Ecclesiastes 9:6 says that once a person has died, their feelings about life, including love, hatred and envy, have come to an end, and they no longer take part in what happens under the sun. The Preacher is not denying that love or hatred were real. He is pointing out that the dead no longer experience any of it, and so they have no further share in the events of this world. The verse is spoken by the Preacher, traditionally identified with Solomon, and is addressed to the living who are trying to make sense of a life that ends in death.
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 phrase “their love, their hatred, and their envy” names the strongest emotions people carry through life, the ones that drive ambition, grudges and jealousy. The Preacher says these have “perished long ago,” meaning that for the dead they are over and finished. Nothing they once cared about can reach them now.
The phrase “neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun” is about participation. A “portion” is a share or stake in what happens in the world. Once someone has died, they no longer have a stake in the work, rivalries and plans that continue among the living. This is a sober observation about how mortal life works.
The verse does not promise that death is the end of all meaning, nor does it deny judgment or resurrection. It describes life from the vantage point of this present world. It is meant to make the living think carefully about what they pin their hopes on, while leaving room for the wider witness of Scripture elsewhere.
The Context of Ecclesiastes 9:6
Ecclesiastes is a wisdom book that repeatedly asks what lasting value there is in life “under the sun,” a phrase that describes life as it is experienced on earth. Its voice is that of a thoughtful teacher who has tested many pursuits and found them fleeting. The audience is anyone willing to reflect honestly on the brevity and uncertainty of human existence.
The surrounding verses, 9:3 to 9:9, press the same point. Verse 5 says the living know they will die while the dead know nothing, and verse 6 follows directly with the observation about lost emotions and shares. Verses 7 to 9 then turn to a practical response: eat, drink, enjoy your spouse and your work while you have them. Read this way, verse 6 is a reason for gratitude in the present rather than a gloomy final word.
Key Phrases in Ecclesiastes 9:6
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor plan, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, where you are going.
(WEB)
This verse continues the thought by urging the living to work with all their strength while they can, since there is no work or planning in Sheol. It shows the practical side of the same realization that drives verse 6.
Psalm 90:12
So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
(WEB)
Moses asks God to teach us to number our days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Like Ecclesiastes 9:6, it encourages an honest view of mortality that leads to a more careful use of the life we have been given.
A Short Prayer From Ecclesiastes 9:6
Lord, you know how much time I spend holding on to grudges and comparing myself with others. Help me see my life as a gift that will not last forever, and give me the grace to let go of the envy and bitterness that weigh me down. Teach me to love well while I still have the chance, and to pursue peace with those I have hurt or who have hurt me. Let me live today with gratitude and purpose, trusting that you hold the days that I cannot. Amen.
