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. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.
(There is) nothing better for a man, (than) that he should eat. The Hebrew literally is 'It is not good for man that he should eat,' etc., 'and should make his soul see good.' According to Holden and Weiss, Ecclesiastes 3:12; Ecclesiastes 3:22, differ from this verse in the text and meaning: here he means, 'It is not good that a man should feast himself, and falsely make as though, his soul were happy:' he thus refers to a false pretending of happiness acquired by and for one's self: in Ecclesiastes 3:12; Ecclesiastes 3:22; Ecclesiastes 5:18-19, to real seeing, or finding pleasure when God gives it. There it is said to be good for a man to enjoy with satisfaction and thankfulness the blessings which God gives; here it is said not to be good to take an unreal pleasure to one's self by feasting, etc. I prefer the English version; or else, if the ellipsis be thought harsh, translate interrogatively, as Hengstenberg, 'Is it not good for man that he eat?' etc. It is not Epicurean self-indulgence that is recommended, as Ecclesiastes 2:2-3 oppose this; but a cheerful enjoyment of present goods, while toiling "in his labour," as contrasted with anxious labours in order to secure the greatest gains of this life. This view accords with Ecclesiastes 3:12; Ecclesiastes 3:22; Ecclesiastes 5:18-19.
This also I saw - I perceived by experience that even this eating and drinking, and cheerful enjoyment of God's present gifts, is not to be taken at will, but comes only from the hand of God (Psalms 4:6; James 1:17). God alone can make us capable of enjoyment, and deliver us from the bonds of avarice.