Ecclesiastes 9:6

Ecc 9:6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any [thing] that is done under the sun.

Ver. 6. Also their love and their hatred, &c.] Here is lie upon lie. The atheist, as he had denied knowledge to the dead, so here he denies affections, as love, hatred, envy, or zeal, as Jerome renders it. But it is certain that those that are dead in Jesus do very dearly love God, and hate evil with a perfect hatred. The wicked, on the other side, continue in that other world to hate God and goodness, to love such as themselves are, to stomach the happiness of those in heaven, &c.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

love, and . . . hatred, &c.--(referring to Ecc 9:1; see on Ecc 9:1). Not that these cease in a future world absolutely (Eze 32:27; Rev 22:11); but as the end of this verse shows, relatively to persons and things in this world. Man's love and hatred can no longer be exercised for good or evil in the same way as here; but the fruits of them remain. What he is at death he remains for ever. "Envy," too, marks the wicked as referred to, since it was therewith that they assailed the righteous (see on Ecc 9:1).

portion--Their "portion" was "in this life" (Psa 17:14), that they now "cannot have any more."

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 6. Also their love, and their hatred] It is evident that he speaks here of the ignorance, want of power, c., of the dead, in reference only to this life. And though they have no more a portion under the sun, yet he does not intimate that they have none anywhere else. A man threatens to conquer kingdoms, &c. He dies what are his threats?

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(6, 7) Now.—Rather, long ago.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished] The three passions are named as strongest and most vehement in their action. Even these are all hushed in the calm of the grave. There are no passions there, and the deadliest foes, rival statesmen and bitter controversialists, rest side by side together. The thought of the state of the dead stands on nearly the same level as that of the elegy of Hezekiah (Isa_38:9-20).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished,.... Not that the separate spirits of the dead are without their affections, or these unexercised; the spirits of just men made perfect will love God and Christ, and angels, and good men, and all that is good, more intensely; love will continue after this life, and be in its height, and therefore said to be the greatest grace, Co1 13:13; they will hate sin, Satan, and all the enemies of Christ, and be filled with zeal for his glory; so the word (z) for envy may be rendered; see Rev 6:9; and the spirits of the wicked dead will still continue to love sin, and hate the Lord, and envy the happiness of the saints; and will rise again with the same spite and malice against them; see Eze 32:27; but this respects persons and things in this world; they no more love persons and things here, nor are loved by any; death parts the best friends, and the most endearing and loving relations, and puts an end to all their mutual friendship and affection; they hate their enemies no more, nor are hated by them; they no more envy the prosperity of others, nor are envied by others; all such kind of love and hatred, enmity and envy, active or passive, cease at death; out of the world, as the Targum adds;

neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is under the sun: the worldly man's portion is only in this life, and when he dies, he carries nothing of it with him; whose ever his possessions will be at death, they are no more his, nor will he ever return to enjoy them any more; his houses, his lands, his estates, his gold and silver, and whatever of worth and value he had, he has no more lot and part in them: but the good man has a portion above the sun; God is his portion, heaven is his inheritance for ever and ever. The Targum understands it of the wicked;

"and they have no good part with the righteous in the world to come; and they have no profit of all that is done in this world under the sun.''

(z) "aemulatio ipsorum", Cocceius, Gejerus; "aelus eorum", Drusius, Amana, Rambachius.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

They neither love, nor hate, nor envy any person or thing in this world, but are now altogether unconcerned in all things done under the sun.

In any thing that is done under the sun; in any worldly thing; by which limitation he sufficiently insinuates his belief of their portion in the other world.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

6. Their envy — Better, their zeal. Love, hatred, and zeal are the chief movers of the human breast, but now they are for ever extinguished.

“The loftiest passions and the least

Lie sleeping side by side,

And Love hath reared its staff of rest

Hard by the grave of Pride.”

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now (long ago) perished. All the feelings which are exhibited and developed in the life of the upper world are annihilated (comp. ver. 10). Three are selected as the most potent passions, such as by their strength and activity might ideally be supposed to survive even the stroke of death. But all are now at an end. Neither have they any more a portion forever in any thing that is done under the sun. Between the dead and the living an impassable gulf exists. The view of death here given, intensely gloomy and hopeless as it appears to be, is in conformity with other passages of the Old Testament. (see Job_14:10-14; Psa_6:5 Psa_30:9; Isa_38:10-19 Ecc 17:27, 28 RAPC Bar 3:16-19) and that imperfect dispensation. Koheleth and his contemporaries were of those "who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage"; (Heb_2:15) it was Christ who brightened the dark valley, showing the blessedness of those who die in the Lord, bringing life and immortality to light through the gospel. (2Ti_1:10) Some expositors have felt the pessimistic utterances of this passage so deeply that they have endeavored to account for them by introducing an atheistic objector, or an intended opposition between flesh and spirit. But there is not a trace of any two such voices, and the suggestion is quite unnecessary. The writer, while believing in the continued existence of the soul, knows little and has little that is cheering to say about it"s condition; and what he does say is not inconsistent with a judgment to come, though he has not yet arrived at the enunciation of this great solution. The Vulgate renders the last clause, Nec habent partem in hoc saeculo et in opere quod sub sole geritur. But "forever" is the correct rendering of and Ginsburg concludes that Jerome"s translation can be traced to the Hagadistic interpretation of the verse which restricts its scope to the wicked The author of the Book of Wisdom, writing later, takes a much more hopeful view of death and the departed. (see Ecc_1:15 Ecc_2:22-24 Ecc_3:1 Ecc_6:1-8 Ecc_8:17, etc.)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Also - They neither love, nor hate, nor envy any thing in this world, but are unconcerned in what is done under the sun.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Their love, hatred, and envy

This refers to the love, hatred, and envy that the dead people showed others when they were alive.

anything done

This can be stated in active form. AT: "anything that people do" (See: Active or Passive)

under the sun

This refers to things that are done on earth. See how you translated this in Ecclesiastes 1:3. AT: "on the earth" (See: Idiom)

eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart

These two phrases share similar meanings and emphasize the importance of enjoying the basic activities of life. (See: Parallelism)

your bread

This refers to food in general. AT: "your food" (See: Synecdoche)

drink your wine with a happy heart

Here the word "heart" refers to the emotions. AT: "drink your wine joyfully" (See: Metonymy)

Let your clothes be always white and your head anointed with oil

Wearing white clothes and anointing one's head with oil were both signs of gladness and celebration. (See: Symbolic Action)

your head anointed with oil

This can be stated in active form. AT: "anoint your head with oil" (See: Active or Passive)

translationWords

love

envy

bread

joy

wine

God

good

works

anoint

oil

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

Also their love that they loved folly and scorn.

as well as their hate that they hated knowledge.

as well as their provocation that they provoked the Holy One, blessed be He, with the deeds of their hands.

and they have no more share, etc. in all that is done, etc. The merit of a son or daughter did not avail those wicked men who worshipped idols, and they have no atonement after death.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.