5:8–9 A utopian society is not possible in this fallen world, and one constant feature of social life in this age is the existence of dishonest government officials. When the Preacher mentions the “violation of justice and righteousness” in verse 8, he is referring particularly to corruption in judicial settings, in which government officials are charged to make fair and impartial judgments. Officials oversee other officials, and, while they are supposed to call their subordinates to account and ensure that justice prevails, one should not be surprised when justice devolves instead into an “old boy network” that protects the dishonest and allows them to take advantage of the poor and powerless. The focus of verse 8 is on corruption in a “province,” that is, a regional governmental administration.38

The Hebrew of verse 9 is famously difficult to interpret. It could be translated, “But the benefit [or “gain,” yitron] of the land is in the whole; a king is necessary for the purpose of cultivated fields.” As such the verse is drawing a contrast between the situation one might encounter in a local province and the overall state of a nation. The fact that corruption exists in one province does not necessarily mean an entire national government is a complete failure. The verse also acknowledges certain benefits (as well as costs) involved in submitting to a central administration, embodied ultimately in a king: national political order and stability allow for a productive (agrarian) economy, unlike the chaos and strife that ensue when domestic order is threatened by either internal or external unrest. As often happens in the Wisdom Literature, the world is depicted realistically with a view to developing a discerning perspective on life, without the text’s explicitly commenting on the morality of the situation. A biblically informed reader knows that officials who “pervert justice” are condemned by Scripture (Ex. 23:8; Deut. 16:19) and that the Lord will enact justice for the poor (Pss. 12:5; 14:6; 35:10). The Preacher does not need to editorialize about it.

5:10–17 The Preacher now addresses the implied root cause for the oppression of the poor mentioned in Ecclesiastes 5:8, namely, greed, or the inordinate desire for wealth. Like an addictive drug, wealth promises satisfaction it cannot supply, instead enslaving the possessor and driving him to seek more and more of it (v. 10). In verse 11 the Preacher could be acknowledging the presence of foreign overlords, who prey chiefly on the wealthier members of society (cf. comment on 6:1–6) and, accordingly, pay less attention to those with meager wealth. More likely he is simply observing one of the ironies of financial success, which is that the more wealth one acquires, the more expenses one also incurs. To expand a business, for example, involves additional expenses of staff and facilities, so that in the end the amount of wealth passing through one’s hands does not necessarily result in greater profit. While the common laborer may be relatively poor, he does not experience the stress the wealthy man does, who has to give constant attention to maintaining his businesses and financial interests (5:12).

As a further warning against greed, the Preacher relates the account of a “painful affliction” (on the meaning of “evil” in vv. 13, 16 cf. comment on 2:18–23 [at v. 21]). Specifically, he mentions a business venture gone awry (5:13–17). Although a certain man collected great wealth, through some misfortune he lost it all, leaving him with nothing to pass on to his son (v. 14). The mention of the man’s eventual death brings the Preacher back to his frequent consideration of human mortality. At death all of one’s wealth and possessions will be passed on to another, so that there is no ultimate “gain” in them (vv. 15–16). Not only did this unfortunate man learn the hard way that wealth is “vanity,” but his life turned out to be a miserable experience of vexation, sickness, anger—or, as the Preacher so poignantly puts it, “darkness” (v. 17).

5:18–20 The sad story in verses 13–17 provides a powerful supporting argument for the Preacher’s renewed urging to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in one’s toil (cf. comment on 2:24–26). As human beings, we have no choice but to persevere in “toiling” at some vocation. While our labor may seem slow and interminable at times, in the light of eternity it lasts merely a “few days” (5:18). Even if the results of one’s labors are “fleeting,” it is a divine blessing to be able to enjoy one’s vocation. Moreover, despite the many shortcomings of wealth discussed in verses 10–17, some people are divinely enabled to enjoy it properly, without becoming enslaved to it (v. 19). Verse 20 says that such a person “will not much remember the days of his life,” which is to be understood in the sense of not “stressing out” over his daily affairs. The believer who trusts God for his daily bread (Matt. 6:11; Luke 11:3) will not be excessively fixated on the accumulation of wealth or the question of whether one’s personal achievements will have a lasting impact on the world. There is a sanctified sense in which the wise person simply lives in the moment, in the joy that God provides.

6:1–6 The Preacher recounts another anecdote to illustrate the potential “evil” or “affliction” of wealth (cf. 2:21): even if one achieves financial success, someone else may enjoy it. In 6:2 “honor” (Hb. “glory”) refers not to an exalted position but to the splendor of wealth (“honor” and “riches” often occur together: 1 Chron. 29:12, 28; 2 Chron. 17:5; Est. 5:11; Prov. 3:16; 8:18; 22:4). The word translated “stranger” in Ecclesiastes 6:2 denotes a “foreigner”; as discussed (cf. Introduction: Author, Date, Occasion), this is one indication that the Preacher is addressing an audience subjugated to a foreign power. Though unjust, it is a common phenomenon in human history for overlords to take advantage of the nations they conquer and help themselves to the wealth of the populace. In verses 3, 6 the Preacher delves into hyperbole by adding some wildly unrealistic features to what would have been a common scenario in order to emphasize what a painful experience it is to attain splendid wealth only to have it claimed by foreign oppressors—even fathering a hundred children (v. 3) and living to the supernatural age of two thousand (v. 6) cannot relieve this burden! In fact, the Preacher says it would have been preferable to die in the womb as a stillborn than to be forced to endure such humiliation (vv. 3–5). (On the Preacher’s use of hyperbole cf. Introduction: Stylistic and Rhetorical Features.) He is exaggerating the scenario and the painful nature of the experience in order to emphasize his point.

6:7–9 In view of the exaggerated scenario depicted in verses 1–6 the Preacher draws some application regarding one’s “appetite” (vv. 7, 9), that is, one’s desires and longings. He has just observed in verse 6 that “all go to the one place,” and in verse 8 he specifies that both the wise and the foolish, as well as the rich and the poor (v. 8), are equal in terms of their mortal nature. Understanding the ultimate “vanity” of wealth in terms of its inability to grant eternal life should significantly curb one’s appetite for it. The problem is that the desire for wealth is insatiable. In verse 7 the reference to man’s “mouth” indicates a life focused on pleasure, just as the Hebrew verb “to eat” can be used in Ecclesiastes in an extended sense of “enjoying” something other than food, such as wealth (5:10, 19; 6:2). Thus the Preacher is addressing the person who accepts the necessity of toil but does so only as a means of amassing wealth for personal enjoyment rather than for the glory of God or ministering to the needs of others. Hence verse 7 represents what is ultimately a self-serving perspective on work. Diligent labor, apart from a God-oriented purpose, is not a virtue but a vice. It is for this reason that the Preacher issues a warning to keep one’s appetite in check (v. 9). While the “eyes” sometimes lead a person to sin (Num. 15:39; Job 31:7), in Ecclesiastes 6:9 the “sight of the eyes” refers to someone being cognizant of the attractions of wealth but not wandering after it in a fruitless attempt to find ultimate satisfaction.