Ecclesiastes 9:6 teaches that once a person dies, their love, hatred and envy come to an end, and they no longer have a share in what happens on earth. The Teacher is describing life “under the sun,” meaning life viewed from earth without reference to God’s final judgment or the hope of resurrection. The words belong to the Teacher, traditionally identified with Solomon, who is reflecting aloud for readers who are trying to make sense of how death levels everyone.
Also their love, their hatred, and their envy has perished long ago; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 9:6 (WEB)
What Ecclesiastes 9:6 Means
The verse begins with “their love, their hatred, and their envy,” three strong emotions that normally drive people’s choices, rivalries and loyalties. The Teacher says all three have “perished long ago,” which means they have already come to an end. He is not saying those feelings were wrong or unreal while people were alive. He is saying that when death comes, the stage on which those passions played out is gone.
The second phrase, “neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun,” speaks of a “portion,” a share or stake in the world’s activity. The dead no longer have a place in the projects, quarrels and achievements of the living. The verse does not promise that the dead are unconscious or that God forgets them. It describes what ends from the perspective of earthly life, and it sets up the Teacher’s point that the living should use their days well because those days are limited.
The Context of Ecclesiastes 9:6
Ecclesiastes is a wisdom book that asks hard questions about whether human effort produces lasting meaning. Its refrain, “vanity” or “breath,” captures the sense that everything under the sun is fleeting. Verses 3 through 6 press the point that all people share the same destiny, whether righteous or wicked, and that death closes every account on earth. The book’s tone is searching and sometimes bleak, yet it never denies that God exists or that he holds the final word.
Just before verse 6, the Teacher observes that “the living know that they will die, but the dead don’t know anything” (verse 5). Verse 6 builds on that observation by describing the end of all earthly emotions. Verses 7 through 9 then turn toward practical wisdom: eat with joy, live faithfully with the spouse you love, and make the most of the days you have. Read in that sequence, verse 6 is not a call to despair but the reason the Teacher urges gratitude and wholehearted living now.
Key Phrases in Ecclesiastes 9:6
Psalm 90:12
So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
(WEB)
This psalm asks God to teach us to number our days, which echoes the Teacher’s awareness of mortality. Where Ecclesiastes 9:6 describes how earthly passions end, Psalm 90:12 turns that awareness into a prayer for wisdom to live well while time lasts.
1 Corinthians 15:19
If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable.
(WEB)
Paul writes that if hope in Christ applied only to this life, believers would be most to be pitied. This verse adds the Christian hope of resurrection that Ecclesiastes 9:6 does not address, showing that the Teacher’s view of life “under the sun” is incomplete without the gospel.
A Short Prayer From Ecclesiastes 9:6
Lord, you know how quickly our loves, our hurts and our rivalries can take up all the room in our hearts. Teach us to hold them with open hands and to remember that our days are a gift from you. Help us to let go of grudges we cannot carry forever, and to love the people you have given us while we still have time. Make us wise, gentle and grateful for the portion you have placed in our hands today. Amen.
