New King James Version
Ecclesiastes 5:14
14But those riches perish through misfortune; When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand.
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 Living Translation (NLT)Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children.
Context of Ecclesiastes 5:14
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. 13There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches kept for their owner to his hurt. But 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. 16And this also is a severe evil— Just exactly as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he who has labored 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 God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
- Job 5:5Because the hungry eat up his harvest, Taking it even from the thorns, And a snare snatches their substance.
- Job 20:15He swallows down riches And vomits them up again; God casts them out of his belly.
- Job 27:16Though he heaps up silver like dust, And piles up clothing like clay—
- Psalms 39:6Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them.
- Proverbs 23:5Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.
- Haggai 1:9“You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house.
- Haggai 2:16since those days, when one came to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were but twenty.
- Matthew 6:19“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
- 1 Samuel 2:6“The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up.
- 1 Kings 14:26And he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house; he took away everything. He also took away all the gold shields which 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries