New Living Translation
Ecclesiastes 5:17
17Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud—frustrated, discouraged, and angry.
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
15We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us. 16And this, too, is a very serious problem. People leave this world no better off than when they came. All their hard work is for nothing—like working for the wind. Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud—frustrated, discouraged, and angry. 18Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. 19And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 5Ecclesiastes 5:17 word by word
גַּ֥ם כָּל־יָמָ֖יו בַּחֹ֣שֶׁךְ יֹאכֵ֑ל וְכָעַ֥ס הַרְבֵּ֖ה וְחָלְי֥וֹ וָקָֽצֶף׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 5:17
- Genesis 3:17And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
- 1 Kings 17:12But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.”
- Job 21:25Another person dies in bitter poverty, never having tasted the good life.
- Psalms 78:33So he ended their lives in failure, their years in terror.
- Psalms 102:9I eat ashes for food. My tears run down into my drink
- Psalms 127:2It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.
- Ezekiel 4:16Then he told me, “Son of man, I will make food very scarce in Jerusalem. It will be weighed out with great care and eaten fearfully. The water will be rationed out drop by drop, and the people will drink it with dismay.
- 2 Kings 1:2One day Israel’s new king, Ahaziah, fell through the latticework of an upper room at his palace in Samaria and was seriously injured. So he sent messengers to the temple of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether he would recover.
- 2 Kings 5:27Because you have done this, you and your descendants will suffer from Naaman’s leprosy forever.” When Gehazi left the room, he was covered with leprosy; his skin was white as snow.
- 2 Chronicles 16:10Asa became so angry with Hanani for saying this that he threw him into prison and put him in stocks. At that time Asa also began to oppress some of his people.
- 2 Chronicles 24:24Although the Arameans attacked with only a small army, the Lord helped them conquer the much larger army of Judah. The people of Judah had abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, so judgment was carried out against Joash.
- Psalms 90:7We wither beneath your anger; we are overwhelmed by your fury.
- Proverbs 1:27when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone, and anguish and distress overwhelm you.
- Acts 12:23Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died.
- 1 Corinthians 11:30That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
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
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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