Ecclesiastes 6:7
All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.
Cross-reference
Ecclesiastes 6:3 gives a specific example of dissatisfaction despite many children and long life—illustrating the same point.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 states that love of money never satisfies—applying the same principle of insatiable appetite to wealth.
Ecclesiastes 2:22 asks what profit comes from all labor — 6:7 answers that it only feeds the mouth without satisfaction.
Genesis 3:17-19 recounts the curse of painful toil to eat—the origin of the unsatisfying labor Ecclesiastes describes.
Proverbs 16:26 says a worker's appetite drives him—contrasting with Ecclesiastes' claim that appetite is never satisfied.
Psalm 127:2 warns that rising early for bread is vain, but God gives sleep to His beloved — a hopeful counterpoint to the endless labor in Ecclesiastes.
Proverbs 27:20 says Sheol and man's eyes are never satisfied — directly reinforcing the insatiable appetite theme in Ecclesiastes.
John 6:27 directs us to work for eternal food, not perishable—redirecting the unsatisfied appetite toward lasting satisfaction.
Matthew 6:25 tells us not to worry about food—offering an antidote to the endless toil for the mouth Ecclesiastes laments.
Luke 12:19 shows a rich man who plans to eat, drink, and be merry — yet his life ends that night, highlighting the futility of laboring for the mouth.
1 Timothy 6:6-8 teaches contentment with food and clothing—a solution to the insatiable appetite Ecclesiastes highlights.
Genesis 48:15 recalls God's faithful provision of food throughout Jacob's life — a contrast to the never-satisfied appetite from human labor in Ecclesiastes.