Ecclesiastes 6:2
in Ecclesiastes 6God gives a man riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires; but God does not allow him to enjoy them. Instead, a stranger will enjoy them. This is futile and a grievous affliction.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
a man to whom God giveth riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacketh nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but an alien eateth it; this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.
KJV
A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.
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This verse in Ecclesiastes 6
Commentary
10 notes on this verseWhat good is there for a person in this life? He lives in darkness and cannot be satisfied in his desires. And if he is sated with riches, he loses the enjoyment of his rest, because he is forced to guard the possessions he has acquired through his wretched greed. Thus he possesses them in greater wretchedness, seeing that they can do him no good. For what is more wretched than to be tormented with guarding them and derive no advantage from their abundance?
This site's exposition
There is another evil I have seen under the sun
on Ecclesiastes 6:1-2
The Teacher names an evil: God gives a man riches, wealth, and honor, yet God does not allow him to enjoy them. The refrain at 5:19 joins wealth and the power to enjoy it, and here the two are split. The Teacher calls it futile and a grievous affliction.
This site's exposition
God gives a man riches
Clarke observes that God gives riches and also gives the power to enjoy them, and a man may have the first without the second. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read the stranger as someone outside his family, even hostile to him. Ambrose adds the torment of guarding such wealth.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Let none of us entertain the desire for possessions, for what gain is it to acquire those things which we cannot take with us? Why not rather acquire those that we can take: prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude, understanding, charity, love of the poor, faith in Christ, gentleness, hospitality? If we obtain these, we shall find them there before us preparing a welcome for us in the land of the meek. LIFE OF ST.
"There is an evil I have observed beneath the sun, and it is prevalent among mankind; a man to whom God has given riches, wealth and honour, and he lacks nothing that his heart could desire, yet God did not give him the power to enjoy it. This is futility and an evil disease. If a man begets an hundred children and lives many years - great being the days of his life - and his soul is not content with the good - and he even is deprived of burial; I say: the stillborn is better off than he.
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCommentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 6 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
And he assumes the vanity, which is observed in this, that one hoards riches and another devours them: therefore he says: "A man, to whom God has given riches," as regards movable goods; "and wealth," as regards immovable goods; "and honors," as regards exalted things. …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour,....
(3.) Yet they are given to many that do not make a good use of them, to many to whom God does not give wisdom and grace to take the comfort of them and serve God with them. The gifts of common providence are bestowed on many to whom are denied the gifts of a special grace, without which the gifts of providence often do more hurt than good.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A man to whom God hath given riches - A man may possess much earthly goods, and yet enjoy nothing of them. Possession and fruition are not necessarily joined together; and this is also among the vanities of life. It is worthy of remark, that it belongs to God as much to give the power to enjoy as it does to give the earthly blessings. A wise heathen saw this: - Di tibi divitias dederant, artemque fruendi. Hor. Ep. lib. i., ep. 4, ver. 7. “The gods had given thee riches, and the art to enjoy them.”
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
for his soul--that is, his enjoyment. God giveth him not power to eat--This distinguishes him from the "rich" man in Ec 5:19. "God hath given" distinguishes him also from the man who got his wealth by "oppression" (Ec 5:8, 10). stranger--those not akin, nay, even hostile to him (Jer 51:51;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
Wealth [and] possessions. Its simple explanation, is its apparent meaning.
3 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
And it weighs heavily on man. It is prevalent among mankind. 1 It causes distress upon mankind.
If a man begets a hundred [children]. Children. 4 “A hundred” is figuratively speaking, it is an expression used to denote “many.” (Ibn Ezra)
There is an evil which I saw in this world under the sun, and it is great upon the children of man.
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
28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אִ֣ישׁ | ʾish | anyone | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | whom | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יִתֶּן־ | yiten- | he gives | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| ל֣וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| הָאֱלֹהִ֡ים | haelohim | <the> God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| עֹשֶׁר֩ | ʾosher | wealth | H6239 → | 37 times |
| וּנְכָסִ֨ים | unekhasim | and riches | H5233 → | |
| וְכָב֜וֹד | vekhavod | and honor | H3519 → | |
| וְֽאֵינֶ֨נּוּ | veeinenu | and not he | H369 → | 789 times |
| חָסֵ֥ר | chaser | [is] lacking | H2638 → | |
| לְנַפְשׁ֣וֹ׀ | lenafsho | to appetite his | H5315 → | 754 times |
| מִכֹּ֣ל | mikol | any of all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | that | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יִתְאַוֶּ֗ה | yitaveh | he desires | H183 → | |
| וְלֹֽא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יַשְׁלִיטֶ֤נּוּ | yashlitenu | he gives power him | H7980 → | 8 times |
| הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ | haelohim | <the> God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| לֶאֱכֹ֣ל | leekhol | to eat | H398 → | 810 times |
| מִמֶּ֔נּוּ | mimenu | from it | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| כִּ֛י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אִ֥ישׁ | ʾish | a man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| נָכְרִ֖י | nakheri | foreign | H5237 → | |
| יֹֽאכֲלֶ֑נּוּ | yokhalenu | he eats it | H398 → | 810 times |
| זֶ֥ה | zeh | this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| הֶ֛בֶל | hevel | [is] futility | H1892 → | 73 times |
| וָחֳלִ֥י | vocholi | and [is] an affliction | H2483 → | |
| רָ֖ע | ra' | an evil | H7451 → | 662 times |
| הֽוּא׃ | hu' | it | H1931 → | 1879 times |
אִ֣ישׁanyone
ʾishH376 →1663 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhom
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
יִתֶּן־he gives
yiten-H5414 →2011 times
ל֣וֹto <the> him
lo
הָאֱלֹהִ֡ים<the> God
haelohimH430 →2601 times
עֹשֶׁר֩wealth
ʾosherH6239 →37 times
וּנְכָסִ֨יםand riches
unekhasimH5233 →
וְכָב֜וֹדand honor
vekhavodH3519 →
וְֽאֵינֶ֨נּוּand not he
veeinenuH369 →789 times
חָסֵ֥ר[is] lacking
chaserH2638 →
לְנַפְשׁ֣וֹ׀to appetite his
lenafshoH5315 →754 times
מִכֹּ֣לany of all
mikolH3605 →5413 times
אֲשֶׁר־that
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
יִתְאַוֶּ֗הhe desires
yitavehH183 →
וְלֹֽא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
יַשְׁלִיטֶ֤נּוּhe gives power him
yashlitenuH7980 →8 times
הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙<the> God
haelohimH430 →2601 times
לֶאֱכֹ֣לto eat
leekholH398 →810 times
מִמֶּ֔נּוּfrom it
mimenuH4480 →1188 times
כִּ֛יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
אִ֥ישׁa man
ʾishH376 →1663 times
נָכְרִ֖יforeign
nakheriH5237 →
יֹֽאכֲלֶ֑נּוּhe eats it
yokhalenuH398 →810 times
זֶ֥הthis
zehH2088 →1180 times
הֶ֛בֶל[is] futility
hevelH1892 →73 times
וָחֳלִ֥יand [is] an affliction
vocholiH2483 →
רָ֖עan evil
ra'H7451 →662 times
הֽוּא׃it
hu'H1931 →1879 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 Kings 3:13Moreover, I will give you what you did not request—both riches and honor—so that during all your days no man in any kingdom will be your equal.
it leads to
- Ephesians 3:20
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,
- Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
- Proverbs 3:16
Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
- Romans 8:32
He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?
- 1 Kings 4:21–24
And Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of…
- Ephesians 3:20
Through
Ecclesiastes 5:19Furthermore, God has given riches and wealth to every man, and He has enabled him to enjoy them, to accept his lot, and to rejoice in his labor. This is a gift from God.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 8:18
But remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm His covenant that He swore to your fathers even to this day.
- Ecclesiastes 3:13
and also that every man should eat and drink and find satisfaction in all his labor—this is the gift of God.
- 2 Chronicles 1:12
therefore wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will also give you riches and wealth and honor unlike anything given to the kings before you or after you.”
- Deuteronomy 8:18
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Ecclesiastes
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Ambrose of Milan, DEATH AS A GOOD 2:4; Athanasius of Alexandria, Life of St. Anthony 17; Bonaventure, Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 6; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ecclesiastes; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.