Ecclesiastes 6:3

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years– even if he lives a long, long time, but cannot enjoy his prosperity– even if he were to live forever– I would say,“A stillborn child is better off than he is!”

Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

  • Job 3:16 : 16 Or why was I not buried like a stillborn infant, like infants who have never seen the light?
  • Eccl 4:3 : 3 But better than both is the one who has not been born and has not seen the evil things that are done on earth.
  • Jer 22:19 : 19 He will be left unburied just like a dead donkey. His body will be dragged off and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.’”
  • 2 Kgs 9:35 : 35 But when they went to bury her, they found nothing left but the skull, feet, and palms of the hands.
  • Isa 14:19-20 : 19 But you have been thrown out of your grave like a shoot that is thrown away. You lie among the slain, among those who have been slashed by the sword, among those headed for the stones of the Pit, as if you were a mangled corpse. 20 You will not be buried with them, because you destroyed your land and killed your people. The offspring of the wicked will never be mentioned again.
  • Gen 47:9 : 9 Jacob said to Pharaoh,“All the years of my travels are 130. All the years of my life have been few and painful; the years of my travels are not as long as those of my ancestors.”
  • 1 Sam 2:20-21 : 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife saying,“May the LORD establish descendants for you from this woman in place of the one that she dedicated to the LORD.”Then they would go to their home. 21 And indeed the LORD attended to Hannah. She got pregnant and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. But the boy Samuel grew up before the LORD.
  • Eccl 5:17-19 : 17 Surely, he ate in darkness every day of his life, and he suffered greatly with sickness and anger. 18 Enjoy the Fruit of Your Labor I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people: to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all their hard work on earth during the few days of their life which God has given them, for this is their reward. 19 To every man whom God has given wealth, and possessions, he has also given him the ability to eat from them, to receive his reward and to find enjoyment in his toil; these things are the gift of God.
  • Jer 8:2 : 2 They will be spread out and exposed to the sun, the moon and the stars. These are things they adored and served, things to which they paid allegiance, from which they sought guidance, and worshiped. The bones of these people will never be regathered and reburied. They will be like manure used to fertilize the ground.
  • Jer 36:30 : 30 So the LORD says concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah,“None of his line will occupy the throne of David. His dead body will be thrown out to be exposed to scorching heat by day and frost by night.
  • Matt 26:24 : 24 The Son of Man will go as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for him if he had never been born.”
  • 2 Kgs 10:1 : 1 Jehu Wipes Out Ahab’s Family Ahab had seventy sons living in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the leading officials of Jezreel and to the guardians of Ahab’s dynasty. This is what the letters said,
  • 1 Chr 28:5 : 5 From all the many sons the LORD has given me, he chose Solomon my son to rule on his behalf over Israel.
  • 2 Chr 11:21 : 21 Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than his other wives and concubines. He had eighteen wives and sixty concubines; he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
  • Esth 5:11 : 11 Haman then recounted to them his fabulous wealth, his many sons, and how the king had magnified him and exalted him over the king’s other officials and servants.
  • Esth 7:10 : 10 So they hanged Haman on the very gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. The king’s rage then abated.
  • Esth 9:14-15 : 14 So the king issued orders for this to be done. A law was passed in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged. 15 The Jews who were in Susa then assembled on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they killed three hundred men in Susa. But they did not confiscate their property.
  • Ps 58:8 : 8 Let them be like a snail that melts away as it moves along! Let them be like stillborn babies that never see the sun!
  • Ps 127:4-5 : 4 Sons born during one’s youth are like arrows in a warrior’s hand. 5 How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! They will not be put to shame when they confront enemies at the city gate.
  • Prov 17:6 : 6 Grandchildren are like a crown to the elderly, and the glory of children is their parents.
  • Gen 33:5 : 5 When Esau looked up and saw the women and the children, he asked,“Who are these people with you?” Jacob replied,“The children whom God has graciously given your servant.”

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • Eccl 6:4-12
    9 verses
    80%

    4Though the stillborn child came into the world for no reason and departed into darkness, though its name is shrouded in darkness,

    5though it never saw the light of day nor knew anything, yet it has more rest than that man–

    6if he should live a thousand years twice, yet does not enjoy his prosperity. For both of them die!

    7All of man’s labor is for nothing more than to fill his stomach– yet his appetite is never satisfied!

    8So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool? And what advantage does a pauper gain by knowing how to survive?

    9It is better to be content with what the eyes can see than for one’s heart always to crave more. This continual longing is futile– like chasing the wind.

    10The Futile Way Life Works Whatever has happened was foreordained, and what happens to a person was also foreknown. It is useless for him to argue with God about his fate because God is more powerful than he is.

    11The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes. How does that benefit him?

    12For no one knows what is best for a person during his life– during the few days of his fleeting life– for they pass away like a shadow. Nor can anyone tell him what the future will hold for him on earth.

  • Eccl 4:2-3
    2 verses
    77%

    2So I considered those who are dead and gone more fortunate than those who are still alive.

    3But better than both is the one who has not been born and has not seen the evil things that are done on earth.

  • Eccl 6:1-2
    2 verses
    75%

    1Not Everyone Enjoys Life Here is another misfortune that I have seen on earth, and it weighs heavily on people:

    2God gives a man riches, property, and wealth so that he lacks nothing that his heart desires, yet God does not enable him to enjoy the fruit of his labor– instead, someone else enjoys it! This is fruitless and a grave misfortune.

  • Eccl 5:14-17
    4 verses
    75%

    14Then that wealth was lost through bad luck; although he fathered a son, he has nothing left to give him.

    15Just as he came forth from his mother’s womb, naked will he return as he came, and he will take nothing in his hand that he may carry away from his toil.

    16This is another misfortune: Just as he came, so will he go. What did he gain from toiling for the wind?

    17Surely, he ate in darkness every day of his life, and he suffered greatly with sickness and anger.

  • Eccl 11:8
    74%

    8So, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all, but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many– all that is about to come is obscure.

  • Eccl 4:8
    73%

    8A man who is all alone with no companion, he has no children nor siblings; yet there is no end to all his toil, and he is never satisfied with riches. He laments,“For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is futile and a burdensome task!

  • Eccl 4:15-16
    2 verses
    72%

    15I considered all the living who walk on earth, as well as the successor who would arise in his place.

    16There is no end to all the people nor to the past generations, yet future generations will not rejoice in him. This also is profitless and like chasing the wind.

  • Eccl 3:22
    72%

    22So I perceived there is nothing better than for people to enjoy their work, because that is their reward; for who can show them what the future holds?

  • Eccl 1:3
    72%

    3Futility Illustrated from Nature What benefit do people get from all the effort which they expend on earth?

  • Job 27:14-15
    2 verses
    72%

    14If his children increase– it is for the sword! His offspring never have enough to eat.

    15Those who survive him are buried by the plague, and their widows do not mourn for them.

  • Eccl 9:3
    72%

    3This is the unfortunate fact about everything that happens on earth: the same fate awaits everyone. In addition to this, the hearts of all people are full of evil, and there is folly in their hearts during their lives– then they die.

  • Eccl 2:21-26
    6 verses
    71%

    21For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; however, he must hand over the fruit of his labor as an inheritance to someone else who did not work for it. This also is futile, and an awful injustice!

    22Painful Days and Restless Nights What does a man acquire from all his labor and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth?

    23For all day long his work produces pain and frustration, and even at night his mind cannot relax! This also is futile!

    24Enjoy Work and its Benefits There is nothing better for people than to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in their work. I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment comes from God.

    25For no one can eat and drink or experience joy apart from him.

    26For to the one who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner, he gives the task of amassing wealth– only to give it to the one who pleases God. This task of the wicked is futile– like chasing the wind!

  • Job 3:21
    71%

    21to those who wait for death that does not come, and search for it more than for hidden treasures,

  • Job 21:21
    71%

    21For what is his interest in his home after his death, when the number of his months has been broken off?

  • Job 14:1
    71%

    1The Brevity of Life“Man, born of woman, lives but a few days, and they are full of trouble.

  • Eccl 7:1-2
    2 verses
    71%

    1Life is Brief and Death is Certain! A good reputation is better than precious perfume; likewise, the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.

    2It is better to go to a funeral than a feast. For death is the destiny of every person, and the living should take this to heart.

  • Eccl 3:19
    71%

    19For the fate of humans and the fate of animals are the same: As one dies, so dies the other; both have the same breath. There is no advantage for humans over animals, for both are fleeting.

  • Job 3:3
    70%

    3“Let the day on which I was born perish, and the night that said,‘A man has been conceived!’

  • Eccl 4:13
    70%

    13Labor Motivated by Prestige-Seeking A poor but wise youth is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive advice.

  • Job 3:16
    70%

    16Or why was I not buried like a stillborn infant, like infants who have never seen the light?

  • Eccl 8:15
    70%

    15Enjoy Life In Spite of Its Injustices So I recommend the enjoyment of life, for there is nothing better on earth for a person to do except to eat, drink, and enjoy life. So joy will accompany him in his toil during the days of his life which God gives him on earth.

  • Job 21:25
    70%

    25And another man dies in bitterness of soul, never having tasted anything good.

  • Eccl 3:12
    70%

    12Enjoy Life in the Present I have concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they live,

  • Eccl 5:20
    70%

    20For he does not think much about the fleeting days of his life because God keeps him preoccupied with the joy he derives from his activity.

  • Eccl 4:6
    69%

    6Better is one handful with some rest than two hands full of toil and chasing the wind.

  • Prov 30:16
    69%

    16the grave, the barren womb; earth has not been satisfied with water; and fire has never said,“Enough!”

  • Eccl 2:19
    69%

    19Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master over all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so wisely on earth! This also is futile!

  • Eccl 2:17
    69%

    17So I loathed life because what happens on earth seems awful to me; for all the benefits of wisdom are futile– like chasing the wind.

  • Eccl 9:9
    69%

    9Enjoy life with your beloved wife during all the days of your fleeting life that God has given you on earth during all your fleeting days; for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work on earth.