Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.
The preacher here further shows the vanity and folly of heaping up worldly wealth and expecting happiness in it. I. How much soever we toil about the world, and get out of it, we can have for ourselves no more than a maintenance (Ecc 6:7): All the labour of man is for his mouth, which craves it of him (Pro 16:26); it is but food...
Commenting on Ecclesiastes 6:7-10
Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire,.... By "the sight of the eyes" is not meant the bare beholding outward riches, as in Ecc 5:11; but the enjoyment of present mercies; such things as a man is in the possession of, and with which he should be content, Heb 13:5; and by "the wandering of the desire", the craving...
Answer to the question in Ecc 6:8. This is the advantage: Better is the sight of the eyes--the wise man's godly enjoyment of present seen blessings than the (fool's) wandering--literally, walking (Psa 73:9), of the desire, that is, vague, insatiable desires for what he has not (Ecc 6:7; Heb 13:5). this--restless wandering of desire, and not enjoying contentedly the present (Ti1 6:6, Ti1 6:8).