Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 5:13
There is a sore evil [which] I have seen under the sun, [namely], riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.
13. riches kept for the owners thereof ] Yet another aspect of the evils attendant on riches is brought before us, as in ch. Ecc 2:18-19. Not only do they fail to give any satisfying joy, but the man who reckoned on founding a family and leaving his heaped-up treasures to his son gains nothing but anxieties and cares, loses his wealth by some unforeseen chance, and leaves his son a pauper. By some commentators the possessive pronoun in “ his hand” (Ecc 5:14) is referred to the father. The crowning sorrow for him is that he begets a son and then dies himself in poverty. The upshot of the two constructions is, of course, practically the same.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 13. Riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.] This may be the case through various causes:
1. He may make an improper use of them, and lose his health by them.
2. He may join in an unfortunate partnership and lose all.
3. His riches may excite the desire of the robber; and he may spoil him of his goods, and even take away his life.
4. Or, he may leave them to his son, who turns profligate, spends the whole, and ruins both his body and soul. I have seen this again and again.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Because they frequently are the instruments and occasions both of their present and eternal destruction, as they feed their pride or luxury, or other hurtful lusts, which waste the body, and shorten the life, and damn the soul; and as they are great temptations to tyrants or thieves, yea, sometimes to relations, or servants, or others, to take away their lives, that they may get their riches.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13, 14. Proofs of God’sjudgments even in this world (Pr11:31). The rich oppressor’s wealth provokes enemies, robbers, c.Then, after having kept it for an expected son, he loses itbeforehand by misfortune (“by evil travail”), and the sonis born to be heir of poverty. Ecc 2:19Ecc 2:23 gives another aspect ofthe same subject.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
There is a sore evil [which] I have seen under the sun,…. Or “an evil sickness” m. A sinful disease in the person with whom it is found, and very disagreeable to others to behold; it is enough to make one sick to see it; and what he is about to relate he himself was an eyewitness of:
[namely], riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt; laid up in barns and granaries, as the fruits of the earth; or in chests and coffers, as gold and silver, for the use and service of the owners of them; and which yet have been to their real injury; being either used by them in a luxurious and intemperate way, so have brought diseases on their bodies, and damnation to their souls; or not used at all for their own good, or the good of others, which brings the curse of God upon them, to their ruin and destruction, both here and hereafter: and oftentimes so it is, and which no doubt had fallen under the observation of Solomon, that some who have been great misers, and have hoarded up their substance, without using them themselves, or sharing them with others, have not only been plundered of them, but, for the sake of them, their lives have been taken away in a most barbarous manner, by cutthroats and villains; sometimes by their own servants, nay, even by their own children. Riches ill gotten and ill used are very prejudicial to the owners; and if they are well got, but ill used, or not used at all, greatly hurt the spiritual and eternal state of men; it is a difficult thing for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven, and a covetous man cannot; if a professor, the word he hears is choked and made unprofitable; he errs from the faith, and pierces himself through with many sorrows now, and is liable to eternal damnation hereafter. The Targum interprets it of a man that gathers riches, and does no good with them; but keeps them to himself, to do himself evil in the world to come.
m “morbus malus”, Tigurine version, Vatablus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, riches kept by their possessor to his hurt: the same riches perish by an evil event; and he hath begotten a son, thus this one hath nothing in his hand.” There is a gradation of evils. (cf. , Ecc 6:2) is not an ordinary, but a morbid evil, i.e., a deep hurtful evil; as a wound, not a common one, but one particularly severe and scarcely curable, is called , e.g., Nah 3:19. … is, as at Ecc 10:5, an ellipt. relat. clause; cf. on the other hand, Ecc 6:1; the author elsewhere uses the scheme of the relat. clause without relat. pron. ( vid., under Ecc 1:13; Ecc 3:16); the old language would use , instead of , with the reflex. pron. The great evil consists in this, that riches are not seldom kept by their owner to his own hurt. Certainly can also mean that which is kept for another, 1Sa 9:24; but how involved and constrained is Ginsburg’s explanation: “hoarded up (by the rich man) for their (future) owner,” viz., the heir to whom he intends to leave them! That can be used with the passive as a designation of the subj., vid., Ewald, 295 c; certainly it corresponds as little as , with the Greek , but in Greek we say also , vid., Rost’s Syntax, 112. 4. The suff. of lera’atho refers to be’alav , the plur. form of which can so far remain out of view, that we even say adonim qosheh , Isa 19:4, etc. “To his hurt,” i.e., at the last suddenly to lose that which has been carefully guarded. The narrative explanation of this, “to his hurt,” begins with vav explic. Regarding ‘inyan ra’ . It is a casus adversus that is meant, such a stroke upon stroke as destroyed Job’s possessions. The perf. supposes the case that the man thus suddenly made poor is the father of a son; the clause is logically related to that which follows as hypothet. antecedent, after the scheme. Gen 33:13. The loss of riches would of itself make one who is alone unhappy, for the misfortune to be poor is less than the misfortunes to be rich and then to become poor; but still more unfortunate is the father who thought that by well-guarded wealth he had secured the future of his son, and who now leaves him with an empty hand.
What now follows is true of this rich man, but is generalized into a reference to every rich man, and then is recorded as a second great evil. As a man comes naked into the world, so also he departs from it again without being able to take with him any of the earthly wealth he has acquired.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
WEALTH HARMFUL AND ILLUSIVE
Verses 13-17 suggest the oft repeated experience of those who strive to acquire wealth, then to their hurt and sorrow lose it all because of evil practices, foolish ventures or unforeseen circumstances. The hurt is not to the owner alone. He begets children who come forth with nothing and will, as he and all men, depart life with no material possession, Job 1:21; Psa 49:17; 1Ti 6:7. The preacher concludes that the pursuit of riches, as the goal of life, is as profit-less as laboring to restrain the wind, and certain to result in much sorrow, Ecc 1:3; Pro 23:5; Pro 27:24.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.
Ecc. 5:13. To their hurt] Inasmuch as they, at length, lose those possessions (Ecc. 5:14). The owner is more unhappy than if he had never possessed at all.
Ecc. 5:17. Eateth in darkness] A spirit of melancholy darkening the whole life.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Ecc. 5:13-17
THE MISERIES OF HIM WHO SURVIVES THE WRECK OF HIS FORTUNES
There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. But those riches perish by evil travail, and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand. As he came forth of his mothers womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand. And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind? All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.Ecc. 5:13-17.
In these reflections upon the vanity of riches, the Royal Preacher is supposing the case of one who has no internal consolations. When riches are flown, how is it with such a man?
I. He is placed in a Worse Position than if He had never been Prosperous. (Ecc. 5:13-14.)
1. There is the painful sense of failure. He rejoiced in his treasures, made them his stronghold and boast; but now they have perished, and he is left without defence. The results of his labour and anxieties are lost. What he had lived for is now vanished from him. He is oppressed with the distress of failure.
2. There are the sorrows of memory. The remembrance of the past deepens the gloom of the present and turns it into pain. It is an unspeakable sorrow for a man to be forced to look at his greatness and prosperity only through the aid of memory and long reflections. Riches, when they have departed, are not absolutely hidden in the buried past. The memory of them arises to hurt and afflict the mind. How can a man in the land of poverty, where he is a stranger and an exile, sing the song of prosperity? He must hang his harp upon the willows, and weep the tears of memory.
3. There is the oppressive feeling of impotency to satisfy his ambitious desires. When he possessed wealth, he formed bright designs for the future which that wealth could accomplish. Reckoning upon the stability of his riches, he thought to build up his house; and, through the flourishing generations of his family, transmit his splendour and magnificence to posterity. But now the time has come when his favourite child is there, but no splendid mansion is for him. The heir is present, but the heritage has gone. (Ecc. 5:14.) There is a sense of departed power which is altogether overwhelming, and which is unknown to those who never possessed it. To be unable to perform what was once easily within our power is vexation and sorrow.
II. He is brought Face to Face with the most Solemn Aspects of Life. If we direct our attention to the two extremes of human life, we are made to front facts of dread solemnity. Our utter nakedness, both upon our arrival here and our departure hence, is one of the saddest facts of existence. (Ecc. 5:15.) Death strips us of all our time-garments, and we go naked into eternity. Thus the grandeur of the world is but a vain showthe passing shadow of a cloud! This solemn truth is forgotten in the excitement of pleasure, quite inaudible amidst the tumult of the passions. But when a man is stripped of his fortune, the solemn facts of life assert themselves and he is forced to listen to their voice.
1. How near are the fountains of sorrow! In the midst of worldly enjoyments, if men only reflected deeply upon the solemn aspects of existence, how soon would the heart heave with emotion! The fairest pleasures of the world are but hastily snatched from the borders of misery and pain.
2. What a teacher is adversityimparting a due solemnity to the mind! Affliction gains audience for truths which failed to secure a hearing in the time of prosperity. Death is indeed the great teacher, opening the eyes of man upon the higher mysteries; yet death is only the completion of that entire stripping of all earthly possessions which process adversity had begun.
3. How great the folly of trusting in wealth! It may depart long before us, thus afflicting us with the memory of joys now no longer ours. Or, if it stays, yet we must be rudely torn from it, and go into eternity with nothing in our hand. (Ecc. 5:15.) It is unwise to put our entire trust in that which must fail us it the last necessity.
III. He becomes a Prey to Melancholy. (Ecc. 5:17.) All what he trusted and delighted in is gone, and having no inward sources of comfort, a thick gloom settles upon his soul. It may be said of this inward condition,
1. That it darkens for him the scenes of life. There is light on every side, yet the darkness within him spreads itself over the whole scene of his life. The outward world takes the mood of our soul, be it merry or sad. In the gloomy seasons of our temper, it is in vain that nature strives to please. The darkness of the soul can overwhelm the light and glory of the world.
2. That it is moral disease. It is a sorrowful portionthe sickness of the soul. In health, all the bodily organs work together in harmony, and we are not directly conscious of the process. The man is said to be whole. But in disease, one or more organs, by becoming a seat of pain, assert their separate existence. Thus disease is disordera want of wholeness. This fact holds strict analogy with moral unsoundness. When some painful truths are forced upon the soul without any countervailing good, it indicates moral disease. In this soul-sickness, there is sorrow and wrath. There can be no health in the soul when there is no peace.
3. It forebodes the last gloomy days of one who is entirely devoted to the present life. For the soul without the comforts of religion, this darkness is but the shadow of death. Without God, there cannot be the light of joy, truth, and love.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Ecc. 5:13. Wealth is often the ruin of its possessor. Like that king of Cyprus who made himself so rich that he became a tempting spoil, and who, rather than lose his treasures, embarked them in perforated ships; but, wanting courage to draw the plugs, ventured back to land and lost both his money and his life. So a fortune is a great perplexity to its owner, and is no defence in times of danger. And very often, by enabling him to procure all that heart can wish, it pierces him through with many sorrows [Dr. J. Hamilton].
The base love of gain, when long indulged by success, multiplies the snares that will entrap and even fatally injure the soul.
The worshipper of Mammon will in the end be crushed beneath the fall of his idol.
Continued prosperity exposes a man to the vices of luxurious indulgence, neglect of religion, and a foolish confidence in his own greatness.
He whose heart has been bound up with his wealth can ill bear the loss of it. Having no inward resources, his condition is poor indeed. He is cast into the roaring tide of adversity; and he has no courage, strength, or skill, to stem the danger and gain a place of safety.
It is the highest wisdom to seek the true riches, which place a man above the accidents of life.
Ecc. 5:14. The Lord hath many ways to blast covetous mens idols. He can make use of the injustice and avarice of spoilers and oppressors, the deceitfulness of friends, and the prodigality of children to make their riches perish [Nisbet].
The memory of vanished joys is a bitter draught to those who have no spring of heavenly life and consolation within.
All earthly supports of the heart may soon fail us, and they must fail in the last extremity.
Virtue and knowledge are the best heritage we can leave to our children. In all things else, they may be but the heirs of misery and disappointment.
Riches give a man power to command the service of many, and to summon the ministers of comfort. But how soon may the sceptre be snatched from his hand. His necessities and ambitious desires continue, but the power is gone.
Ecc. 5:15. At both ends of human life, all social distinctions are levelled.
The hand of death rends away our time-garments. We must leave here, on these shores of life, all the outward circumstances of wealth, and the soul be stripped for her last voyage.
He who by the stroke of adversity is denuded of his fortune, is hereby reminded of that utter desolation to which he shall be brought by the rifling hands of death.
Mental wealth, spiritual characterall that is truly within us, we can take away when we part for ever from the world. But our environment of wealth and grandeur must be left behind.
Alexander the Great is said to have ordered that, as he was carried forth to burial, his hands should be exposed, that all mankind might see how empty they were.
Adversity clears a mans view of the most solemn and saddest facts of our nature. It is well if we lay them to heart, so that we may be rich in the wealth of immortality when death robs us of the passing treasures of this life.
Seeing that we go away naked, and can carry nothing hence with us, we should look upon nothing as our own; we should be careful to go away clothed with Christs righteousness, and adorned with His grace, which is the durable riches, which whosoever hath shall not be found naked in death nor after it [Nisbet].
Here, we walk beneath appearances; but in eternity, we must stand forth in our true reality.
Ecc. 5:16. The thought of the preceding verse is here repeated, but with greater emphasis. The spiritual teachers of mankind find it necessary to repeat great truths.
The covetous man when life is ended is reduced to his first condition; he possesses absolutely nothing.
The riches of selfish and covetous men,
1. Give them anxiety and vexation in life;
2. Forsake them in death;
3. Accuse them before the bar of God.
The labours of man without God have no solid worthno lasting profit. When at the close of life he looks upon them, he finds that they vanish into thin air. They were but appearances under the hollow image of a form.
If covetous worldlings would commune often with their own hearts, they could not but see their way to be no less unreasonable and unprofitable for attaining to happiness, than if a man would make it the business of his life to gather wind, which cannot be held though it be among his hands, nor can satisfy him though he could hold it [Nisbet].
Ecc. 5:17. When the power to enjoy is gone, and increasing infirmities produce fretfulness and inward misery, how vain are all the circumstances of wealth and grandeur!
Through the medium of our melancholy feelings, the fairest scenes of life appear to be overspread with gloom, True joy is within. The sun only shines for the happy.
As years roll on, the present world does not grow brighter and more joyous to him who lives entirely for it. Days of darkness await him.
You pass a staiely mansion, and as the powdered menials are closing the shutters of the brilliant room, and you see the sumptuous table spread and the fire-light flashing on vessels of gold and silver, perhaps no pang of envy pricks your bosom, but a glow of gratulation for a moment fills it. Happy people who tread carpets so soft, and who swim through halls so splendid! But, some future day, when the candles are lighted and the curtains drawn in that self-same apartment, it is your lot to be within; and as the invalid owner is wheeled to his place at the table, and as dainties are handed round of which he dares not taste, and as the guests interchange cold courtesy, and all is stiff magnificence and conventional inanityyour fancy cannot help flying off to some humbler spot with which you are more familiar, and where quiet with contentment makes her home [Dr. J. Hamilton].
Fretfulness and vexation wait on avarice.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
b. They may be harmful. Ecc. 5:13-17
TEXT 5:1317
13
There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to their hurt.
14
When those riches were lost through a bad investment and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to support him.
15
As he had come naked from his mothers womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand.
16
And this also is a grievous evilexactly as a man is born, thus will he die. So, what is the advantage to him who toils for the wind?
17
Throughout his life he also eats in darkness with great vexation, sickness and anger.
THOUGHT QUESTIONS 5:1317
135.
Identify the two activities of life Solomon considers as a grievous evil.
136.
How were the riches lost? (Cf. Ecc. 5:14)
137.
Why was it important that the man not lose his wealth?
138.
What fruit of his labor will the rich man take with him when he dies?
139.
List the four things which are descriptive of the rich mans life. (Cf. Ecc. 5:17)
PARAPHRASE 5:1317
I looked closely upon another situation under the sun, and I saw what was a painful misfortune for the rich man. He accumulated his riches and hoarded them, but this resulted in great damage to himself. In his attempt to increase his profits and accumulate more money, he made an unwise investment. Rather than compounding his money as he predicted, he lost his entire fortune! In the meantime he had fathered a son, and now nothing was left to be given the son for an inheritance.
This is lifes lesson: one is born naked and empty handed, and when one dies he returns to the dust naked and empty handed. Men cannot carry any of the fruit of their labor in their hands when they return to the earth. And this also is a painful misfortunesince man goes exactly as he comes, what profit is there in gathering and collecting? Such a one actually labors for the wind!
I have clearly seen these things in my own mind. What does such a rich man gain? He eats his food in the midst of gloom, and lives out his life with frustration, sickness and anger.
COMMENT 5:1317
In this section there are two additional descriptions of the futility of riches which lead the Preacher to the same conclusion. He states that both are a grievous evil. The reader should keep in mind that it is not riches that are evil but the improper attitude toward riches. In this instance, the man hoarded them to his own hurt. This simply means that rather than using them for good, he accumulated riches for the sake of riches.
Ecc. 5:13 He once more qualifies the activity by the phrase under the sun. This time, however, he discovers that not only do the riches fail to satisfy and keep one from sweet sleep, they actually harm the owner. The owner once believed the added wealth was good and would be the answer to everything. He is to discover that they not only fail to produce peace of mind; they become the very source of sorrow and pain.
Ecc. 5:14 It was suggested in Ecc. 5:10 that money is generally invested for greater gain. But now some bad business investment has resulted in not only a failure to gain a profit, but the loss of the fortune as well. This of itself would be of grave consequence to one who had such a love for money. It is of a more serious nature, however, because the man who has lost the fortune has gained a son. He would naturally wish to instill in his sons mind the same desire and love for what is so important to him. He would demonstrate first-hand to the young man how to care for and increase the fortune and together they would share in promoting for even more gain. But it is not to be. Money is transitory just like other things that are attached to this world. The father has lost all he possessed and stands empty handed. He is unable to give his son a penny. The text offers that he had nothing in his hand. Is it the father or the son? It could be taken either way, and would be true in either instance.
Ecc. 5:15 This verse speaks if death and contrasts it with birth. He is born with nothing and shall leave this life with nothing. The elusive riches one toils for in this life are actually called wind by Solomon. From the beginning of his message, he has underscored the truth that one may labor through knowledge, wisdom, and skill only to leave what he has to another. The tragedy of this situation is that the one to whom he wanted to give his fortune did not receive it; neither does the man who accumulated it take it with him. It is a universal truth to which Paul speaks when he says, For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either (1Ti. 6:7).
Death terminates all wealth. This lesson is difficult for many to learn. Yet, it is close to the heart of Christianity. James admonishes when speaking of our new relationship in Christ: But let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position; and let the rich man glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away (Jas. 1:10-11). The Preacher stands as it were, on the edge of the grave of the rich man looking at the freshly shaped mound of earth and asks, So, what is the advantage of him who toils for the wind?
Ecc. 5:17 Darkness is a metaphor for gloominess and suggests that he lives his life in sorrow, dejection and heaviness of heart. Perhaps this is why James had written let the rich man glory. In other words, what riches cannot do, Christ can. But the man who eats in darkness, in this case at least, has had the privilege of riches. He is sorrowful the more because he has the memory of the temporary satisfaction they brought. He thinks back over his poor investment or the ones now who are enjoying what he had labored so hard to accumulate, and this adds to his darkness. His mind turns to view the son who should have inherited the fortune, but now has nothing in his hand. Such thoughts result in vexation, sickness and anger. These are mental maladies which could easily produce physical illness too. However, it is a troubled spirit that broods over what could have been. He placed his trust in material gain and when he lost it, he lost his joy and his life.
FACT QUESTIONS 5:1317
253.
In what way do hoarded riches harm the one who hoards them?
254.
What adds to the rich mans sorrows since he lost his riches?
255.
Who stands empty handed? Discuss.
256.
Solomon equates wind with what?
257.
Darkness is a metaphor which stands for what?
258.
Name the past experiences of the rich man, which when remembered by him, adds to his sorrow.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(13) Sore evil.Ecc. 6:2; Jer. 14:17; Nah. 3:19.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13. Riches kept for the owners, etc. Better, Wealth kept for its owner to his hurt. Not by its owner, and there is no plural here. The allusion is to riches hoarded by a parent for his heir, the present owner. Much may be said of the doubtful benefit of inherited wealth, but the sore evil here intended is the one mentioned in the immediately following verses.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ecc 5:13. There is a sore evil There is an aggravation of evil: see Ecc 5:16 and ch. Ecc 6:2. This verse contains the second general proposition. Earthly goods, and whatever we can acquire by our utmost trouble and labour in this world, are so far from making us lastingly happy, that they may be looked upon even as real obstacles to our ease, quiet, and tranquillity. The proofs of this proposition we here subjoin, in the same analytical manner as on ch. Ecc 1:2-3.
Chap. Verse. Ecc 5:13. II. Proposition.
Ecc 5:14-17. 1st Proof. Instability of riches. Ecc 6:1 to Ecc 2:2 nd Proof. Insufficiency of riches to make one happy.
Ecc 6:3-6. Corollary. The fate of an abortive is preferable, upon the whole, to that of one who lives without enjoying life.
Ecc 6:7 to Ecc 9:3 rd Proof. Men’s insatiableness.
Ecc 6:10-11. General conclusion from the first and second propositions.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Ecc 5:13 There is a sore evil [which] I have seen under the sun, [namely], riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.
Ver. 13. There is a sore evil. ] Or, An evil disease, a such as breaks the sleep, hinc pallor et genae pendulae, item furiales somni et inquies nocturna, b causing paleness, leanness, restlessness by night. This disease is the dropsy or bulimy of covetousness, as seldom cured as heresy, frenzy, jealousy, which three are held incurable maladies.
Riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.
“ Dum peritura parat, per male parts perit. ”
He that keepeth his riches – having no quick silver, no current money – when God calls him to part with them for pious and charitable uses, keepeth them to his own greatest hurt. For the rust of his canker eaten gold shall rise up in judgment against him at that great day. Jam 5:3
“ Sic plates nimia congesta pecunia cura
Strangulat ” – Juvenal,
See Trapp on “ Pro 1:19 “
a Mala infirmitas. – Pagn.
b Plin.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Ecc 5:13-17
13There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt. 14When those riches were lost through a bad investment and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to support him. 15As he had come naked from his mother’s womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand. 16This also is a grievous evilexactly as a man is born, thus will he die. So what is the advantage to him who toils for the wind? 17Throughout his life he also eats in darkness with great vexation, sickness and anger.
Ecc 5:13-16 Riches are transitory and temporal. Although one can accumulate much wealth, one can also lose it, and all will leave it behind because humans can take nothing physical into the next life (cf. Ecc 5:15-17). Riches promise much, but often cannot fulfill the expectation.
Ecc 5:13
NASB, NIVa grievous evil
NKJVa severe evil
NRSVa grievous ill
TEVa terrible thing
NJBgrossly unjust
This phrase involves two Hebrew terms:
1. an ADJECTIVE, BDB 317, the NOUN which denotes an illness, but as an ADJECTIVE meaning severe or sore (cf. Ecc 5:13; Ecc 5:16 and similar form in Ecc 6:2)
2. the NOUN, BDB 949, which denotes evil (the basic root), misery, or distress
This phrase occurs several times in Ecclesiastes (cf. Ecc 2:17; Ecc 5:12; Ecc 5:15; Ecc 6:1; Ecc 10:5).
The term evil (BDB 949) is used in Ecclesiastes in several senses. Note NASB and NIV translations.
NASBNIV
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. Ecc 1:13 Ecc 2:17 Ecc 4:3 Ecc 4:8 Ecc 5:1 Ecc 5:14 Ecc 6:2 Ecc 8:3 Ecc 8:5 Ecc 8:9 Ecc 8:11 Ecc 8:12 Ecc 9:2 Ecc 9:3 Ecc 9:12 Ecc 10:5 Ecc 10:13 Ecc 12:14 grievous task grievous evil activity grievous task doing evil bad investment sore affliction an evil matter trouble to his hurt an evil deed does evil the wicked evil (twice) treacherous net an evil wicked evil heavy burden grievous evil that is done miserable business do wrong some misfortune grievous task for a bad cause harm to his own hurt to do wrong crimes the bad evil (twice) cruel net an evil wicked evil
By this limited comparison you can quickly see the range of meanings for this common NOUN. Qoheleth uses it again and again. He saw this world as sick and unjust because of fallen humanity bent toward self and the terrible exploitation of each other.
Ecc 5:14
NASBa bad investment
NKJV, NIVmisfortune
NRSVa bad venture
TEVsome bad evil
NJB, JPSOAunlucky venture
This term (BDB 775) is used several times only in Ecclesiastes (cf. Ecc 1:13; Ecc 2:23; Ecc 2:26; Ecc 3:10; Ecc 4:8; Ecc 5:3; Ecc 5:14; Ecc 8:16). Its basic meaning is task. The NASB translates it as
1. task, Ecc 1:13; Ecc 2:23; Ecc 2:26; Ecc 3:10; Ecc 4:8; Ecc 8:16
2. effort, Ecc 5:3
3. investment, Ecc 5:14
The NIV translates it as
1. burden, Ecc 1:13; Ecc 3:10
2. work, Ecc 2:23
3. task, Ecc 2:26
4. business, Ecc 4:8
5. cares, Ecc 5:3
6. misfortune, Ecc 5:14
7. labor, Ecc 8:16
BDB offers two suggestions on its meaning in Ecc 5:13
1. a bad business
2. a bad affair
Ecc 5:17 eats in darkness This phrase refers to (1) a workaholic, (2) a stingy man, or (3) someone once wealthy, but now poor!
The term darkness (BDB 365) is used in several senses in Ecclesiastes and Wisdom Literature:
1. literal, Ecc 2:13; Job 26:10
2. ignorance, Ecc 2:14; Job 37:19
3. distress, Ecc 5:17; Ecc 11:8; Job 15:22-23; Job 15:30; Job 20:26; Job 22:11; Job 23:17; Job 29:3; Psa 107:10; Psa 107:14; Psa 112:4
4. obscurity, Ecc 6:4 [twice]
NASBgreat vexation
NKJVmuch sorrow
NRSV, JPSOAmuch vexation
TEVgrief
NJBmourning, many sorrows
NIVgreat frustration
The term (BDB 494) denotes an anger or frustration (cf. Psa 112:10). It is used twice in Ecclesiastes (Ecc 5:17; Ecc 7:9). It is often used of YHWH in Deu 4:25; Deu 9:18; Deu 31:29; Deu 32:16; Deu 32:21(twice); Psa 78:58; Psa 106:29; Jer 7:18-19; Jer 8:19; Jer 11:17; Jer 25:6-7; Jer 32:29-30; Jer 32:32; Jer 44:3; Jer 44:8.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
under the sun. See note on Ecc 1:3.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Ecc 5:13-17
Ecc 5:13-17
THE VANITY OF WEALTH ITSELF
“There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt: and those riches perish by evil adventure; and if he hath begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand. As he came forth from his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand. And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that he laboreth for the wind? All his days also he eateth in darkness, and is sore vexed, and hath sickness and wrath.”
“There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun” (Ecc 5:13). Poor old Solomon. Here he is grieving his heart out that he can’t take any of it with him! The sad fact of there never having been any kind of a U-Haul attachment for funeral coaches was viewed by the great wise man as “a grievous evil.” The apostle Paul may have remembered this passage when he wrote, “We brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry anything out; but having food and covering we shall be therewith content. But they that are minded to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition” (1Ti 6:7-9). We may also read in Paul’s words an application that he did not state, namely, that “This is exactly what happened to Solomon.”
Several of the great tragedies connected with wealth are mentioned here.
(1) “They perish by evil adventure” (Ecc 5:14). This might occur in a hundred different ways, a false partner, an unwise investment, a natural calamity of some kind, a revolution, a bankruptcy, or something else
(2) “If he hath begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand” (Ecc 5:14). The inability of the sons of rich men to carry on the successes of their fathers is effectively demonstrated continually in the daily newspapers.
“Nothing … which he may carry away in his hand” (Ecc 5:15). Oh yes we take something with us when we die; but it is invisible, `nothing in our cold dead hand.’ “We take with us our character and our conscience.” We take with us those treasures which we have laid up “in heaven” (Mat 6:20-21). We shall also take with us (in the sense that we shall not lose them) those “friends” whom we have made by the proper use of our wealth, wicked as it is, and who, according to our Lord’s promise, “Shall receive us into the eternal habitations.” (Luk 16:9, Revised Standard Version).
One of the deacons in Sherman, Texas, a brother Travis, many years ago wrote a poem that had this line: “All you can hold in your cold dead hand is what you have given away.” The wisest man who ever lived did not know this; and it emphasizes the truth that Christians are exceedingly privileged and blessed. Wiser that Solomon? Certainly; because just as Jesus explained that `the least in God’s kingdom’ is greater that the greatest man who ever lived, namely, John the Baptist (Mat 11:11-12); in that same way, `the least in the kingdom of God,’ is wiser than the wisest man who ever lived, namely, Solomon.
“What profit hath he that laboreth for the wind” (Ecc 5:16)? See comment on Ecc 5:15, above, which tells how the rich man indeed may profit magnificently, if he will do it Jesus’ way.
In this section there are two additional descriptions of the futility of riches which lead the Preacher to the same conclusion. He states that both are a grievous evil. The reader should keep in mind that it is not riches that are evil but the improper attitude toward riches. In this instance, the man hoarded them to his own hurt. This simply means that rather than using them for good, he accumulated riches for the sake of riches.
Ecc 5:13 He once more qualifies the activity by the phrase under the sun. This time, however, he discovers that not only do the riches fail to satisfy and keep one from sweet sleep, they actually harm the owner. The owner once believed the added wealth was good and would be the answer to everything. He is to discover that they not only fail to produce peace of mind; they become the very source of sorrow and pain.
Ecc 5:14 It was suggested in Ecc 5:10 that money is generally invested for greater gain. But now some bad business investment has resulted in not only a failure to gain a profit, but the loss of the fortune as well. This of itself would be of grave consequence to one who had such a love for money. It is of a more serious nature, however, because the man who has lost the fortune has gained a son. He would naturally wish to instill in his sons mind the same desire and love for what is so important to him. He would demonstrate first-hand to the young man how to care for and increase the fortune and together they would share in promoting for even more gain. But it is not to be. Money is transitory just like other things that are attached to this world. The father has lost all he possessed and stands empty handed. He is unable to give his son a penny. The text offers that he had nothing in his hand. Is it the father or the son? It could be taken either way, and would be true in either instance.
Ecc 5:15 This verse speaks if death and contrasts it with birth. He is born with nothing and shall leave this life with nothing. The elusive riches one toils for in this life are actually called wind by Solomon. From the beginning of his message, he has underscored the truth that one may labor through knowledge, wisdom, and skill only to leave what he has to another. The tragedy of this situation is that the one to whom he wanted to give his fortune did not receive it; neither does the man who accumulated it take it with him. It is a universal truth to which Paul speaks when he says, For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either (1Ti 6:7).
Death terminates all wealth. This lesson is difficult for many to learn. Yet, it is close to the heart of Christianity. James admonishes when speaking of our new relationship in Christ: But let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position; and let the rich man glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away (Jas 1:10-11). The Preacher stands as it were, on the edge of the grave of the rich man looking at the freshly shaped mound of earth and asks, So, what is the advantage of him who toils for the wind?
Ecc 5:17 Darkness is a metaphor for gloominess and suggests that he lives his life in sorrow, dejection and heaviness of heart. Perhaps this is why James had written let the rich man glory. In other words, what riches cannot do, Christ can. But the man who eats in darkness, in this case at least, has had the privilege of riches. He is sorrowful the more because he has the memory of the temporary satisfaction they brought. He thinks back over his poor investment or the ones now who are enjoying what he had labored so hard to accumulate, and this adds to his darkness. His mind turns to view the son who should have inherited the fortune, but now has nothing in his hand. Such thoughts result in vexation, sickness and anger. These are mental maladies which could easily produce physical illness too. However, it is a troubled spirit that broods over what could have been. He placed his trust in material gain and when he lost it, he lost his joy and his life.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
a sore: Ecc 4:8, Ecc 6:1, Ecc 6:2
riches: Ecc 8:9, Gen 13:5-11, Gen 14:16, Gen 19:14, Gen 19:26, Gen 19:31-38, Pro 1:11-13, Pro 1:19, Pro 1:32, Pro 11:4, Pro 11:24, Pro 11:25, Isa 2:20, Isa 32:6-8, Zep 1:18, Luk 12:16-21, Luk 16:1-13, Luk 16:19, Luk 16:22, Luk 16:23, Luk 18:22, Luk 18:23, Luk 19:8, 1Ti 6:9, 1Ti 6:10, Jam 2:5-7, Jam 5:1-4
Reciprocal: Jos 7:24 – took Achan Est 8:2 – Esther set Job 20:20 – Surely Psa 49:10 – leave Pro 4:23 – with all diligence Pro 23:5 – riches Ecc 2:18 – I should Ecc 5:16 – a sore Ecc 10:5 – an evil Jer 17:11 – shall leave Jer 48:36 – the riches Mat 13:22 – the deceitfulness 1Ti 6:17 – uncertain riches
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Ecc 5:13-14. There is a sore evil, &c. There is another thing, which is very calamitous, and may rather be called a grievous plague than a mere affliction; that these very treasures, which men have heaped up with a great deal of care, from thence expecting their felicity, prove, in the issue, their utter undoing; being incentives to pride, luxury, and other hurtful lusts, which waste their bodies, shorten their lives, and destroy their souls; and being also great temptations to tyrants or thieves to take away their lives, in order to possess their property. Nay, it often happens, that some of these miserable men are murdered by their servants, and even by their own children, with a view to become masters of their riches; which riches bring them also at last to the same or like destruction. Bishop Patrick. But Or for, or moreover, as the Hebrew particle may be rendered; those riches perish If they be kept, it is to the owners hurt, and if not, they are lost to his grief; by evil travail By some wicked practices, either his own, or of other men. And he begetteth a son, and there is nothing, &c. Either, 1st, In the fathers power to leave to his son, for whose sake he engaged in, and went through, all those hard labours; which is a great aggravation of his grief and misery. Or, 2d, In the sons possession after the fathers death.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
5:13 There is a grievous evil [which] I have seen under the sun, [namely], riches {k} kept for the owners of them to their hurt.
(k) When covetous men heap up riches, which turn to their destruction.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The effect of misfortune 5:13-17
The Hebrew expression translated "bad investment" (Ecc 5:14) refers to any misfortune that results in the loss of wealth. Striving to hoard the fruits of labor is futile, because any misfortune can overtake one and reduce him or her to poverty-if God allows it. Death itself is such a misfortune that overtakes everyone eventually and robs him of his wealth. No one can take the fruits of his labor with him when he dies. Therefore Solomon concluded that we really gain nothing of truly long-term value from our labor. Ecc 5:17 pictures the miserly workaholic. One example is Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
The way to enjoy the fruits of one’s labor 5:18-6:9
Again Solomon urged the enjoyment of life (Ecc 5:18; cf. Ecc 2:24-26; Ecc 3:12-13; Ecc 3:22), but he warned of some obstacles to that enjoyment. Solomon was not advocating hedonism but the simple enjoyment of life day by day (Ecc 5:18). In other words, he recommended that we take some time to enjoy the beautiful experiences of life as we travel down its path. Seize the day (Lat. carpe diem)! Smell the roses!
However, not everyone can enjoy life for one reason or another, even though one may be wealthy (Ecc 6:1-2). This problem "weighs heavily on men" (NIV, Ecc 5:1; better than NASB "is prevalent among men"). Only in heaven will we find the solution to why this has been the earthly portion of various individuals. A miscarried baby (Ecc 5:3) is better off, in that it has not experienced as much sorrow as the rich man who could not enjoy his wealth. The "one place" (Ecc 5:6) is the grave.
"Better to miscarry at birth than to miscarry throughout life." [Note: Eaton, p. 106.]
Solomon’s final word of counsel was to be content with what you have (Ecc 5:8-9; cf. Heb 13:5). This is the last of nine times the phrase "striving after wind" occurs (cf. Ecc 1:14; Ecc 1:17; Ecc 2:11; Ecc 2:17; Ecc 2:26; Ecc 4:4; Ecc 4:6; Ecc 4:16). It opened and now closes the section of the book dealing with the ultimate futility of human achievement (Ecc 1:12 to Ecc 6:9).