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Read the Bible

Revised Standard Version

Ecclesiastes 6:11

The more words, the more vanity, and what is man the better?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ignorance;   Worldliness;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for September 6;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For when there are many words, they increase futility. What is the advantage for mankind?
Hebrew Names Version
For there are many words that create vanity. What does that profit man?
King James Version
Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?
English Standard Version
The more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man?
New American Standard Bible
For there are many words which increase futility. What then is the advantage to a person?
New Century Version
The more you say, the more useless it is. What good does it do?
Amplified Bible
For there are many other words that increase futility. What then is the advantage for a man?
World English Bible
For there are many words that create vanity. What does that profit man?
Geneva Bible (1587)
Svrely there be many things that increase vanitie: and what auaileth it man?
Legacy Standard Bible
For there are many words which increase vanity. What then is the advantage to a man?
Berean Standard Bible
For the more words, the more futility-and how does that profit anyone?
Contemporary English Version
The more we talk, the less sense we make, so what good does it do to talk?
Complete Jewish Bible
There are many things that only add to futility, so how do humans benefit from them?
Darby Translation
For there are many things that increase vanity: what is man advantaged?
George Lamsa Translation
Seeing there are many things that increase vanity, what advantage has man?
Good News Translation
The longer you argue, the more useless it is, and you are no better off.
Lexham English Bible
Increasing words only multiplies futility, how does that profit anyone?
Literal Translation
For there are many things that increase vanity, and what is the advantage to man?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
A vayne thinge is it to cast out many wordes, but what hath a man els?
American Standard Version
Seeing there are many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?
Bible in Basic English
There are words without number for increasing what is to no purpose, but what is man profited by them?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Seeing there are many words that increase vanity, what is man the better?
King James Version (1611)
Seeing there be many things that increase vanitie, what is man the better?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Many thinges there be that encrease vanitie, and what hath a man els?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For there are many things which increase vanity.
English Revised Version
Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Wordis ben ful manye, and han myche vanyte in dispuytinge.
Update Bible Version
Seeing there are many things that increase vanity, what is the advantage to man?
Webster's Bible Translation
Seeing there are many things that increase vanity, what [is] man the better?
New English Translation
The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes. How does that benefit him?
New King James Version
Since there are many things that increase vanity, How is man the better?
New Living Translation
The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they?
New Life Bible
The more words there are, the more they are worth nothing. What good is that to anyone?
New Revised Standard
The more words, the more vanity, so how is one the better?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Seeing there are things in abundance which make vanity abound, what profit hath man?
Douay-Rheims Bible
There are many words that have much vanity in disputing.
Young's Literal Translation
For there are many things multiplying vanity; what advantage [is] to man?
THE MESSAGE
The more words that are spoken, the more smoke there is in the air. And who is any better off? And who knows what's best for us as we live out our meager smoke-and-shadow lives? And who can tell any of us the next chapter of our lives?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For there are many words which increase futility. What then is the advantage to a man?

Contextual Overview

11 The more words, the more vanity, and what is man the better? 12 For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Ecclesiastes 1:6-9, Ecclesiastes 1:17, Ecclesiastes 1:18, Ecclesiastes 2:3-11, Ecclesiastes 3:19, Ecclesiastes 4:1-4, Ecclesiastes 4:8, Ecclesiastes 4:16, Ecclesiastes 5:7, Psalms 73:6, Hosea 12:1

Reciprocal: Job 7:16 - my days Psalms 39:6 - surely Ecclesiastes 1:2 - General Ecclesiastes 4:4 - This is Ecclesiastes 11:8 - All that Luke 10:41 - many Romans 3:1 - advantage 1 Corinthians 15:19 - this

Cross-References

Genesis 6:1
When men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them,
Genesis 6:2
the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair; and they took to wife such of them as they chose.
Genesis 7:1
Then the LORD said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.
Genesis 10:9
He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD."
Genesis 13:13
Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.
2 Chronicles 34:27
because your heart was penitent and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me, and have rent your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, says the LORD.
Psalms 11:5
The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, and his soul hates him that loves violence.
Psalms 55:9
Destroy their plans, O Lord, confuse their tongues; for I see violence and strife in the city.
Psalms 140:11
Let not the slanderer be established in the land; let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!
Isaiah 60:18
Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Seeing there be many things that increase vanity,.... As appears by all that has been said in this and the preceding chapters; such as wisdom and knowledge, wealth and riches, pleasure, power, and authority. Man is a poor vain creature himself, all he is and has is vanity; and these serve but to increase it, and make him vainer and vainer still;

what [is] man the better? for these things? not at all, rather the worse, being more vain; there is no profit by them, no excellency arises to him from them, no happiness in them, nothing that will be of any service to him, especially with respect to a future state, or when he comes to die. It may be rendered, as it is in the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions, "seeing there are many words that multiply vanity"; as all such words do that are used with God by way of murmur and complaint concerning a man's lot and condition in this world, and as expostulating and contending with him about it; these increase sin, and by them men contract more guilt, and therefore are not the better for such litigations, but the worse; and so the words stand in connection with Ecclesiastes 6:10: but the former sense seems best, this being the conclusion of the wise man's discourse concerning vanity. So the Targum and Jarchi understand it of things, and not words.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Things - Namely, the various circumstances detailed in the foregoing chapters, from the Preacher’s personal experience, and his observation of other people, ending with the comprehensive declaration in Ecclesiastes 6:10 to the effect that vanity is an essential part of the constitution of creation as it now exists, and was foreknown.

What is man the better? - Rather, what is profitable to man?


 
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