Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 6:3–5

³A man may father a hundred children and live for many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he is unsatisfied with his prosperity and does not even receive a proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. ⁴For a stillborn child enters in futility and departs in darkness, and his name is shrouded in obscurity. ⁵The child, though neither seeing the sun nor knowing anything, has more rest than that man,

Read all of Ecclesiastes 6

Word by word

Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

Ecclesiastes 6:3

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
A man	אִ֣ישׁ	’îš	Noun - masculine singular	H376 man
may father	יוֹלִ֣יד	yō·w·lîḏ	Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular	H3205 bear, bring forth, beget
a hundred	מֵאָ֡ה	mê·’āh	Number - feminine singular	H3967 hundred
and live	יִֽחְיֶ֜ה	yiḥ·yeh	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular	H2421 live
for many	רַבּ֨וֹת	rab·bō·wṯ	Adjective - feminine plural	H7227 much, many, great
years	וְשָׁנִים֩	wə·šā·nîm	Conjunctive waw; Noun - feminine plural	H8141 year
yet no matter how long	וְרַ֣ב׀	wə·raḇ	Conjunctive waw; Adjective - masculine singular	H7227 much, many, great
he lives	יְמֵֽי־	yə·mê-	Noun - masculine plural construct	H3117 day
if he	וְנַפְשׁוֹ֙	wə·nap̄·šōw	Conjunctive waw; Noun - feminine singular construct; third person masculine singular	H5315 soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, appetite, emotion, and passion
is unsatisfied	תִשְׂבַּ֣ע	ṯiś·ba‘	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular	H7646 be sated, satisfied, surfeited
with	מִן־	min-	Preposition	H4480 out of, from, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not
his prosperity	הַטּוֹבָ֔ה	haṭ·ṭō·w·ḇāh	Article; Noun - feminine singular	H2896 pleasant, agreeable, good
and does not	לֹא־	lō-	Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
even	וְגַם־	wə·ḡam-	Conjunction	H1571 also, moreover, yea
receive a proper burial	קְבוּרָ֖ה	qə·ḇū·rāh	Noun - feminine singular	H6900 grave, burial
I say	אָמַ֕רְתִּי	’ā·mar·tî	Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular	H559 utter, say
that a stillborn child	הַנָּֽפֶל׃	han·nā·p̄el	Article; Noun - masculine singular	H5309 untimely birth, abortion
is better off	ט֥וֹב	ṭō·wḇ	Adjective - masculine singular	H2896 pleasant, agreeable, good
than he	מִמֶּ֖נּוּ	mim·men·nū	Preposition; third person masculine singular	H4480 out of, from, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not

Ecclesiastes 6:4

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
For	כִּֽי־	kî-	Conjunction	H3588 burning, branding
enters	בָּ֖א	bā	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular	H935 come in, come, go in, go
in futility	בַהֶ֥בֶל	ḇa·he·ḇel	Preposition-b, Article; Noun - masculine singular	H1892 vapour, breath
and departs	יֵלֵ֑ךְ	yê·lêḵ	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular	H1980 go, come, walk
in darkness	וּבַחֹ֣שֶׁךְ	ū·ḇa·ḥō·šeḵ	Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article; Noun - masculine singular	H2822 darkness, obscurity
and his name	שְׁמ֥וֹ	šə·mōw	Noun - masculine singular construct; third person masculine singular	H8034 name
is shrouded	יְכֻסֶּֽה׃	yə·ḵus·seh	Verb - Pual - Imperfect - third person masculine singular	H3680 cover
in obscurity	וּבַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ	ū·ḇa·ḥō·šeḵ	Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article; Noun - masculine singular	H2822 darkness, obscurity

Ecclesiastes 6:5

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
though	גַּם־	gam-	Conjunction	H1571 also, moreover, yea
neither	לֹא־	lō-	Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
seeing	רָאָ֖ה	rā·’āh	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular	H7200 see
the sun	שֶׁ֥מֶשׁ	še·meš	Noun - common singular	H8121 sun
nor	וְלֹ֣א	wə·lō	Conjunctive waw; Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
knowing anything	יָדָ֑ע	yā·ḏā‘	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular	H3045 know
has more rest	נַ֥חַת	na·ḥaṯ	Noun - feminine singular	H5183 quietness, rest
than	מִזֶּֽה׃	miz·zeh	Preposition-m; Pronoun - masculine singular	H2088 this, that

Cross-references

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

Ecclesiastes 6:3 Job 3:16 · Jeremiah 22:19 · Ecclesiastes 4:3 · 2 Kings 9:35 · Genesis 47:9 · Isaiah 14:19–20

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.