Ecclesiastes 5:10-12
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The verse highlights a subtle but crucial distinction: it's not just about loving money itself, but also the increase that comes with abundance. This suggests that the problem isn't simply accumulating wealth, but the insatiable desire for more, a hunger that grows even as riches pile up, leaving the heart perpetually wanting.
He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Teacher is shifting from discussing how bad leadership corrupts society to examining the personal, destructive nature of greed. He highlights that the pursuit of wealth itself, regardless of how much one accumulates, is an endless, unsatisfying chase. This sets the stage for understanding that true contentment isn't found in material possessions.
Why does having more often lead to wanting even more? This verse reveals a deep truth about human nature.
The verse states plainly: 'He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income.' This isn't just about having a lot; it's about the love of it. The more some people get, the more they crave. Their desire isn't like a thirst that can be quenched; it's more like a fire that grows hotter with every log thrown on. Even as wealth increases, so does the desire for it, leaving the person perpetually unfulfilled.
We often think wealth will bring lasting security and enjoyment. But the Teacher points to a stark reality.
The verse concludes by calling this pursuit 'vanity.' This isn't just a minor flaw; it's a fundamental emptiness, a striving after wind. What the love of money promises – ultimate satisfaction and security – it cannot deliver. The enjoyment is fleeting, and the supposed 'profit' or 'increase' often brings more trouble, more to manage, and more anxiety, rather than true contentment. It’s like trying to build a solid house on shifting sand.
Understand the original words
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kesef · Hebrew noun
Material wealth, currency, or the medium of exchange. Biblically, the love of money is warned against as it can lead to idolatry and misplaced trust, as it cannot provide ultimate satisfaction.
This proverb echoes Ecclesiastes by stating that the grave and destruction are never satisfied, paralleling the insatiable nature of the human desire for wealth described in Ecclesiastes 5:10.
Luke 12:15Jesus directly warns against greed, highlighting that a person's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions, directly supporting the idea that loving wealth brings no true satisfaction.
1 Timothy 6:10This verse explicitly states that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, reinforcing the idea that this 'love' leads to dissatisfaction and ultimately to spiritual harm, just as Ecclesiastes shows it leads to vanity.
Matthew 6:24Here, Jesus teaches that one cannot serve both God and money, illustrating the all-consuming nature of the pursuit of wealth that Ecclesiastes describes as ultimately unsatisfying and vain.
Habakkuk 2:6-7The prophet Habakkuk describes the greedy oppressor who amasses wealth but will ultimately be consumed by it, echoing the vanity of endless accumulation that can never truly satisfy.
pooleEcclesiastes 5:10: "He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity."
The greatest treasures of silver do not satisfy the covetous possessor of it; partly because his mind is insatiable, and his desires are increased by and with gains; partly because silver of itself cannot satisfy his natural desires and necessities as the fruits of the field can do, and the miserable wretch grudgeth to part with his silver, though it be…
clarkeEcclesiastes 5:10: "He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity."
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver - The more he gets, the more he would get; for the saying is true: - Crescit amor nummi, quantum ipsa pecunia crescit. "The love of money increases, in proportion as money itself increases."
The verse highlights a subtle but crucial distinction: it's not just about loving money itself, but also the increase that comes with abundance. This suggests that the problem isn't simply accumulating wealth, but the insatiable desire for more, a hunger that grows even as riches pile up, leaving the heart perpetually wanting.
The Teacher is shifting from discussing how bad leadership corrupts society to examining the personal, destructive nature of greed. He highlights that the pursuit of wealth itself, regardless of how much one accumulates, is an endless, unsatisfying chase. This sets the stage for understanding that true contentment isn't found in material possessions.
The Teacher is shifting from discussing how bad leadership corrupts society to examining the personal, destructive nature of greed. He highlights that the pursuit of wealth itself, regardless of how much one accumulates, is an endless, unsatisfying chase. This sets the stage for understanding that true contentment isn't found in material possessions.
"He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? Sweet is…" — The verse highlights a subtle but crucial distinction: it's not just about loving money itself, but also the increase that comes with abundance. This suggests that the problem isn't simply accumu…
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Last reviewed October 2026
