God’s Word Translation
Ecclesiastes 5:13
13There is a painful tragedy that I have seen under the sun: Riches lead to the downfall of those who hoard them.
Ecclesiastes 5:13 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.
- New International Version (NIV)I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners,
- English Standard Version (ESV)There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt,
- New King James Version (NKJV)There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches kept for their owner to his hurt.
Context of Ecclesiastes 5:13
11As the number of goods increase, so do the number of people who consume them. What do owners gain ⌞from all their goods⌟ except ⌞the opportunity⌟ to look at them? 12The sleep of working people is sweet, whether they eat a little or a lot. But the full stomachs that rich people have will not allow them to sleep. There is a painful tragedy that I have seen under the sun: Riches lead to the downfall of those who hoard them. 14These hoarded riches were then lost in bad business deals. The owners had children, but now they have nothing to give them. 15They came from their mother’s womb naked. They will leave as naked as they came. They won’t even be able to take a handful of their earnings with them from all their hard work.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 5Ecclesiastes 5:13 word by word
יֵ֚שׁ רָעָ֣ה חוֹלָ֔ה רָאִ֖יתִי תַּ֣חַת הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ עֹ֛שֶׁר שָׁמ֥וּר לִבְעָלָ֖יו לְרָעָתֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 5:13
- Ecclesiastes 4:8There are people who are all alone. They have no children or other family members. So there is no end to all the hard work they have to do. Their eyes are never satisfied with riches. But ⌞they never ask themselves⌟ why they are working so hard and depriving themselves of good things. Even this is pointless and a terrible tragedy.
- Ecclesiastes 6:1There is a tragedy that I have seen under the sun. It is a terrible one for mortals.
- Ecclesiastes 8:9I have seen all of this, and I have carefully considered all that is done under the sun whenever one person has authority to hurt others.
- Genesis 13:5Lot, who had been traveling with Abram, also had his own sheep, cattle, and tents.
- Genesis 14:16He brought back everything they had, including women and soldiers. He also brought back his relative Lot and his possessions.
- Genesis 19:14So Lot went out and spoke to the men engaged to his daughters. He said, “Hurry! Get out of this place, because the Lord is going to destroy the city.” But they thought he was joking.
- Proverbs 1:11If they say, “Come with us. Let’s set an ambush to kill someone. Let’s hide to ambush innocent people for fun.
- Proverbs 11:4Riches are of no help on the day of fury, but righteousness saves from death.
- Isaiah 2:20On that day people will throw to the moles and the bats the silver and gold idols that they made for themselves to worship.
- Isaiah 32:6Godless fools speak foolishness, and their minds plan evil in order to do ungodly things. They speak falsely about the Lord. They let people go hungry and withhold water from thirsty people.
- Zephaniah 1:18Their silver and their gold will not be able to rescue them on the day of the Lord’s overflowing fury. The whole earth will be consumed by his fiery anger, because he will put an end, a frightening end, to those who live on earth.
- Luke 12:16Then he used this illustration. He said, “A rich man had land that produced good crops.
- Luke 16:1Then Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a business manager. The manager was accused of wasting the rich man’s property.
- Luke 18:22When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still need one thing. Sell everything you have. Distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then follow me!”
- Luke 19:8⌞Later, at dinner,⌟ Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Lord, I’ll give half of my property to the poor. I’ll pay four times as much as I owe to those I have cheated in any way.”
- 1 Timothy 6:9But people who want to get rich keep falling into temptation. They are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires which drown them in destruction and ruin.
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 5:13
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13Riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt - This may be the case through various causes: He may make an improper use of them, and lose his health by them. He may join in an unfortunate partnership and lose all. 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…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 5:13
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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