Ecclesiastes5

The chapter admonishes reverence in worship, urging caution with words and promptness in fulfilling vows before God. It then explores the vanity of accumulating wealth, noting that riches often bring dissatisfaction and can be lost, leaving one with nothing. Ultimately, it concludes that true good lies in enjoying one's labor and portion as a gift from God, rather than pursuing insatiable material gain.

Reverence and Wisdom in Worship

1
Watch your step when you go to the house of God. Offering to listen is better than fools offering sacrifices, because they don't discern whether or not they are doing evil. ​
2
Don't speak impulsively - don't be in a hurry to give voice to your words before God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth; so let your words be few. ​
3
For nightmares come from worrying too much; and a fool, when he speaks, chatters too much.
4
If you make a vow to God, don't delay in discharging it. For God takes no pleasure in fools, so discharge your vow! ​
5
Better not to make a vow than to make a vow and not discharge it.
6
Don't let your words make you guilty, and don't tell the temple official that you made the vow by mistake. Why give God reason to be angry at what you say and destroy what you have accomplished? ​
7
For [this is what happens when there are too] many dreams, aimless activities and words. Instead, just fear God! ​

Observing Injustice and Authority

8
If you see the poor oppressed, rights violated and justice perverted in the province, don't be surprised; for a high official has one higher watching him, and there are others above them. ​
9
But the greatest advantage to the country is when the king makes himself a servant to the land.

The Vanity and Peril of Riches

10
The lover of money never has enough money; the lover of luxury never has enough income. This too is pointless. ​
11
When the quantity of goods increases, so does the number of parasites consuming them; so the only advantage to the owner is that he gets to watch them do it. ​
12
The sleep of a working man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the overfullness of the rich won't let them sleep at all. ​
13
Here is a gross evil which I have seen under the sun: the owner of wealth hoards it to his own hurt. ​
14
Due to some misfortune, the wealth turns to loss; and then if he has fathered a son, he has nothing to leave him.
15
Just as he came from his mother's womb, so he will go back naked as he came, and for his efforts he will take nothing that he can carry away in his hand. ​
16
This too is a gross evil, that in every respect as he came, so will he go; thus what profit does he have after toiling to earn the wind?
17
All his life he eats in darkness, in frustration, in sickness and in anger. ​

Enjoyment as God's Gift

18
This is what I have seen to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, drink and enjoy the good that results from all his work that he engages in under the sun for all the days of his life that God has given him, for this is his allotted portion. ​
19
Also, everyone to whom God has given riches and wealth, along with the power to enjoy it, so that he takes his allotted portion and finds pleasure in his work - this is a gift of God; ​
20
for he will not brood over the fact that his life is short, since God keeps him occupied with what will bring him joy. ​

Study Notes for Ecclesiastes 5

Verse 1

Qoheleth emphasizes that obedience and attentive listening are superior to thoughtless ritual sacrifice. A 'sacrifice of fools' refers to superficial worship offered without reverence or moral consideration.

Verse 2

This verse underscores the vast ontological gap between the transcendent God ('in heaven') and mortal humanity ('upon earth'), demanding reverence, thoughtfulness, and brevity in prayer and speech.

Verse 4

Vows were voluntary but, once made, were legally binding under Mosaic Law (Deut 23:21-23). Qoheleth warns against making promises to God one does not intend to keep.

Verse 6

The 'angel' may refer to the temple priest (God’s messenger) or a celestial witness to the vow. Reneging on a vow invites divine judgment, potentially destroying one’s livelihood ('the work of thine hands').

Verse 7

This summarizes the previous section, contrasting the futility ('vanities') of excessive talk and misguided thoughts with the lasting wisdom found in fearing God.

Verse 8

The reader is advised not to be overly shocked by institutional corruption and oppression. The phrase 'he that is higher than the highest' ensures that God oversees all human authority, implying ultimate divine supervision of justice.

Verse 10

This transitions to economic observations. Wealth itself does not satisfy the desire for it; the craving for accumulation is insatiable, rendering the pursuit of endless riches meaningless ('vanity').

Verse 11

As wealth increases, so do the costs and the number of dependents (servants, retainers, tax collectors). The owner’s benefit is often reduced to the mere physical sight of their possessions.

Verse 12

This contrasts the physical reality of the laborer, whose exhaustion guarantees sweet sleep, with the psychological burdens of the wealthy, whose anxiety over their 'abundance' prevents rest.

Verse 13

The 'sore evil' is the paradox where wealth, intended for security and happiness, actually harms the owner, often through obsession, fear of loss, or attracting external threats.

Verse 15

A restatement of the theme of mortality (cf. Job 1:21). Since death strips away all possessions, labor focused solely on accumulation is ultimately futile, as nothing can be carried into the afterlife.

Verse 17

To 'eateth in darkness' depicts a life characterized by anxiety, miserliness, and lack of celebration, often accompanied by bitterness ('sorrow and wrath') due to the fear of loss.

Verse 18

This is a key affirmation in Ecclesiastes (cf. 2:24; 9:7). True goodness lies in accepting and enjoying the simple, everyday fruits of one's labor as a direct 'portion' granted by God.

Verse 19

The ability to enjoy riches—to truly 'eat thereof'—is emphasized as a distinct and separate 'gift of God,' without which wealth becomes a source of misery (as described in vv. 13-17).

Verse 20

The contented person does not dwell on the fleeting nature of life due to the joy and satisfaction that God provides. Joy acts as a buffer against the pervasive pessimism of 'under the sun' existence.

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