the Week of Proper 23 / Ordinary 28
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New Living Translation
Ecclesiastes 5:11
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When goods increase, those that eat them are increased; and what advantage is there to the owner thereof, except for looking at [them] with his eyes?
The more wealth people have, the more friends they have to help spend it. So what do people really gain? They gain nothing except to look at their riches.
When someone's prosperity increases, those who consume it also increase; so what does its owner gain, except that he gets to see it with his eyes?
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good [is there] to the owners of them, saving the beholding [of them] with their eyes?
When goods increase, those who eat them are increased; and what advantage is there to its owner, except to feast on them with his eyes?
When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what advantage is there to their owners except to see them with their eyes?
When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes?
Where ben many richessis, also many men ben, that eten tho; and what profitith it to the haldere, no but that he seeth richessis with hise iyen?
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what advantage is there to the owner thereof, saving the beholding of them with his eyes?
When good things increase, so do those who consume them; what then is the profit to the owner, except to behold them with his eyes?
The more you have, the more everyone expects from you. Your money won't do you any good—others will just spend it for you.
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what advantage is there to the owner thereof, save the beholding of them with his eyes?
When goods are increased, the number of those who take of them is increased; and what profit has the owner but to see them?
The sleep of a working man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the overfullness of the rich won't let them sleep at all.
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what profit is there to the owner thereof, except the beholding [of them] with his eyes?
The more wealth people have, the more "friends" they have to help spend it. So the rich really gain nothing. They can only look at their wealth.
Sweet is the sleep of a labouring man, whether he eat little or much; but the satiety of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
When goods increase, they are increased that eate them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, sauing the beholding of them with their eyes?
When there are more good things, there are also more people to eat them. So what does their owner get except to see them with his eyes?
When goods increase, those who eat them increase; and what gain has their owner but to see them with his eyes?
When goods increase, they are increased that eate them: and what good commeth to the owners thereof, but the beholding thereof with their eyes?
When goods increase, they also are increased who eat them; and what profit is there to their owners, except the beholding of them with their eyes?
The richer you are, the more mouths you have to feed. All you gain is the knowledge that you are rich.
When blessings are increased, increased are the eaters thereof, - what profit, then, to the owner of them saving the sight of his eyes?
(5-10) Where there are great riches, there are also many to eat them. And what doth it profit the owner, but that he seeth the riches with his eyes?
When goods increase, they increase who eat them; and what gain has their owner but to see them with his eyes?
Wheras much riches is, there are many also that spende them away: And what pleasure more hath he that possesseth them, sauyng that he may loke vpon them with his eyes?
The sleep of a servant is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but to one who is satiated with wealth, there is none that suffers him to sleep.
When good things increase, the ones who consume them multiply; what, then, is the profit to the owner, except to gaze at them with his eyes?
When goods increase, those who eat them are increased; and what advantage is there to its owner, except to feast on them with his eyes?
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?
When prosperity increases, those who consume it increase. So its owner gains nothing, except to see his wealth before it is spent.
When the good thing increases, those who devour it increase; then what profit is it to its owners, except to see it with his eyes?
In the multiplying of good have its consumers been multiplied, and what benefit [is] to its possessor except the sight of his eyes?
Where as many riches are, there are many also that spende them awaye. And what pleasure more hath he that possesseth them, sauynge that he maye loke vpon them with his eyes?
The more loot you get, the more looters show up. And what fun is that—to be robbed in broad daylight?
When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to look at them?
When goods increase, They increase who eat them; So what profit have the owners Except to see them with their eyes?
When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to look on?
When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the success to their masters except to look on with their eyes?
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
they: Genesis 12:16, Genesis 13:2, Genesis 13:5-7, 1 Kings 4:22, 1 Kings 4:23, 1 Kings 5:13-16, Nehemiah 5:17, Nehemiah 5:18, Psalms 119:36, Psalms 119:37
what: Ecclesiastes 6:9, Ecclesiastes 11:9, Joshua 7:21-25, Proverbs 23:5, Jeremiah 17:11, Habakkuk 2:13, 1 John 2:16
Reciprocal: Genesis 13:6 - General Exodus 20:17 - thy neighbour's house Proverbs 27:20 - so Ecclesiastes 1:8 - the eye Ecclesiastes 2:22 - hath man Ecclesiastes 6:8 - what hath the wise Matthew 13:22 - the deceitfulness John 6:27 - the meat
Gill's Notes on the Bible
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them,.... When a man's substance increases by trade, or otherwise, very often so it is that his family increases, and he has more mouths to feed, and backs to clothe; or his estate growing larger, if he lives suitably to it, he must keep more servants; and these, as they have but little work to do, are described by their eating, rather than by their working; and besides, such a growing man in the world has more friends and visitors that come about him, and eat with him, as well as the poor, which wait upon him to receive his alms: and if his farms, and his fields, and his flocks, are enlarged, he must have more husbandmen, and labourers, and shepherds to look after them, who all must be maintained. So Pheraulas in Xenophon h observes,
"that now he was possessed of much, that he neither ate, nor drank, nor slept the sweeter for it; what he got by his plenty was, that he had more committed to his keeping, and more to distribute to others; he had more care and more business, with trouble; for now, says he, many servants require food of me, many drink, many clothing, some need physicians, c. it must needs be, adds he, that they that possess much must spend much on the gods, on friends, and on guests''
and what good [is there] to the owners thereof, saving the beholding [of them] with their eyes? he can go into his grounds, his fields, and his meadows to behold his flocks and his herds, and can say, all these are mine; he can go into his chambers and open his treasures, and feed his eyes with looking upon his bags of gold and silver, his jewels, and other riches; he can behold a multitude of people at his table, eating at his expense, and more maintained at his cost: and, if a liberal man, it may be a pleasure to him; if otherwise, it will give him pain: and, excepting these, he enjoys no more than food and raiment; and often so it is, that even his very servants have in some things the advantage of him, as follows. The Targum is,
"what profit is there to the owner thereof who gathers it, unless he does good with it, that he may see the gift of the reward with his eyes in the world to come?''
Jarchi interprets it after this manner,
"when men bring many freewill offerings, the priests are increased that eat them; and what good is to the owner of them, the Lord, but the sight of his eyes, who says, and his will is done?''
h Cyropaedia, l. 8. c. 26.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
They ... that eat them - i. e., The laborers employed, and the household servants.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Ecclesiastes 5:11. When goods increase — An increase of property always brings an increase of expense, by a multitude of servants; and the owner really possesses no more, and probably enjoys much less, than he did, when every day provided its own bread, and could lay up no store for the next. But if he have more enjoyment, his cares are multiplied; and he has no kind of profit. "This also is vanity."
