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.
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Reverence and Wisdom in Worship

1
Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. ​
2
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. ​
3
For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words.
4
When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. ​
5
Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
6
Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? ​
7
For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God. ​

Observing Injustice and Authority

8
If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they. ​
9
Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.

The Vanity and Peril of Riches

10
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. ​
11
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes? ​
12
The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. ​
13
There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. ​
14
But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.
15
As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand. ​
16
And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?
17
All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness. ​

Enjoyment as God's Gift

18
Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion. ​
19
Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God. ​
20
For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in 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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