Ecclesiastes 5:16

All the days of his life he eateth in darkness, and in many cares, and in misery, and sorrow.

Douay-Rheims 1899

In The King James Version

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?

In Context

15A most deplorable evil: as he came, so shall he return. What then doth it profit him that he hath laboured for the wind?

17This therefore hath seemed good to me, that a man should eat and drink, and enjoy the fruit of his labour, wherewith he hath laboured under the sun, all the days of his life, which God hath given him: and this is his portion.

Read all of Ecclesiastes 5

Cross References

1 Samuel 12:21And turn not aside after vain things which shall never profit you, nor deliver you, because they are vain.

Ecclesiastes 1:3What hath a man more of all his labour, that he taketh under the sun?

Ecclesiastes 5:13For they are lost with very great affliction: he hath begotten a son, who shall be in extremity of want.

Jeremiah 2:8The priests did not say: Where is the Lord? and they that held the law knew me not, and the pastors transgressed against me: and the prophets prophesied in Baal, and followed idols.

Mark 8:36For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?

Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 5:10-18

The Vanity of Riches. 9 Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. 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.… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Ecclesiastes 5:16