Ecclesiastes 5:13-14
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The truly surprising part of this verse isn't just that wealth can be lost, but that keeping riches can itself be the very source of the owner's ruin. It's not just about hoarding, but about how tightly clutching onto wealth can lead to anxieties, temptations, and ultimately, destruction, even when the money itself isn't squandered.
There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Preacher is reflecting on the paradoxes of wealth under the sun, observing that sometimes hoarding riches leads to personal ruin, whether through extravagant self-indulgence, unfortunate business dealings, or becoming a target for thieves and murderers. This painful reality is further compounded when the wealth accumulated with such effort ultimately benefits no one, not even one's own heir, who might be left in poverty.
We often chase wealth, dreaming of security and happiness. But what if the very things we pursue could be a source of deep trouble?
The verse confronts us with a stark reality: wealth isn't automatically a blessing. The Preacher, Solomon, calls it a 'grievous evil' when riches are 'kept by their owner to his hurt.' This doesn't mean wealth itself is inherently bad, but rather how it's handled and how it affects the heart.
How Riches Can Harm:
Imagine laboring tirelessly to build a fortune, only to see it slip away or become a source of misery. That's the sting Solomon highlights.
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Ecclesiastes 5:13 points to a specific, painful scenario: the futility of accumulating wealth that ultimately brings no good. The owner 'keeps' these riches, presumably with the intention of enjoying them or passing them on, but instead, they become a burden.
The Cycle of Futility:
Understand the original words
shemesh · Hebrew Noun
In Ecclesiastes, this refers to the earthly realm characterized by human experience, transience, and life apart from a strictly eternal perspective. It emphasizes the limitations and recurring cycles of life under the fallen order.
choliy ra'ah · Hebrew Noun phrase
A term frequently used in Ecclesiastes to describe something painful, heavy, or profoundly distressing. It denotes a situation or circumstance that is deeply unsatisfactory or troublesome to the human spirit.
'osher · Hebrew Noun
Material possessions or abundance. While often considered a blessing in Scripture, it is also frequently depicted as a source of spiritual peril, potential idolatry, or misplaced security if one's heart is not anchored in God.
This parable highlights the foolishness of hoarding wealth without purpose, showing how riches can become a source of anxiety and ultimately be lost, fulfilling the 'grievous evil' Solomon observes.
1 Timothy 6:9-10This passage directly warns against the dangers of desiring riches, stating they can lead people astray and pierce them with sorrows, echoing the 'hurt' that comes from keeping wealth.
Matthew 6:19-21Jesus contrasts earthly treasures, which can be lost or destroyed, with heavenly treasures, directly addressing the futility of accumulating riches 'under the sun' when they bring no eternal security.
James 5:1-3James speaks about the decay of riches and the potential for wealth to cry out against its owners, illustrating how riches kept to oneself can lead to judgment and ruin.
jfbEcclesiastes 5:13: "There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt."
13, 14. Proofs of God's judgments even in this world (Pr 11:31). The rich oppressor's wealth provokes enemies, robbers, &c. Then, after having kept it for an expected son, he loses it beforehand by misfortune ("by evil travail"), and the son is born to be heir of poverty. Ec 2:19, 23 gives another aspect of the same subject.
pooleEcclesiastes 5:13: "There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt."
Because they frequently are the instruments and occasions both of their present and eternal destruction, as they feed their pride or luxury, or other hurtful lusts, which waste the body, and shorten the life, and damn the soul; and as they are great temptations to tyrants or thieves, yea, sometimes to relations, or servants, or others, to take away their lives, th…
The truly surprising part of this verse isn't just that wealth can be lost, but that keeping riches can itself be the very source of the owner's ruin. It's not just about hoarding, but about how tightly clutching onto wealth can lead to anxieties, temptations, and ultimately, destruction, even when the money itself isn't squandered.
The Preacher is reflecting on the paradoxes of wealth under the sun, observing that sometimes hoarding riches leads to personal ruin, whether through extravagant self-indulgence, unfortunate business dealings, or becoming a target for thieves and murderers. This painful reality is further compounded when the wealth accumulated with such effort ultimately benefits no one, not even one's own heir, who might be left in poverty.
The Preacher is reflecting on the paradoxes of wealth under the sun, observing that sometimes hoarding riches leads to personal ruin, whether through extravagant self-indulgence, unfortunate business dealings, or becoming a target for thieves and murderers. This painful reality is further compounded when the wealth accumulated with such effort ultimately benefits no one, not even one's own heir, who might be left in poverty.
"There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand." — The truly surprising part of this verse isn't just that wealth can be lost, but that keeping riches can itself be the very source of the owner's ruin. It's not just about hoarding, but about how ti…
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Last reviewed October 2026
