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Selected Verse: Ecclesiates 5:13 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Ec 5:13	Strong Concordance	There is [03426] a sore [02470] evil [07451] which I have seen [07200] under the sun [08121], namely, riches [06239] kept [08104] for the owners [01167] thereof to their hurt [07451].
	King James	There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
Proofs of God's judgments even in this world (Pro 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. Ecc 2:19, Ecc 2:23 gives another aspect of the same subject.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

Proofs of God's judgments even in this world (Pro 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. Ecc 2:19, Ecc 2:23 gives another aspect of the same subject.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
"There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, riches kept by their possessor to his hurt: the same riches perish by an evil event; and he hath begotten a son, thus this one hath nothing in his hand." There is a gradation of evils. חולה רעה (cf. רע חלי ר, Ecc 6:2) is not an ordinary, but a morbid evil, i.e., a deep hurtful evil; as a wound, not a common one, but one particularly severe and scarcely curable, is called נחלה, e.g., Nah 3:19. השׁ ... רא is, as at Ecc 10:5, an ellipt. relat. clause; cf. on the other hand, Ecc 6:1; the author elsewhere uses the scheme of the relat. clause without relat. pron. (vid., under Ecc 1:13; Ecc 3:16); the old language would use ראיתיה, instead of ראיתי, with the reflex. pron. The great evil consists in this, that riches are not seldom kept by their owner to his own hurt. Certainly שׁמוּר ל can also mean that which is kept for another, Sa1 9:24; but how involved and constrained is Ginsburg's explanation: "hoarded up (by the rich man) for their (future) owner," viz., the heir to whom he intends to leave them! That ל can be used with the passive as a designation of the subj., vid., Ewald, 295c; certainly it corresponds as little as מן, with the Greek ὑπό, but in Greek we say also πλοῦτος φυλαχθεὶς τῷ κεκτημένῳ, vid., Rost's Syntax, 112. 4. The suff. of lera'atho refers to be'alav, the plur. form of which can so far remain out of view, that we even say adonim qosheh, Isa 19:4, etc. "To his hurt," i.e., at the last suddenly to lose that which has been carefully guarded. The narrative explanation of this, "to his hurt," begins with vav explic. Regarding 'inyan ra'. It is a casus adversus that is meant, such a stroke upon stroke as destroyed Job's possessions. The perf. והו supposes the case that the man thus suddenly made poor is the father of a son; the clause is logically related to that which follows as hypothet. antecedent, after the scheme. Gen 33:13. The loss of riches would of itself make one who is alone unhappy, for the misfortune to be poor is less than the misfortunes to be rich and then to become poor; but still more unfortunate is the father who thought that by well-guarded wealth he had secured the future of his son, and who now leaves him with an empty hand. What now follows is true of this rich man, but is generalized into a reference to every rich man, and then is recorded as a second great evil. As a man comes naked into the world, so also he departs from it again without being able to take with him any of the earthly wealth he has acquired.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

"There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, riches kept by their possessor to his hurt: the same riches perish by an evil event; and he hath begotten a son, thus this one hath nothing in his hand." There is a gradation of evils. חולה רעה (cf. רע חלי ר, Ecc 6:2) is not an ordinary, but a morbid evil, i.e., a deep hurtful evil; as a wound, not a common one, but one particularly severe and scarcely curable, is called נחלה, e.g., Nah 3:19. השׁ ... רא is, as at Ecc 10:5, an ellipt. relat. clause; cf. on the other hand, Ecc 6:1; the author elsewhere uses the scheme of the relat. clause without relat. pron. (vid., under Ecc 1:13; Ecc 3:16); the old language would use ראיתיה, instead of ראיתי, with the reflex. pron. The great evil consists in this, that riches are not seldom kept by their owner to his own hurt. Certainly שׁמוּר ל can also mean that which is kept for another, Sa1 9:24; but how involved and constrained is Ginsburg's explanation: "hoarded up (by the rich man) for their (future) owner," viz., the heir to whom he intends to leave them! That ל can be used with the passive as a designation of the subj., vid., Ewald, 295c; certainly it corresponds as little as מן, with the Greek ὑπό, but in Greek we say also πλοῦτος φυλαχθεὶς τῷ κεκτημένῳ, vid., Rost's Syntax, 112. 4. The suff. of lera'atho refers to be'alav, the plur. form of which can so far remain out of view, that we even say adonim qosheh, Isa 19:4, etc. "To his hurt," i.e., at the last suddenly to lose that which has been carefully guarded. The narrative explanation of this, "to his hurt," begins with vav explic. Regarding 'inyan ra'. It is a casus adversus that is meant, such a stroke upon stroke as destroyed Job's possessions. The perf. והו supposes the case that the man thus suddenly made poor is the father of a son; the clause is logically related to that which follows as hypothet. antecedent, after the scheme. Gen 33:13. The loss of riches would of itself make one who is alone unhappy, for the misfortune to be poor is less than the misfortunes to be rich and then to become poor; but still more unfortunate is the father who thought that by well-guarded wealth he had secured the future of his son, and who now leaves him with an empty hand.

What now follows is true of this rich man, but is generalized into a reference to every rich man, and then is recorded as a second great evil. As a man comes naked into the world, so also he departs from it again without being able to take with him any of the earthly wealth he has acquired.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
To their hurt - Because they frequently are the occasions both of their present and eternal destruction.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
Riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt - This may be the case through various causes: 1. He may make an improper use of them, and lose his health by them. 2. He may join in an unfortunate partnership and lose all. 3. His riches may excite the desire of the robber; and he may spoil him of his goods, and even take away his life. 4. Or, he may leave them to his son, who turns profligate; spends the whole, and ruins both his body and soul. I have seen this again and again.

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²³ For all his days [03117] are sorrows [04341], and his travail [06045] grief [03708]; yea, his heart [03820] taketh not rest [07901] in the night [03915]. This is also vanity [01892].

¹⁹ And who knoweth [03045] whether he shall be a wise [02450] man or a fool [05530]? yet shall he have rule [07980] over all my labour [05999] wherein I have laboured [05998], and wherein I have shewed myself wise [02449] under the sun [08121]. This is also vanity [01892].

³¹ Behold, the righteous [06662] shall be recompensed [07999] in the earth [0776]: much more the wicked [07563] and the sinner [02398].

¹³ And he said [0559] unto him, My lord [0113] knoweth [03045] that the children [03206] are tender [07390], and the flocks [06629] and herds [01241] with young [05763] are with me: and if men should overdrive [01849] them one [0259] day [03117], all the flock [06629] will die [04191].

⁴ And [0853] the Egyptians [04714] will I give over [05534] into the hand [03027] of a cruel [07186] lord [0113]; and a fierce [05794] king [04428] shall rule [04910] over them, saith [05002] the Lord [0113], the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635].

²⁴ And the cook [02876] took up [07311] the shoulder [07785], and that which was upon it, and set [07760] it before [06440] Saul [07586]. And Samuel said [0559], Behold that which is left [07604] ! set [07760] it before [06440] thee, and eat [0398]: for unto this time [04150] hath it been kept [08104] for thee since I said [0559], I have invited [07121] the people [05971]. So Saul [07586] did eat [0398] with Samuel [08050] that day [03117].

¹⁶ And moreover I saw [07200] under the sun [08121] the place [04725] of judgment [04941], that wickedness [07562] was there; and the place [04725] of righteousness [06664], that iniquity [07562] was there.

¹³ And I gave [05414] my heart [03820] to seek [01875] and search out [08446] by wisdom [02451] concerning all things that are done [06213] under heaven [08064]: this sore [07451] travail [06045] hath God [0430] given [05414] to the sons [01121] of man [0120] to be exercised [06031] therewith.

¹ There is [03426] an evil [07451] which I have seen [07200] under the sun [08121], and it is common [07227] among men [0120]:

⁵ There is [03426] an evil [07451] which I have seen [07200] under the sun [08121], as an error [07684] which proceedeth [03318] from [06440] the ruler [07989]:

¹⁹ There is no healing [03545] of thy bruise [07667]; thy wound [04347] is grievous [02470]: all that hear [08085] the bruit [08088] of thee shall clap [08628] the hands [03709] over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness [07451] passed [05674] continually [08548]?

² A man [0376] to whom God [0430] hath given [05414] riches [06239], wealth [05233], and honour [03519], so that he wanteth [02638] nothing for his soul [05315] of all that he desireth [0183], yet God [0430] giveth him not power [07980] to eat [0398] thereof, but a stranger [0376] [05237] eateth [0398] it: this is vanity [01892], and it is an evil [07451] disease [02483].