Fathers

Ecclesiastes 6

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There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy on men: a man to whom God gives riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires, yet God gives him no power to eat of it, but an alien eats it. This is vanity, and it is an evil disease. If a man fathers a hundred children, and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not filled with good, and moreover he has no burial; I say, that a stillborn child is better than he: for it comes in vanity, and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness. Moreover it has not seen the sun nor known it. This has rest rather than the other. Yes, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet fails to enjoy good, don’t all go to one place? All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled. For what advantage has the wise more than the fool? What has the poor man, that knows how to walk before the living? Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind. Whatever has been, its name was given long ago; and it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him who is mightier than he. For there are many words that create vanity. What does that profit man? For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he spends like a shadow? For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?

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What the Fathers say

Ecclesiastes 6:7

Western Saints

Jerome

"All man's toil is for his mouth, yet his wants are never satisfied. What advantage then has the wise man over the fool? What less has the pauper who knows how to conduct himself among the living? "All that men toil at in this world is consumed by the mouth and taken to be digested in the stomach after it has been ground down by the teeth. And when a little bit has pleased the palette, it seems to create a desire, so long as it is held in the mouth. …

Commentary on Ecclesiastes ↗

Gregory the Dialogist

Moreover he is shown to burn more in his tongue, when he says: "Send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, to cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame." The unbelieving people held the words of the law in their mouth, which they scorned to keep in deed. Therefore he will burn more there, where he showed himself to know what he was unwilling to do. …

Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 40 ↗

Bonaventure

For this reason he says: "All the labor of man is in his mouth:" the mouth is called the initiation of desire; for he who desires, as it were, opens his mouth. Therefore, for labor to be in the mouth is to labor toward the completion of desire; whence Proverbs 16: "The soul of the laborer labors for himself, because his mouth has compelled him." And although he does this toward fulfilling his desire, it is nevertheless not fulfilled; therefore he says: "But his soul," namely that of the tenacious rich man, "will not be filled with …

Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 6 ↗