Bible for Soul
Book 21 of 66 · Poetry & Wisdom

EcclesiastesChapter 6 · humanity and family and light and darkness

12 verses1 sections2 min readWisdomComplete KJV text

Ecclesiastes 6 contains 12 verses in the King James Version. This page presents the complete chapter, a section-by-section outline, and direct links to every verse. Its recurring subjects include humanity and family, light and darkness, and life and death.

Chapter at a glance

What is in Ecclesiastes 6?

The chapter opens, “There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:” It closes in verse 12, “For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?” The outline below follows the text in order.

Primary themes
humanity and familylight and darknesslife and death
Passage
Ecclesiastes 6:1–12
Reading time
About 2 minutes · 301 words
Section-by-section outline

Ecclesiastes 6 outline

Read the full chapter
  1. Verses 1–12

    Humanity and Family · Light and Darkness

    There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

King James Version · complete chapter

Ecclesiastes 6 KJV

1There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: 2A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease. 3If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he. 4For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness. 5Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other. 6Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place? 7All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled. 8For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living? 9Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit. 10That 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. 11Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better? 12For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?