Ecclesiastes 5:11
in Ecclesiastes 5When good things increase, so do those who consume them; what then is the profit to the owner, except to behold them with his eyes?
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what advantage is there to the owner thereof, save the beholding of them with his eyes?
KJV
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?
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This verse in Ecclesiastes 5
Commentary
8 notes on this verseWhen goods increase - An increase of property always brings an increase of expense, by a multitude of servants; and the owner really possesses no more, and probably enjoys much less, than he did, when every day provided its own bread, and could lay up no store for the next. But if he have more enjoyment, his cares are multiplied; and he has no kind of profit. “This also is vanity.”
This site's exposition
He who loves money is never satisfied by money
on Ecclesiastes 5:10-12
Three observations state wealth's diminishing returns. He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and When good things increase, so do those who consume them. The worker's sweet sleep stands against the rich man's sleeplessness, for the abundance of the rich man permits him no sleep.
This site's exposition
When good things increase
The owner's gain shrinks as his goods grow. Barnes names those who consume them as the laborers and household servants, and Clarke adds that more property brings more expense and more cares. Henry reckons that all beyond food and clothing is held for others, leaving only the sight of it.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"Sweet is the sleep of the labourer, whether he eats little or much; the satiety of the rich does not let him sleep." So far the discourse has treated of riches and greed, and it is compared to a man who works and one who sleeps without worry, or eats little or a great deal.
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCommentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 5 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
And he shows that riches profit the possessor nothing: because they are consumed, and the master has nothing more than the servant: therefore he says: "Where there are great riches, many also are those who consume them:" thus all things are consumed. Whence Seneca: "Wolves …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
What we have more than food and raiment we have for others; and then what good is there to the owners themselves, but the pleasure of beholding it with their eyes? And a poor pleasure it is.
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
They ... that eat them - i. e., The laborers employed, and the household servants.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
Sweet is the sleep of the laborer. One who tills the soil sleeps, and he enjoys his sleep, whether he eats little or a lot, for he is already used to it.
3 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
As goods increase. When the [Bnei] Yisroel improve their deeds.
Wealth preserved by its owner to his own detriment. Like the wealth of Korach, because of which he became haughty and descended into the grave. 20 Alternatively, a person’s wealth jeopardizes his personal safety by exposing him to robbery, kidnap, or even death. (Sforno).
When good is multiplied in the world, the children of men who eat it are also multiplied; and what advantage is there to the owner who gathers it unless he does good with it, that he may see in the world to come the reward given with his eyes.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence.
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בִּרְבוֹת֙ | birvot | when increases | H7235 → | 227 times |
| הַטּוֹבָ֔ה | hatovah | the good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| רַבּ֖וּ | rabu | they increase | H7231 → | |
| אוֹכְלֶ֑יהָ | ʾokhleiha | [those who] consume it | H398 → | 810 times |
| וּמַה־ | umah- | and what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| כִּשְׁרוֹן֙ | kishron | profit | H3788 → | 3 times |
| לִבְעָלֶ֔יהָ | livaleiha | [belongs] to owner<s> its | H1167 → | 84 times |
| כִּ֖י | ki | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אִם־ | ʾim- | except | H518 → | 1069 times |
| רְא֥וּת | reiyat | [the] sight of | H7212 → | |
| עֵינָֽיו׃ | ʾeinav | eyes his | H5869 → | 887 times |
בִּרְבוֹת֙when increases
birvotH7235 →227 times
הַטּוֹבָ֔הthe good
hatovahH2896 →538 times
רַבּ֖וּthey increase
rabuH7231 →
אוֹכְלֶ֑יהָ[those who] consume it
ʾokhleihaH398 →810 times
וּמַה־and what?
umah-H4100 →752 times
כִּשְׁרוֹן֙profit
kishronH3788 →3 times
לִבְעָלֶ֔יהָ[belongs] to owner<s> its
livaleihaH1167 →84 times
כִּ֖יthat
kiH3588 →4482 times
אִם־except
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
רְא֥וּת[the] sight of
reiyatH7212 →
עֵינָֽיו׃eyes his
ʾeinavH5869 →887 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 John 2:16For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.
it leads to
- Romans 13:14
Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.
- Galatians 5:17
For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want.
- Psalms 119:36–37
Turn my heart to Your testimonies and not to covetous gain.
- Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave…
- Proverbs 27:20
Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
- Romans 13:14
Through
Proverbs 23:5When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.
it leads to
- Proverbs 27:24
for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to every generation.
- 1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.
- Proverbs 27:24
Through
Ecclesiastes 6:9Better what the eye can see than the wandering of desire. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
it leads to
- Ecclesiastes 1:14
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
- Ecclesiastes 1:14
Where this verse is studied
About Ecclesiastes
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bonaventure, Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 5; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Ecclesiastes; Jerome, Commentary on Ecclesiastes; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.