Bible/Ecclesiastes/6/9

Bible > Ecclesiastes > Chapter 6 > Verse 9

Ecclesiastes 6:9

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← Ecclesiastes 6:8	Ecclesiastes 6:9 (KJV)	Ecclesiastes 6:10 →
For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?	Better [is] the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this [is] also vanity and vexation of spirit.	That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it [is] man: neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he.

Verse Text

KJV with Strong's Numbers

Better^H2896 is the sight^H4758 of the eyes^H5869 than the wandering^H1980 of the desire^H5315: this is also vanity^H1892 and vexation^H7469 of spirit^H7307.

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Original Hebrew

טֹוב מַרְאֵה עֵינַיִם מֵהֲלָךְ־נָפֶשׁ גַּם־זֶה הֶבֶל וּרְעוּת רוּחַ׃

Hebrew	Transliteration	Strong's	Morphology	Gloss
ט֛וֹב	Tov	H2896	HAamsa	(is) good
מַרְאֵ֥ה	mar.'Eh	H4758	HNcmsc	(the) sight of
עֵינַ֖יִם	'ei.Na.yim	H5869	HNcbda	eyes
מֵֽ/הֲלָךְ	me./ha.lokh-	H1980	HR/Vqc	more than/ going
נָ֑פֶשׁ	Na.fesh	H5315	HNcbsa	desire
גַּם	gam-	H1571	HTa	also
זֶ֥ה	zeh	H2088	HPdxms	this
הֶ֖בֶל	He.vel	H1892	HNcmsa	(is) futility
וּ/רְע֥וּת	u./re.'Ut	H7469	HC/Ncfsc	and/ striving of
רֽוּחַ	Ru.ach	H7307	HNcbsa	wind

Source: Westminster Leningrad Codex (MorphHB), TAHOT (Tyndale House)

Strong's References

• H1892 — הֶבֶל (hebel, heh'bel): or (rarely in the abs.) הֲבֵל; from הָבַל; emptiness or vanity; figuratively, something transitory and unsatisfactory; often used as an adverb; [idiom] altogether, vain, vanity.
• H1980 — הָלַךְ (hâlak, haw-lak'): akin to יָלַךְ; a primitive root; to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively); (all) along, apace, behave (self), come, (on) continually, be conversant, depart, [phrase] be eased, enter, exercise (self), [phrase] follow, forth, forward, get, go (about, abroad, along, away, forward, on, out, up and down), [phrase] greater, grow, be wont to haunt, lead, march, [idiom] more and more, move (self), needs, on, pass (away), be at the point, quite, run (along), [phrase] send, speedily, spread, still, surely, [phrase] tale-bearer, [phrase] travel(-ler), walk (abroad, on, to and fro, up and down, to places), wander, wax, (way-) faring man, [idiom] be weak, whirl.
• H2896 — טוֹב (ṭôwb, tobe): from טוֹב; good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine, the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women), also as an adverb (well); beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, [idiom] fair (word), (be in) favour, fine, glad, good (deed, -lier, -liest, -ly, -ness, -s), graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, liketh (best), loving, merry, [idiom] most, pleasant, [phrase] pleaseth, pleasure, precious, prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth, welfare, (be) well(-favoured).
• H4758 — מַרְאֶה (marʼeh, mar-eh'): from רָאָה; a view (the act of seeing); also an appearance (the thing seen), whether (real) a shape (especially if handsome, comeliness; often plural the looks), or (mental) a vision; [idiom] apparently, appearance(-reth), [idiom] as soon as beautiful(-ly), countenance, fair, favoured, form, goodly, to look (up) on (to), look(-eth), pattern, to see, seem, sight, visage, vision.
• H5315 — נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh, neh'-fesh): from נָפַשׁ; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental); any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, [idiom] dead(-ly), desire, [idiom] (dis-) contented, [idiom] fish, ghost, [phrase] greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, [idiom] jeopardy of) life ([idiom] in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-) self, them (your) -selves, [phrase] slay, soul, [phrase] tablet, they, thing, ([idiom] she) will, [idiom] would have it.
• H5869 — עַיִן (ʻayin, ah'-yin): probably a primitive word; an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape); affliction, outward appearance, [phrase] before, [phrase] think best, colour, conceit, [phrase] be content, countenance, [phrase] displease, eye((-brow), (-d), -sight), face, [phrase] favour, fountain, furrow (from the margin), [idiom] him, [phrase] humble, knowledge, look, ([phrase] well), [idiom] me, open(-ly), [phrase] (not) please, presence, [phrase] regard, resemblance, sight, [idiom] thee, [idiom] them, [phrase] think, [idiom] us, well, [idiom] you(-rselves).
• H7307 — רוּחַ (rûwach, roo'-akh): from רוּחַ; wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions); air, anger, blast, breath, [idiom] cool, courage, mind, [idiom] quarter, [idiom] side, spirit(-ual), tempest, [idiom] vain, (whirl-) wind(-y).
• H7469 — רְעוּת (rᵉʻûwth, reh-ooth'): probably from רָעָה; a feeding upon, i.e. grasping after; vexation.

The following Strong's numbers are referenced in the Hebrew (Westminster Leningrad Codex) text but were not explicitly tagged in the KJV source:

• H1571 — גַּם (gam, gam): by contraction from an unused root meaning to gather; properly, assemblage; used only adverbially also, even, yea, though; often repeated as correl. both...and; again, alike, also, (so much) as (soon), both (so)...and, but, either...or, even, for all, (in) likewise (manner), moreover, nay...neither, one, then(-refore), though, what, with, yea.
• H2088 — זֶה (zeh, zeh): a primitive word; the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or that; he, [idiom] hence, [idiom] here, it(-self), [idiom] now, [idiom] of him, the one...the other, [idiom] than the other, ([idiom] out of) the (self) same, such (a one) that, these, this (hath, man), on this side...on that side, [idiom] thus, very, which. Compare זֹאת, זֹה, זוֹ, זוּ.

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Bible › Ecclesiastes › Ecclesiastes 6 › Verse 9