Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes 6:3
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.
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.
| 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 |
Cross-references
Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.
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.