Ecclesiates 6:3-6
The futility and grievousness of enjoyed wealth is worse than the tragedy of being stillborn. A rich man is described in hyperbolic terms of extreme blessing: (a) great wealth (“he lacks nothing his heart
desires,”2), (b) great progeny (a hundred children), and (c) a long life (he lives many years, does not receive proper burial and lives a thousand years twice over ). The stillborn is described
in terms of ultimate futility: (a) It has no meaning (i.e., it does it no good to be born), (b) it disappears into darkness, (c) it is forgotten (its name is shrouded in darkness),
(d) it never saw the sun (“the light of day”), and (e) it never knew what life is like. A wealthy person and a stillborn share the same fate; they all go to the same place
(i.e., the grave). And yet the lot of a stillborn is better because it has more rest (i.e., freedom from toil, anxiety, and misery) than a richly blessed person whose soul is never satisfied.
