Ecclesiastes 5:13

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 Living Translation (NLT)There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun. Hoarding riches harms the saver.

Context of Ecclesiastes 5:13

11When goods increase, They increase who eat them; So what profit have the owners Except to see them with their eyes? 12The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, Whether he eats little or much; But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep. There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches kept for their owner to his hurt. 14But those riches perish through misfortune; When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand. 15As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return, To go as he came; And he shall take nothing from his labor Which he may carry away in his hand.

Ecclesiastes 5:13 word by word

יֵ֚שׁ רָעָ֣ה חוֹלָ֔ה רָאִ֖יתִי תַּ֣חַת הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ עֹ֛שֶׁר שָׁמ֥וּר לִבְעָלָ֖יו לְרָעָתֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• There isיֵשׁyêsh · thereH3426
• a soreחָלָהchâlâh · be weak: grievedH2470
• evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: harmfulH7451
• I have seenרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• under the sunשֶׁ֫מֶשׁshemesh · sunH8121
• richesעֹ֫שֶׁר‛ôsher · richesH6239
• keptשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: guardH8104
• for the ownersבַּעַלba‛al · masterH1167

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 5:13

• Ecclesiastes 4:8There is one alone, without companion: He has neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his labors, Nor is his eye satisfied with riches. But he never asks, “For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?” This also is vanity and a grave misfortune.
• Ecclesiastes 6:1There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:
• Ecclesiastes 8:9All this I have seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: There is a time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt.
• Genesis 13:5Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.
• Genesis 14:16So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.
• Genesis 19:14So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.
• Proverbs 1:11If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
• Proverbs 11:4Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death.
• Isaiah 2:20In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver And his idols of gold, Which they made, each for himself to worship, To the moles and bats,
• Isaiah 32:6For the foolish person will speak foolishness, And his heart will work iniquity: To practice ungodliness, To utter error against the Lord, To keep the hungry unsatisfied, And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
• Zephaniah 1:18Neither their silver nor their gold Shall be able to deliver them In the day of the Lord’s wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured By the fire of His jealousy, For He will make speedy riddance Of all those who dwell in the land.
• Luke 12:16Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.
• Luke 16:1He also said to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.
• Luke 18:22So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
• Luke 19:8Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”
• 1 Timothy 6:9But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.

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

• Rich, the
• Riches

In the dictionaries

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

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