 7:7
Ecclesiastes 7:7 Ver. 7. Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad,.... Which is to be understood either passively, when he is oppressed by others, or sees others oppressed; it raises indignation in him, disturbs his mind, and he is ready to pass a wrong judgment on the dispensations of Providence, and to say rash and u…
219 wordsSECTION 99Ecclesiastes 7:8
Ecclesiastes 7:8 Ver. 8. Better [is] the end of a thing than the beginning thereof,.... If the thing is good, other ways the end of it is worse; as the end of wickedness and wicked men, whose beginning is sweet, but the end bitter; yea, are the ways of death, Pr 5:4; and so the end of carnal professors and apostates, …
200 wordsSECTION 100Ecclesiastes 7:9
Ecclesiastes 7:9 Ver. 9. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry,.... With men, for every word that is said, or action done, that is not agreeable; encourage not, but repress, sudden angry emotions of the mind; be not quick of resentment, and at once express anger and displeasure; but be slow to wrath, for such a man i…
224 wordsSECTION 101Ecclesiastes 7:10
Ecclesiastes 7:10 Ver. 10. Say not thou, what is [the cause] that the former days were better than these?.... This is a common opinion, that in all ages prevails among men, that former times were better than present ones; that trade flourished more, and men got more wealth and riches, and lived in greater ease and ple…
236 wordsSECTION 102Ecclesiastes 7:11
Ecclesiastes 7:11 Ver. 11. Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance,.... It is good of itself. Or, "is as good as an inheritance" {n}, as it may be rendered; it is a portion of itself, especially spiritual and divine wisdom. The Targum interprets it, the wisdom of the law, or the knowledge of that; but much more excellent…
236 wordsSECTION 103Ecclesiastes 7:12
Ecclesiastes 7:12 Ver. 12. For wisdom [is] a defence, [and] money [is] a defence,.... Or, a "shadow" of refreshment and protection, under which men sit with pleasure and safety; a man by his wisdom, and so by his money, is able to defend himself against the injuries and oppressions of others, and especially when both …
373 wordsSECTION 104Ecclesiastes 7:13
Ecclesiastes 7:13 Ver. 13. Consider the work of God,.... This is dressed to those who thought the former days better than the present, and were ready to quarrel with the providence of God, Ec 7:10; and are therefore advised to consider the work of God; not the work of creation, but of providence; which is the effect o…
411 wordsSECTION 105Ecclesiastes 7:14
Ecclesiastes 7:14 Ver. 14. In the day of prosperity be joyful,.... Or, "in a good day" {q}. When things go well in the commonwealth, in a man's family, and with himself, health, peace, and plenty, are enjoyed, a man's circumstances are thriving and flourishing; it becomes him to be thankful to God, freely and cheerful…
630 wordsSECTION 106Ecclesiastes 7:15
Ecclesiastes 7:15 Ver. 15. All [things] have I seen in the days of my vanity,.... Or, "all these things" {u}. What goes before and follows after, the various changes men are subject unto, both good and bad; these he had made his observations upon, throughout the course of his life, which had been a vain one, as every …
6,270 wordsSECTION 107Ecclesiastes 8:1
Ecclesiastes 8:1 INTRODUCTION TO ECCLESIASTES 8 The preacher begins this chapter with the praise of wisdom, from its excellency and usefulness, Ec 8:1; and advises men, if they would live quietly and comfortably, to honour and obey the king that rules over them, and not be rebellious against him, since he has great p…
970 wordsSECTION 108Ecclesiastes 8:2
Ecclesiastes 8:2 Ver. 2. I [counsel thee] to keep the king's commandment,.... Or, "to observe the mouth of the king" {w}; what he says, and do according to it when it is agreeably to the law of God, and according to the laws of the kingdom, by which he is to govern; for kings are to be honoured, obeyed, and submitted …
456 wordsSECTION 109Ecclesiastes 8:3
Ecclesiastes 8:3 Ver. 3. Be not hasty to go out of his sight,.... But of the sight of the King of kings. Do not think to hide thyself from him, for there is no fleeing from his presence, Ps 139:7; it is best, when under some consternation, as the word {y} signifies, or under some fearful apprehension of his wrath and …
311 wordsSECTION 110Ecclesiastes 8:4
Ecclesiastes 8:4 Ver. 4. Where the word of a king [is, there is] power,.... Or "dominion" {z}. Authority goes along with his word of command; and there is an inferior magistracy, a subordinate power under him, ready to execute his will upon the rebellious and disobedient. Jarchi interprets it, the word of the holy ble…
266 wordsSECTION 111Ecclesiastes 8:5
Ecclesiastes 8:5 Ver. 5. Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing,.... Either the commandment of an earthly king, which should be kept, when agreeably to the laws of the nation, and not inconsistent with the commands of God; and such as do observe it "know no evil" {a}, as it may be rendered, or no sorro…
436 wordsSECTION 112Ecclesiastes 8:6
Ecclesiastes 8:6 Ver. 6. Because to every purpose there is time and judgment,.... There is a fit season, and a right and proper manner of doing everything that is to be done; see Ec 3:1; which a wise man discerns; and which when a man hits upon, it prevents a great deal of mischief, which for want of it comes upon men…
215 wordsSECTION 113Ecclesiastes 8:7
Ecclesiastes 8:7 Ver. 7. For he knoweth not that which shall be,.... Or that "it shall be" {b}; that he ever shall have the opportunity again he has lost, nor what is to come hereafter; what shall be on the morrow, or what shall befall him in the remaining part of his days; what troubles and sorrows he shall meet with…
196 wordsSECTION 114Ecclesiastes 8:8
Ecclesiastes 8:8 Ver. 8. [There is] no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit,.... Which is not to be understood of the wind, which the word used sometimes signifies, and of men's having no power to restrain that, or hinder it from blowing; for to what purpose should Solomon mention this? rather it m…
1,206 wordsSECTION 115Ecclesiastes 8:9
Ecclesiastes 8:9 Ver. 9. All this have I seen,.... Observed, taken notice of, and thoroughly considered; all that is said above, concerning the scarcity of good men and women, the fall of our first parents, the excellency of wisdom, the necessity and advantage of keeping the king's commandment, the time and manner of …
354 wordsSECTION 116Ecclesiastes 8:10
Ecclesiastes 8:10 Ver. 10. And so I saw the wicked buried,.... Or "truly" {k}, verily, as the Targum, this is matter of fact; or "then I saw", as Aben Ezra and others, upon applying his heart to every work; or when be observed particularly wicked magistrates, he took notice that some of them continued in their power u…
2,983 wordsSECTION 117Ecclesiastes 9:1
Ecclesiastes 9:1 INTRODUCTION TO ECCLESIASTES 9 Though the wise man, with all his wisdom, search, and labour, could not find out the causes and reasons of divine Providence, in the branches and methods of it; yet some things he did find out, and observe, in making this inquiry, and which he declares; as that good and…
1,566 wordsSECTION 118Ecclesiastes 9:2
Ecclesiastes 9:2 Ver. 2. All [things come] alike to all,.... That is, all outward things in this life, good and bad men share in alike; which proves that neither love nor hatred can be known by them: so the emperor Mark Antonine, in speaking of life and death, of honour and dishonour, of pain and pleasure, riches and …
929 wordsSECTION 119Ecclesiastes 9:3
Ecclesiastes 9:3 Ver. 3. This [is] an evil among all [things] that are done under the sun, that [there is] one event unto all,.... A very great evil, a very sore one, the worst of evils. Not an evil, as the providence of God is concerned with it, who does no evil; nor is there any unrighteousness in him; he is righteo…
424 wordsSECTION 120Ecclesiastes 9:4
Ecclesiastes 9:4 Ver. 4. For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope,.... That is, who is among the living, is one of them, and, as long as he is, there is hope, if his circumstances are mean, and he is poor and afflicted, that it may be better with him in time; see Job 14:7; or of his being a good man, …
360 wordsSource & rights
Public domain; John Gill (1697–1771). Source item is marked Public Domain on Internet Archive.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.