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3,811 commentary entries
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible
The Vanity of the World
THE VANITY OF THE WORLD. To prove the vanity of all things under the sun, and their insufficiency to make us happy, Solomon here shows, 1. That the time of our enjoyment of these things is very short, and only while we…
Change without Novelty
CHANGE WITHOUT NOVELTY. Two things we are apt to take a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction in, and value ourselves upon, with reference to our business and enjoyments in the world, as if they helped to save them fr…
Vanity of Human Wisdom
VANITY OF HUMAN WISDOM. Solomon, having asserted in general that all is vanity, and having given some general proofs of it, now takes the most effectual method to evince the truth of it, 1. By his own experience; he tri…
Vanity of Worldly Pleasure
VANITY OF WORLDLY PLEASURE. Solomon here, in pursuit of the summum bonum—the felicity of man, adjourns out of his study, his library, his elaboratory, his council-chamber, where he had in vain sought for it, into the pa…
Superiority of Wisdom to Folly
SUPERIORITY OF WISDOM TO FOLLY. Solomon having tried what satisfaction was to be had in learning first, and then in the pleasures of sense, and having also put both together, here compares them one with another and pass…
Sources of Dissatisfaction; The Cheerful Use of Abundance
SOURCES OF DISSATISFACTION; THE CHEERFUL USE OF ABUNDANCE. Business is a thing that wise men have pleasure in. They are in their element when they are in their business, and complain if they be out of business. They may…
Mutability of Human Affairs
MUTABILITY OF HUMAN AFFAIRS. The scope of these verses is to show, 1. That we live in a world of changes, that the several events of time, and conditions of human life, are vastly different from one another, and yet occ…
Mutability of Human Affairs
MUTABILITY OF HUMAN AFFAIRS. We have seen what changes there are in the world, and must not expect to find the world more sure to us than it has been to others. Now here Solomon shows the hand of God in all those change…
Immutability of God's Counsel; The Extent of Mortality
IMMUTABILITY OF GOD'S COUNSEL; THE EXTENT OF MORTALITY. Solomon is still showing that every thing in this world, without piety and the fear of God, is vanity. Take away religion, and there is nothing valuable among men,…
The Prevalence of Oppression
THE PREVALENCE OF OPPRESSION. Solomon had a large soul (1 Kings 4:29) and it appeared by this, among other things, that he had a very tender concern for the miserable part of mankind and took cognizance of the afflictio…
The Prevalence of Oppression
THE PREVALENCE OF OPPRESSION. Here Solomon returns to the observation and consideration of the vanity and vexation of spirit that attend the business of this world, which he had spoken of before, Ecclesiastes 2:11. I. I…
The Vanity of Human Wishes
THE VANITY OF HUMAN WISHES. Here Solomon fastens upon another instance of the vanity of this world, that frequently the more men have of it the more they would have; and on this they are so intent that they have no enjo…
The Advantages of Society
THE ADVANTAGES OF SOCIETY. Solomon was himself a king, and therefore may be allowed to speak more freely than another concerning the vanity of kingly state and dignity, which he shows here to be an uncertain thing; he h…
A Caution to Worshippers
A CAUTION TO WORSHIPPERS. Solomon's design, in driving us off from the world, by showing us its vanity, is to drive us to God and to our duty, that we may not walk in the way of the world, but by religious rules, nor de…
The Obligation of a Vow
THE OBLIGATION OF A VOW. Four things we are exhorted to in these verses:— I. To be conscientious in paying our vows. 1. A vow is a bond upon the soul (Numbers 30:2), by which we solemnly oblige ourselves, not only, in g…
The Vanity of Riches
THE VANITY OF RICHES. Solomon had shown the vanity of pleasure, gaiety, and fine works, of honour, power, and royal dignity; and there is many a covetous worldling that will agree with him, and speak as slightly as he d…
Grateful Enjoyment
GRATEFUL ENJOYMENT. Solomon, from the vanity of riches hoarded up, here infers that the best course we can take is to use well what we have, to serve God with it, to do good with it, and take the comfort of it to oursel…
The Miseries of Covetousness
THE MISERIES OF COVETOUSNESS. Solomon had shown, in the close of the foregoing chapter, how good it is to make a comfortable use of the gifts of God's providence; now here he shows the evil of the contrary, having and n…
The Insatiableness of Desire
THE INSATIABLENESS OF DESIRE. The preacher here further shows the vanity and folly of heaping up worldly wealth and expecting happiness in it. I. How much soever we toil about the world, and get out of it, we can have f…
The Insatiableness of Desire
THE INSATIABLENESS OF DESIRE. Here, 1. Solomon lays down his conclusion which he had undertaken to prove, as that which was fully confirmed by the foregoing discourse: There be many things that increase vanity; the life…
The Value of a Good Name
THE VALUE OF A GOOD NAME. In these verses Solomon lays down some great truths which seem paradoxes to the unthinking part, that is, the far greatest part, of mankind. I. That the honour of virtue is really more valuable…
Scenes of Mourning and of Joy
SCENES OF MOURNING AND OF JOY. Solomon had often complained before of the oppressions which he saw under the sun, which gave occasion for many melancholy speculations and were a great discouragement to virtue and piety.…
The Advantages of Wisdom
THE ADVANTAGES OF WISDOM. Solomon, in these verses, recommends wisdom to us as the best antidote against those distempers of mind which we are liable to, by reason of the vanity and vexation of spirit that there are in…
The Evil of Sin
THE EVIL OF SIN. Solomon had hitherto been proving the vanity of the world and its utter insufficiency to make men happy; now here he comes to show the vileness of sin, and its certain tendency to make men miserable; an…