SEV Biblia, Chapter 5:11
Cuando los bienes se aumentan, también se aumentan los que los comen. ¿Qué bien, pues, tendrá su dueño, sino verlos con sus ojos?
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 5:11
Verse 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."
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 11. When goods increase, they are increased that eat them , etc.] 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 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, etc. 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?”
Matthew Henry Commentary
What renders devotion vain. (Eccl. 5:1-3) Of vows, and oppression (Eccl. 5:4-8) the vanity of riches shown. (Eccl. 5:9-7) The right us of riches. (Eccl. 5:18-20)
Eccl. 5:1-3 Address thyself to the worship of God, and take time to compose thyself for it. Keep thy thoughts from roving and wandering keep thy affections from running out toward wrong objects. We shoul avoid vain repetitions; copious prayers are not here condemned, but those that are unmeaning. How often our wandering thoughts rende attendance on Divine ordinances little better than the sacrifice of fools! Many words and hasty ones, used in prayer, show folly in the heart, low thoughts of God, and careless thoughts of our own souls.
Eccl. 5:4-8 When a person made engagements rashly, he suffered his mouth to cause his flesh to sin. The case supposes a man coming to the priest, and pretending that his vow was made rashly, and that it woul be wrong to fulfil it. Such mockery of God would bring the Divin displeasure, which might blast what was thus unduly kept. We are to keep down the fear of man. Set God before thee; then, if thou seest the oppression of the poor, thou wilt not find fault with Divin Providence; nor think the worse of the institution of magistracy, when thou seest the ends of it thus perverted; nor of religion, when tho seest it will not secure men from suffering wrong. But thoug oppressors may be secure, God will reckon for all.
Eccl. 5:9-17 The goodness of Providence is more equally distribute than appears to a careless observer. The king needs the common thing of life, and the poor share them; they relish their morsel better tha he does his luxuries. There are bodily desires which silver itself wil not satisfy, much less will worldly abundance satisfy spiritual desires. The more men have, the better house they must keep, the mor servants they must employ, the more guests they must entertain, and the more they will have hanging on them. The sleep of the labourer i sweet, not only because he is tired, but because he has little care to break his sleep. The sleep of the diligent Christian, and his lon sleep, are sweet; having spent himself and his time in the service of God, he can cheerfully repose in God as his Rest. But those who have every thing else, often fail to secure a good night's sleep; their abundance breaks their rest. Riches do hurt, and draw away the hear from God and duty. Men do hurt with their riches, not only gratifyin their own lusts, but oppressing others, and dealing hardly with them They will see that they have laboured for the wind, when, at death they find the profit of their labour is all gone like the wind, the know not whither. How ill the covetous worldling bears the calamitie of human life! He does not sorrow to repentance, but is angry at the providence of God, angry at all about him; which doubles his affliction.
Eccl. 5:18-20 Life is God's gift. We must not view our calling as drudgery, but take pleasure in the calling where God puts us. cheerful spirit is a great blessing; it makes employments easy, an afflictions light. Having made a proper use of riches, a man wil remember the days of his past life with pleasure. The manner in whic Solomon refers to God as the Giver, both of life and its enjoyments shows they ought to be received and to be used, consistently with his will, and to his glory. Let this passage recommend to all the kin words of the merciful Redeemer, "Labour not for the meat tha perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life. Christ is the Bread of life, the only food of the soul. All are invite to partake of this heavenly provision __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
ברבות 7235 הטובה 2896 רבו 7235 אוכליה 398 ומה 4100 כשׁרון 3788 לבעליה 1167 כי 3588 אם 518 ראית 7200 עיניו׃ 5869
