Christian Standard Bible
Ecclesiastes 5:14
14That wealth was lost in a bad venture, so when he fathered a son, he was empty-handed.
Ecclesiastes 5:14 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.
- New International Version (NIV)or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when they have children there is nothing left for them to inherit.
- English Standard Version (ESV)and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But those riches perish through misfortune; When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand.
Context of Ecclesiastes 5:14
12The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich permits him no sleep. 13There is a sickening tragedy I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm. That wealth was lost in a bad venture, so when he fathered a son, he was empty-handed. 15As he came from his mother’s womb, so he will go again, naked as he came; he will take nothing for his efforts that he can carry in his hands. 16This too is a sickening tragedy: exactly as he comes, so he will go. What does the one gain who struggles for the wind?
Read all of Ecclesiastes 5Ecclesiastes 5:14 word by word
וְאָבַ֛ד הָעֹ֥שֶׁר הַה֖וּא בְּעִנְיַ֣ן רָ֑ע וְהוֹלִ֣יד בֵּ֔ן וְאֵ֥ין בְּיָד֖וֹ מְאֽוּמָה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 5:14
- Ecclesiastes 2:26For to the person who is pleasing in his sight, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
- Job 5:5The hungry consume his harvest, even taking it out of the thorns. The thirsty pant for his children’s wealth.
- Job 20:15He swallows wealth but must vomit it up; God will force it from his stomach.
- Job 27:16Though he piles up silver like dust and heaps up fine clothing like clay —
- Psalms 39:6Yes, a person goes about like a mere shadow. Indeed, they rush around in vain, gathering possessions without knowing who will get them.
- Proverbs 23:5As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.
- Haggai 1:9“You expected much, but then it amounted to little. When you brought the harvest to your house, I ruined it. Why?” This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. “Because my house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house.
- Haggai 2:16what state were you in? When someone came to a grain heap of twenty measures, it only amounted to ten; when one came to the winepress to dip fifty measures from the vat, it only amounted to twenty.
- Matthew 6:19“Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.
- 1 Samuel 2:6The Lord brings death and gives life; he sends some down to Sheol, and he raises others up.
- 1 Kings 14:26He seized the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the treasuries of the royal palace. He took everything. He took all the gold shields that Solomon had made.
- Psalms 109:9Let his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 5:14
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14And he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand - He has been stripped of his property by unfortunate trade or by plunderers; and he has nothing to leave to his children.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14Evil travail - Adverse accident, or unsuccessful employment (compare Ecclesiastes 1:13; Ecclesiastes 4:8).Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-17Verses 9-17 The goodness of Providence is more equally distributed than appears to a careless observer. The king needs the common things of life, and the poor share them; they relish their morsel better than he does his luxuries. There are bodily desires which silver itself will not satisfy, much less will worldly abundance satisfy spiritual desires. The more men have, the better house they must keep, the more servants they must employ, the more guests…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13-14wealth hoarded...wealth lost: Possessions are temporary and can disappear for many reasons.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1413-14. Proofs of God's judgments even in this world (Pr 11:31). The rich oppressor's wealth provokes enemies, robbers, &c. Then, after having kept it for an expected son, he loses it beforehand by misfortune ("by evil travail"), and the son is born to be heir of poverty. Ec 2:19, 23 gives another aspect of the same subject.Read the comment
Topics related to Ecclesiastes 5:14
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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