Ecclesiastes Chapter 5 — Wisdom in Worship and Wealth
Ecclesiastes 5 advises on approaching God with reverence and warns about the fleeting, often unsatisfying nature of material wealth.
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.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Ecclesiastes 5:2
“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.”
This verse emphasizes the importance of humility and careful speech when approaching the divine.
Ecclesiastes 5:10
“He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity.”
It highlights the psychological reality that material wealth often fails to provide lasting fulfillment.
Ecclesiastes 5:19
“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.”
This verse identifies the ability to enjoy one's work and resources as a specific divine blessing.
Chapter Summary
Ecclesiastes 5 begins with practical instructions on worship, urging readers to be more ready to listen than to speak when entering God’s house. It warns against making hasty or rash vows, emphasizing that it is better not to vow at all than to make a promise and fail to keep it. The text then shifts focus to social observations, noting that bureaucracy often complicates justice, though the earth remains for all. A significant portion of the chapter is dedicated to the vanity of wealth. The author observes that those who love money are never truly satisfied by it, and that riches can be lost through misfortune or simply consumed by others. Ultimately, the chapter concludes that the best course of action is for a person to eat, drink, and find satisfaction in their labor. This ability to enjoy the fruits of one's work is presented as a specific gift from God that brings joy to the heart.
Frequently Asked Questions
The chapter warns against making hasty promises to God. It states that it is better not to make a vow at all than to make one and fail to fulfill it, as God takes no pleasure in those who speak like fools.
The text observes that those who love money are never satisfied, and as wealth increases, the number of people who consume it also increases. It also notes that wealth can be lost through misfortune, and no one can take their riches with them after death.
The author concludes that the ability to eat, drink, and find joy in one's labor is a gift from God. It suggests that when God occupies a person with the joy of their heart, they do not dwell as much on the brief or difficult nature of their life.
Study Note
The Hebrew concept of 'hevel' (vanity or breath) continues in this chapter to describe the vapor-like, elusive nature of satisfaction derived from material gain.
Related Chapters
Matthew 6
Connects the theme of not worrying about earthly wealth to Jesus' teachings on treasures in heaven.
James 5
Provides a New Testament perspective on the dangers of wealth and the oppression of laborers.
Proverbs 10
Offers additional wisdom literature regarding the relationship between labor, wealth, and God's blessing.
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