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
Guard your steps when you go to God’s house; for to draw near to listen is better than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they don’t know that they do evil. ​
2
Don’t be rash with your mouth, and don’t let your heart be hasty to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and you on earth. Therefore let your words be few. ​
3
For as a dream comes with a multitude of cares, so a fool’s speech with a multitude of words.
4
When you vow a vow to God, don’t defer to pay it; for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay that which you vow. ​
5
It is better that you should not vow, than that you should vow and not pay.
6
Don’t allow your mouth to lead you into sin. Don’t protest before the messenger that this was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice, and destroy the work of your hands? ​
7
For in the multitude of dreams there are vanities, as well as in many words: but you must fear God. ​

Observing Injustice and Authority

8
If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent taking away of justice and righteousness in a district, don’t marvel at the matter: for one official is eyed by a higher one; and there are officials over them. ​
9
Moreover the profit of the earth is for all. The king profits from the field.

The Vanity and Peril of Riches

10
He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase: this also is vanity. ​
11
When goods increase, those who eat them are increased; and what advantage is there to its owner, except to feast on them with his eyes? ​
12
The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not allow him to sleep. ​
13
There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm. ​
14
Those riches perish by misfortune, and if he has fathered a son, there is nothing in his hand.
15
As he came out of his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand. ​
16
This also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go. And what profit does he have who labors for the wind?
17
All his days he also eats in darkness, he is frustrated, and has sickness and wrath. ​

Enjoyment as God's Gift

18
Behold, that which I have seen to be good and proper is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labor, in which he labors under the sun, all the days of his life which God has given him; for this is his portion. ​
19
Every man also to whom God has given riches and wealth, and has given him power to eat of it, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. ​
20
For he shall not often reflect on the days of his life; because God occupies him with the joy of his heart. ​

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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