Ecclesiastes 6:3
Strong's Lexicon
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's Hebrew 518: 1) if 1a) conditional clauses 1a1) of possible situations 1a2) of impossible situations 1b) oath contexts 1b1) no, not 1c) if...if, whether...or, whether...or...or 1d) when, whenever 1e) since 1f) interrogative particle 1g) but rather

A man
אִ֣ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 376: 1) man 1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female) 1b) husband 1c) human being, person (in contrast to God) 1d) servant 1e) mankind 1f) champion 1g) great man 2) whosoever 3) each (adjective)

may father
יוֹלִ֣יד (yō·w·lîḏ)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 3205: 1) to bear, bringforth, beget, gender, travail 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to bear, bring forth 1a1a) of child birth 1a1b) of distress (simile) 1a1c) of wicked (behaviour) 1a2) to beget 1b) (Niphal) to be born 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to cause or help to bring forth 1c2) to assist or tend as a midwife 1c3) midwife (participle) 1d) (Pual) to be born 1e) (Hiphil) 1e1) to beget (a child) 1e2) to bear (fig. -of wicked bringing forth iniquity) 1f) (Hophal) day of birth, birthday (infinitive) 1g) (Hithpael) to declare one's birth (pedigree)

a hundred [children]
מֵאָ֡ה (mê·’āh)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew 3967: 1) hundred 1a) as simple number 1b) as part of larger number 1c) as a fraction-one one-hundredth (1/100)

and live
יִֽחְיֶ֜ה (yiḥ·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 2421: 1) to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to live 1a1a) to have life 1a1b) to continue in life, remain alive 1a1c) to sustain life, to live on or upon 1a1d) to live (prosperously) 1a2) to revive, be quickened 1a2a) from sickness 1a2b) from discouragement 1a2c) from faintness 1a2d) from death 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to preserve alive, let live 1b2) to give life 1b3) to quicken, revive, refresh 1b3a) to restore to life 1b3b) to cause to grow 1b3c) to restore 1b3d) to revive 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to preserve alive, let live 1c2) to quicken, revive 1c2a) to restore (to health) 1c2b) to revive 1c2c) to restore to life

for many
רַבּ֨וֹת (rab·bō·wṯ)
Adjective - feminine plural
Strong's Hebrew 7227: adj 1) much, many, great 1a) much 1b) many 1c) abounding in 1d) more numerous than 1e) abundant, enough 1f) great 1g) strong 1h) greater than adv 1i) much, exceedingly n m 2) captain, chief

years;
וְשָׁנִים֩ (wə·šā·nîm)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's Hebrew 8141: 1) year 1a) as division of time 1b) as measure of time 1c) as indication of age 1d) a lifetime (of years of life)

yet no matter how long
וְרַ֣ב ׀ (wə·raḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 7227: adj 1) much, many, great 1a) much 1b) many 1c) abounding in 1d) more numerous than 1e) abundant, enough 1f) great 1g) strong 1h) greater than adv 1i) much, exceedingly n m 2) captain, chief

he lives
יְמֵֽי־ (yə·mê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's Hebrew 3117: 1) day, time, year 1a) day (as opposed to night) 1b) day (24 hour period) 1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1 1b2) as a division of time 1b2a) a working day, a day's journey 1c) days, lifetime (pl.) 1d) time, period (general) 1e) year 1f) temporal references 1f1) today 1f2) yesterday 1f3) tomorrow

שָׁנָ֗יו (šā·nāw)
Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 8141: 1) year 1a) as division of time 1b) as measure of time 1c) as indication of age 1d) a lifetime (of years of life)

if he
וְנַפְשׁוֹ֙ (wə·nap̄·šōw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 5315: 1) soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion 1a) that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the inner being of man 1b) living being 1c) living being (with life in the blood) 1d) the man himself, self, person or individual 1e) seat of the appetites 1f) seat of emotions and passions 1g) activity of mind 1g1) dubious 1h) activity of the will 1h1) dubious 1i) activity of the character 1i1) dubious

is unsatisfied
תִשְׂבַּ֣ע (ṯiś·ba‘)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew 7646: 1) to be satisfied, be sated, be fulfilled, be surfeited 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be sated (with food) 1a2) to be sated, be satisfied with, be fulfilled, be filled, have one's fill of (have desire satisfied) 1a3) to have in excess, be surfeited, be surfeited with 1a3a) to be weary of (fig) 1b) (Piel) to satisfy 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to satisfy 1c2) to enrich 1c3) to sate, glut (with the undesired)

with
מִן־ (min-)
Preposition
Strong's Hebrew 4480: prep 1) from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than 1a) from (expressing separation), off, on the side of 1b) out of 1b1) (with verbs of proceeding, removing, expelling) 1b2) (of material from which something is made) 1b3) (of source or origin) 1c) out of, some of, from (partitively) 1d) from, since, after (of time) 1e) than, more than (in comparison) 1f) from...even to, both...and, either...or 1g) than, more than, too much for (in comparisons) 1h) from, on account of, through, because (with infinitive) conj 2) that

his prosperity
הַטּוֹבָ֔ה (haṭ·ṭō·w·ḇāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew 2896: adj 1) good, pleasant, agreeable 1a) pleasant, agreeable (to the senses) 1b) pleasant (to the higher nature) 1c) good, excellent (of its kind) 1d) good, rich, valuable in estimation 1e) good, appropriate, becoming 1f) better (comparative) 1g) glad, happy, prosperous (of man's sensuous nature) 1h) good understanding (of man's intellectual nature) 1i) good, kind, benign 1j) good, right (ethical) n m 2) a good thing, benefit, welfare 2a) welfare, prosperity, happiness 2b) good things (collective) 2c) good, benefit 2d) moral good n f 3) welfare, benefit, good things 3a) welfare, prosperity, happiness 3b) good things (collective) 3c) bounty

and does not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's Hebrew 3808: 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time)

הָ֣יְתָה (hā·yə·ṯāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew 1961: 1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out 1a) (Qal) 1a1) ----- 1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass 1a1b) to come about, come to pass 1a2) to come into being, become 1a2a) to arise, appear, come 1a2b) to become 1a2b1) to become 1a2b2) to become like 1a2b3) to be instituted, be established 1a3) to be 1a3a) to exist, be in existence 1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time) 1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality) 1a3d) to accompany, be with 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about 1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone

even
וְגַם־ (wə·ḡam-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's Hebrew 1571: 1) also, even, indeed, moreover, yea 1a) also, moreover (giving emphasis) 1b) neither, neither...nor (with negative) 1c) even (for stress) 1d) indeed, yea (introducing climax) 1e) also (of correspondence or retribution) 1f) but, yet, though (adversative) 1g) even, yea, yea though (with 'when' in hypothetical case) 2) (TWOT) again, alike

receive a proper burial,
קְבוּרָ֖ה (qə·ḇū·rāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew 6900: 1) grave, burial, burial site 1a) grave 1b) burial

I say
אָמַ֕רְתִּי (’ā·mar·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 559: 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch

that a stillborn child
הַנָּֽפֶל׃ (han·nā·p̄el)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 5309: 1) untimely birth, abortion, miscarriage

is better off
ט֥וֹב (ṭō·wḇ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 2896: adj 1) good, pleasant, agreeable 1a) pleasant, agreeable (to the senses) 1b) pleasant (to the higher nature) 1c) good, excellent (of its kind) 1d) good, rich, valuable in estimation 1e) good, appropriate, becoming 1f) better (comparative) 1g) glad, happy, prosperous (of man's sensuous nature) 1h) good understanding (of man's intellectual nature) 1i) good, kind, benign 1j) good, right (ethical) n m 2) a good thing, benefit, welfare 2a) welfare, prosperity, happiness 2b) good things (collective) 2c) good, benefit 2d) moral good n f 3) welfare, benefit, good things 3a) welfare, prosperity, happiness 3b) good things (collective) 3c) bounty

than he.
מִמֶּ֖נּוּ (mim·men·nū)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 4480: prep 1) from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than 1a) from (expressing separation), off, on the side of 1b) out of 1b1) (with verbs of proceeding, removing, expelling) 1b2) (of material from which something is made) 1b3) (of source or origin) 1c) out of, some of, from (partitively) 1d) from, since, after (of time) 1e) than, more than (in comparison) 1f) from...even to, both...and, either...or 1g) than, more than, too much for (in comparisons) 1h) from, on account of, through, because (with infinitive) conj 2) that

Parallel Strong's
Berean Study Bible
A 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.

Young's Literal Translation
If a man doth beget a hundred, and live many years, and is great{.htm" title="{">, because they are the days of his years, and his soul is not satisfied from the goodness, and also he hath not had a grave, I have said, ‘Better than he [is] the untimely birth.’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
A man may father a hundred children and live many years. No matter how long he lives , if he is not satisfied by good things and does not even have a proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.

New American Standard Bible
If a man fathers a hundred [children] and lives many years, however many they be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a [proper] burial, [then] I say, "Better the miscarriage than he,

King James Bible
If 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.
Parallel Verses
New International Version
A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.

New Living Translation
A man might have a hundred children and live to be very old. But if he finds no satisfaction in life and doesn't even get a decent burial, it would have been better for him to be born dead.

English Standard Version
If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life’s good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.

New American Standard Bible
If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many they be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper burial, then I say, "Better the miscarriage than he,

King James Bible
If 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.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
A man may father a hundred children and live many years. No matter how long he lives, if he is not satisfied by good things and does not even have a proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.

International Standard Version
A man might father a hundred children, and live for many years, so that the length of his life is long—but if his life does not overflow with goodness, and he doesn't receive a proper burial, I maintain that stillborn children are better off than he is,

NET Bible
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!"

American Standard Version
If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul be not filled with good, and moreover he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he:

English Revised Version
If a man beget an hundred children and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, but his soul be not filled with good, and moreover he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he:

Young's Literal Translation
If a man doth beget a hundred, and live many years, and is great, because they are the days of his years, and his soul is not satisfied from the goodness, and also he hath not had a grave, I have said, 'Better than he is the untimely birth.'
















Cross References
Job 3:16
Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.

Psalm 58:8
As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.

Ecclesiastes 4:3
Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 6:4
For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.

Isaiah 14:20
Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.

Jeremiah 8:2
And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.

Jeremiah 22:19
He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

Ecclesiastes 1:1
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

Ecclesiastes 6:2
A 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.

Ecclesiastes 6:1
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

Ecclesiastes 5:20
For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.
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