New International Version
Ecclesiastes 5:13
13I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners,
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.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun. Hoarding riches harms the saver.
Context of Ecclesiastes 5:13
11As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them? 12The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much, but as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep. I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners, 14or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when they have children there is nothing left for them to inherit. 15Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands.
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 was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless— a miserable business!
- Ecclesiastes 6:1I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on mankind:
- Ecclesiastes 8:9All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own hurt.
- Genesis 13:5Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents.
- Genesis 14:16He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.
- Genesis 19:14So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
- Proverbs 1:11If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for innocent blood, let’s ambush some harmless soul;
- Proverbs 11:4Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
- Isaiah 2:20In that day people will throw away to the moles and bats their idols of silver and idols of gold, which they made to worship.
- Isaiah 32:6For fools speak folly, their hearts are bent on evil: They practice ungodliness and spread error concerning the Lord; the hungry they leave empty and from the thirsty they withhold water.
- Zephaniah 1:18Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath.” In the fire of his jealousy the whole earth will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live on the earth.
- Luke 12:16And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.
- Luke 16:1Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.
- Luke 18:22When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
- Luke 19:8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
- 1 Timothy 6:9Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
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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