Ecclesiastes 5:13
11 When good things increase, so do those who consume them; what then is the profit to the owner, except to behold them with his eyes?
12 The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich man permits him no sleep.
There is a grievous evil I have seen under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,
14 or wealth lost in a failed venture, so when that man has a son there is nothing to pass on.
15 As a man came from his mother’s womb, so he will depart again, naked as he arrived. He takes nothing for his labor to carry in his hands.
Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- There is a grievous evil I have seen under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,
- KJV
- There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.
- WEB
- There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm.
- ASV
- There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, [namely], riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt:
- DARBY
- There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt;
- BLB
- There is a sickening evil I have seen under the sun: Riches guarded for their owner, to his harm,
- ÅB
- Der er et stort onde, som jeg har sett under solen: rikdom gjemt av sin eier til hans egen ulykke.
- OTB
- Det er en alvorlig ondskap jeg har sett under solen: rikdom samlet til skade for sin eier,
- B1930
- Der er et stort onde, som jeg har sett under solen: rikdom gjemt av sin eier til hans egen ulykke.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Ecclesiastes 6:1–2
There is another evil I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily upon mankind:
Read in contextLuke 18:22–23
On hearing this, Jesus told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
Read in contextLuke 16:22–23
One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also died and was buried.
Read in contextGenesis 19:14
So Lot went out and spoke to the sons-in-law who were pledged in marriage to his daughters. “Get up,” he said. “Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
Read in contextJames 5:1–4
Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.
Read in contextIsaiah 32:6–8
For a fool speaks foolishness; his mind plots iniquity. He practices ungodliness and speaks falsely about the LORD; he leaves the hungry empty and deprives the thirsty of drink.
Read in contextProverbs 11:24–25
One gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor.
Read in contextGenesis 14:16
He retrieved all the goods, as well as his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the rest of the people.
Read in context