Ecclesiastes 6:8

What hath the wise? Literally, “What advantage hath the wise?” The Heb. y other, left untranslated by the KJV, means “superiority,” “advantage,” “profit.” Like the fool, the wise man toils to satisfy the cravings of appetite.

What hath the poor? Another contrast similar to that in the first clause is no doubt intended here — “What advantage hath the poor man, who knows how to walk before the living, than the fool who does not?” The poor man in his poverty and adverse circumstances has learned how to make the best of what he has. The fool, thinking of nothing but his desires and his appetites, constantly frets and strives for more than he possesses. Yet the poor man and the fool are alike in that neither is able to get all he would like to have.