Ecclesiastes5
World English Bible · Public Domain
1Guard 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.
2Don’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.
3For as a dream comes with a multitude of cares, so a fool’s speech with a multitude of words.
4When you vow a vow to God, don’t defer to pay it; for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay that which you vow.
5It is better that you should not vow, than that you should vow and not pay.
6Don’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?
7For in the multitude of dreams there are vanities, as well as in many words; but you must fear God.
8If 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.
9Moreover the profit of the earth is for all. The king profits from the field.
10He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity.
11When goods increase, those who eat them are increased; and what advantage is there to its owner, except to feast on them with his eyes?
12The 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.
13There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm.
14Those riches perish by misfortune, and if he has fathered a son, there is nothing in his hand.
15As 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.
16This 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?
17All his days he also eats in darkness, he is frustrated, and has sickness and wrath.
18Behold, 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.
19Every 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.
20For he shall not often reflect on the days of his life, because God occupies him with the joy of his heart.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Ecclesiastes 5.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: What renders devotion vain. (1-3). Of vows, and oppression. (4-8). the vanity of riches shown. (9-7). The right use of riches. (18-20).
vv1-3
Address thyself to the worship of God, and take time to compose thyself for it. Keep thy thoughts from roving and wandering: keep thy affections from running out toward wrong objects. We should avoid vain repetitions; copious prayers are not here condemned, but those that are unmeaning. How often our wandering thoughts render attendance on Divine ordinances little better than the sacrifice of fools! Many words and hasty ones, used in prayer, show folly in the heart, low thoughts of God, and careless thoughts of our own souls.
vv4-8
When a person made engagements rashly, he suffered his mouth to cause his flesh to sin. The case supposes a man coming to the priest, and pretending that his vow was made rashly, and that it would be wrong to fulfil it. Such mockery of God would bring the Divine displeasure, which might blast what was thus unduly kept. We are to keep down the fear of man. Set God before thee; then, if thou seest the oppression of the poor, thou wilt not find fault with Divine Providence; nor think the worse of the institution of magistracy, when thou seest the ends of it thus perverted; nor of religion, when thou seest it will not secure men from suffering wrong. But though oppressors may be secure, God will reckon for all.
vv9-17
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 they must entertain, and the more they will have hanging on them. The sleep of the labourer is sweet, not only because he is tired, but because he has little care to break his sleep. The sleep of the diligent Christian, and his long sleep, are sweet; having spent himself and his time in the service of God, he can cheerfully repose in God as his Rest. But those who have every thing else, often fail to secure a good night's sleep; their abundance breaks their rest. Riches do hurt, and draw away the heart from God and duty. Men do hurt with their riches, not only gratifying their own lusts, but oppressing others, and dealing hardly with them. They will see that they have laboured for the wind, when, at death, they find the profit of their labour is all gone like the wind, they know not whither. How ill the covetous worldling bears the calamities of human life! He does not sorrow to repentance, but is angry at the providence of God, angry at all about him; which doubles his affliction.
Key Words
שָׁמַר: properly, to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. guard; generally, to protect, attend to, etc.
רֶגֶל: a foot (as used in walking); by implication, a step; by euphemistically the pudenda
יָלַךְ: to walk (literally or figuratively); causatively, to carry (in various senses)
בַּיִת: a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.)
אֱלֹהִים: gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative
קָרַב: to approach (causatively, bring near) for whatever purpose
שָׁמַע: to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
מִן: properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses
נָתַן: to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
זֶבַח: properly, a slaughter, i.e. the flesh of an animal; by implication, a sacrifice (the victim or the act)
Cross References
Ecclesiastes 5The foundational Mosaic law regarding the obligation to pay vows made to God without delay.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The source command to remove shoes, illuminating the metaphor of keeping one's foot in worship.
Supported by JFB
Obedience (hearing) is superior to sacrifice, which is the cornerstone of avoiding the sacrifice of fools.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Warns against the snare of rashly devouring holy things and making inquiry only after vows.
Supported by JFB
Christ's warning against using vain repetitions and thinking one is heard for much speaking.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Exhorts believers to vow and pay their vows to the Lord their God.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Identifies the priest as the messenger (angel) of the Lord before whom vows were confessed.
Supported by JFB
The Levitical prescription for handling a rash oath when it is realized as an error.
Supported by JFB
The NT parallel that the love of money (silver) is a root of all kinds of evil.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Reflects the naked-in, naked-out reality of human existence and material accumulation.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Joshua commanded to loose his shoe, reinforcing the temple practice of guarding one's step.
Supported by JFB
Parallels how a fool's voice is multiplied with meaningless words.
Supported by JFB
Prophetic warning against those swallowing up the needy, matching God's final oversight of oppressors.
Supported by JFB
The dust-to-dust reality under the curse of labor, matching the vanity of empty labor.
Supported by Matthew Henry