Ecclesiastes 5:17

Ecclesiastes 5:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.
• New International Version (NIV)All their days they eat in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger.
• New King James Version (NKJV)All his days he also eats in darkness, And he has much sorrow and sickness and anger.

Context of Ecclesiastes 5:17

15As he came forth from his mother's womb, naked shall he go away again as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand. 16And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came so doth he go away, and what profit hath he, in having laboured for the wind? All his days also he eateth in darkness, and hath much vexation, and sickness, and irritation. 18Behold what I have seen good and comely: [it is] to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labour wherewith [man] laboureth under the sun, all the days of his life which God hath given him: for that is his portion. 19Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and power to eat thereof, and to take his portion and to rejoice in his labour: that is a gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 5:17 word by word

גַּ֥ם כָּל־יָמָ֖יו בַּחֹ֣שֶׁךְ יֹאכֵ֑ל וְכָעַ֥ס הַרְבֵּ֖ה וְחָלְי֥וֹ וָקָֽצֶף׃Read the interlinear

• daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 5:17

• Genesis 3:17And to Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed be the ground on thy account; with toil shalt thou eat [of] it all the days of thy life;
• 1 Kings 17:12And she said, As Jehovah thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse; and behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
• Job 21:25And another dieth in bitterness of soul, and hath not tasted good:
• Psalms 78:33And he consumed their days in vanity, and their years in terror.
• Psalms 102:9For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,
• Psalms 127:2It is vain for you to rise up early, to lie down late, to eat the bread of sorrows: so to his beloved one he giveth sleep.
• Ezekiel 4:16And he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I break the staff of bread in Jerusalem; and they shall eat bread by weight, and with anxiety; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment:
• 2 Kings 1:2And Ahaziah fell down through the lattice in his upper chamber which was in Samaria, and was sick; and he sent messengers and said to them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this disease.
• 2 Kings 5:27But the leprosy of Naaman shall fasten upon thee, and upon thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence leprous, as snow.
• 2 Chronicles 16:10And Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in the prison; for he was enraged with him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.
• 2 Chronicles 24:24Truly with a small company of men came the army of the Syrians, but Jehovah delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken Jehovah the God of their fathers; and they executed judgment upon Joash.
• Psalms 90:7For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy fury are we troubled.
• Proverbs 1:27when your fear cometh as sudden destruction, and your calamity cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come upon you:
• Acts 12:23And immediately an angel of [the] Lord smote him, because he did not give the glory to God, and he expired, eaten of worms.
• 1 Corinthians 11:30On this account many among you [are] weak and infirm, and a good many are fallen asleep.

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 5:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17All his days also he eateth in darkness - Even his enjoyments are embittered by uncertainty. He fears for his goods; the possibility of being deprived of them fills his heart with anguish. But instead of יאכל yochel, "he shall eat," ילך yelech, "he shall walk," is the reading of several MSS. He walks in darkness - he has no evidence of salvation. There is no ray of light from God to penetrate the gloom; and all beyond life is darkness impenetrable! And…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17Hath much sorrow … - Rather, is very sad and hath pain and vexation.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. 16-17Working just to gain possessions is like chasing the wind; it causes frustration, discouragement, and anger.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. eateth--appropriately put for "liveth" in general, as connected with Ec 5:11, 12, 18. darkness--opposed to "light (joy) of countenance" (Ec 8:1; Pr 16:15). wrath--fretfulness, literally, "His sorrow is much, and his infirmity (of body) and wrath."Read the comment

Topics related to Ecclesiastes 5:17

• Riches

In the dictionaries

• Abundance
• Angry
• Defer
• Eat
• Error
• Vow
• Synagogue, the Great

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