Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Summary

Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

Wandering of the desire

Bible References

Better

Ecclesiastes 2:24
There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. I also have seen that this is from the hand of God.
Ecclesiastes 3:12
I have learned that there is nothing better for them, but to rejoice and to do good in his life.
Ecclesiastes 5:18
Behold therefore the good which I have seen: that good is to eat and to drink and to enjoy of the good of all his labour that he takes under the sun all the days of his life, which God gives him; for it is his portion.

Wandering of the desire

Job 31:7
If my step has turned out of the way and my heart walked after my eyes and if any blot has cleaved to my hands,
Proverbs 30:15
The horseleach has two daughters, which are called, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:
Jeremiah 2:20
For of old time I have broken thy yoke and burst thy bands; and thou didst say, I will not serve sin. With all this, upon every high hill and under every green tree thou dost wander, playing the harlot.

This

Ecclesiastes 6:2
A man to whom God has given riches, wealth, and honour so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but the strangers eat it; this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.
Ecclesiastes 1:2
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 2:11
At last I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought and on the labour that I had laboured to do; and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 4:4
Again, I considered all travail and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.