Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields. New Living Translation Even the king milks the land for his own profit! English Standard Version But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields. Berean Standard Bible The produce of the earth is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields. King James Bible Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. New King James Version Moreover the profit of the land is for all; even the king is served from the field. New American Standard Bible After all, a king who cultivates the field is beneficial to the land. NASB 1995 After all, a king who cultivates the field is an advantage to the land. NASB 1977 After all, a king who cultivates the field is an advantage to the land. Legacy Standard Bible But the advantage of the land in everything is this—a king committed to a cultivated field. Amplified Bible After all, a king who cultivates the field is an advantage to the land. Christian Standard Bible The profit from the land is taken by all; the king is served by the field. Holman Christian Standard Bible The profit from the land is taken by all; the king is served by the field. American Standard Version Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. Contemporary English Version And since the king is the highest official, he benefits most from the taxes paid on the land. English Revised Version Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. GOD'S WORD® Translation Yet, a king is an advantage for a country with cultivated fields. Good News Translation Even a king depends on the harvest. International Standard Version Also, the increase of the land belongs to everyone; the king himself is served by his field. Majority Standard Bible The produce of the earth is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields. NET Bible The produce of the land is seized by all of them, even the king is served by the fields. New Heart English Bible Moreover the profit of the earth is for all. The king profits from the field. Webster's Bible Translation Moreover, the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. World English Bible Moreover the profit of the earth is for all. The king profits from the field. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd the abundance of a land is for all. A king for a field is served. Young's Literal Translation And the abundance of a land is for all. A king for a field is served. Smith's Literal Translation And the profit of the earth in all: it is the king being served to the field. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleMoreover there is the king that reigneth over all the land subject to him. Catholic Public Domain Version New American Bible But profitable for a land in such circumstances is a king concerned about cultivation. New Revised Standard Version But all things considered, this is an advantage for a land: a king for a plowed field. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleMoreover the riches of the earth are for all; the king, himself, is served by cultivating his own field. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And the profit of Earth in all is a King cultivating a field. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917But the profit of a land every way is a king that maketh himself servant to the field. Brenton Septuagint Translation Also the abundance of the earth is for every one: the king is dependent on the tilled field. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The Futility of Wealth8If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished at the matter; for one official is watched by a superior, and others higher still are over them. 9The produce of the earth is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields. 10He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile.… Cross References Psalm 72:16 May there be an abundance of grain in the land; may it sway atop the hills. May its fruit trees flourish like the forests of Lebanon, the people of its cities like the grass of the field. Proverbs 27:18 Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored. Isaiah 3:14 The LORD brings this charge against the elders and leaders of His people: “You have devoured the vineyard; the plunder of the poor is in your houses. Jeremiah 22:13 “Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms without justice, who makes his countrymen serve without pay, and fails to pay their wages, Micah 3:1-3 Then I said: “Hear now, O leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Should you not know justice? / You hate good and love evil. You tear the skin from my people and strip the flesh from their bones. / You eat the flesh of my people after stripping off their skin and breaking their bones. You chop them up like flesh for the cooking pot, like meat in a cauldron.” James 5:4 Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. / Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share, / treasuring up for themselves a firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. Luke 12:15 And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Matthew 6:19-21 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. / But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. / For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Proverbs 28:19 The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty. Isaiah 5:8 Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field until no place is left and you live alone in the land. Ezekiel 34:2-3 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed their flock? / You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened sheep, but you do not feed the flock. Amos 8:4-6 Hear this, you who trample the needy, who do away with the poor of the land, / asking, “When will the New Moon be over, that we may sell grain? When will the Sabbath end, that we may market wheat? Let us reduce the ephah and increase the shekel; let us cheat with dishonest scales. / Let us buy the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the chaff with the wheat!” 1 Kings 21:1-16 Some time after these events, Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. / So Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to use as a vegetable garden, since it is next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place—or if you prefer, I will give you its value in silver.” / But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” ... Nehemiah 5:1-5 About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews. / Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous. We must get grain in order to eat and stay alive.” / Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to get grain during the famine.” ... Treasury of Scripture Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. the profit Genesis 1:29,30 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat… Genesis 3:17-19 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; … Psalm 104:14,15 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; … the king 1 Samuel 8:12-17 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots… 1 Kings 4:7-23 And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made provision… 1 Chronicles 27:26-31 And over them that did the work of the field for tillage of the ground was Ezri the son of Chelub: … Jump to Previous Abundance Advantage Country Cultivated Dependent Earth Field Fields Generally Good Increase Maketh Moreover Profit Profitable Profits Servant Served Way WorkedJump to Next Abundance Advantage Country Cultivated Dependent Earth Field Fields Generally Good Increase Maketh Moreover Profit Profitable Profits Servant Served Way WorkedEcclesiastes 5 1. vanities in divine service8. in murmuring against oppression 9. and in riches 18. Joy in riches is the gift of God. The produce of the earth is taken by all; This phrase highlights the universal dependence on the earth's produce. In biblical times, agriculture was the foundation of the economy, and everyone, from the common laborer to the wealthy landowner, relied on the land for sustenance. This reflects the creation narrative in Genesis, where God provides the earth's resources for humanity's use. The idea that the earth's produce is for all can be seen in the laws of gleaning (Leviticus 19:9-10), which allowed the poor and the foreigner to gather leftover crops, emphasizing God's provision and care for all people. the king himself profits from the fields. Persons / Places / Events 1. The Preacher (Qoheleth)Traditionally understood to be Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, who is attributed as the author of Ecclesiastes. He reflects on the meaning of life and the pursuit of fulfillment. 2. The King Represents authority and governance, highlighting the hierarchical structure of society where even the highest authority benefits from the labor of the land. 3. The Earth/Fields Symbolizes the source of sustenance and wealth, emphasizing the agrarian context of ancient Israel where agriculture was central to life and economy. Teaching Points The Universality of ProvisionThe earth's produce is meant for all, reminding us of God's provision and the shared blessing of creation. We should be mindful of how we use and distribute resources. The Role of Authority Even those in positions of power are dependent on the basic provisions of the earth. This should instill humility and a sense of responsibility in leaders to care for the land and its people. Stewardship and Gratitude Recognize that all we have is ultimately from God. We are called to be good stewards of the earth's resources, using them wisely and with gratitude. Contentment and Trust Trust in God's provision rather than in material wealth. Contentment comes from recognizing that God provides for our needs through the earth's abundance. Community and Equity The produce of the earth is for all, suggesting a call to ensure equitable distribution and care for those in need within our communities.(9) Is served by.--Or, is servant to. Many eminent interpreters connect this verse with what precedes, and translate, "and on the whole the profit of the land is a king devoted to agriculture," an observation which it is hard to clear of the charge of irrelevance. I prefer, as in our version, to connect with the following verses, and the best explanation I can give of the connection of the paragraph is that it contains a consideration intended to mitigate the difficulty felt at the sight of riches acquired by oppression, namely, that riches add little to the real happiness of the possessors.Verse 9. - It has been much debated whether this verse should be connected with the preceding or the following paragraph. The Vulgate takes it with the preceding verse, Et insuper universae terrae rex imperat servienti; so the Septuagint; and this seems most natural, avarice, wealth, and its evils in private life being treated of in vers. 10 and many following. Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. The writer seems to be contrasting the misery of Oriental despotism, above spoken of, with the happiness of a country whose king was content to enrich himself, not by war, rapine, and oppression, but by the peaceful pursuits of agriculture, by cherishing the natural productions of his country, and encouraging his people in developing its resources. Such was Uzziah, who" loved husbandry" (2 Chronicles 26:10); and in Solomon's own time the arts of peace greatly flourished. There is much difficulty in interpreting the verse. The Vulgate rendering, "And moreover the King of the whole earth rules over his servant," probably means that God governs the king. But the present Hebrew text does not support this translation. The Septuagint has, Καὶ περίσσεια γῆς ἑπὶ παντί ἐστὶ βασιλεὺς τοῦ ἀγροῦ εἰργασμένου, which makes more difficulties. "Also the abundance of the earth is for every one, or upon every thing; the king (is dependent on) the cultivated land, or, there is a king to the land when cultivated," i.e. the throne itself depends on the due cultivation of the country. Or, removing the comma, "The profit of the land in everything is a king of the cultivated field." The Hebrew may safely be rendered, "But the profit of a land in all things is a king devoted to the field," i.e. who loves and fosters agriculture. It is difficult to suppose that Solomon himself wrote this sentence, however we may interpret it. According to the Authorized Version, the idea is that the profit of the soil extends to every rank of life; even the king, who seems superior to all, is dependent upon the industry of the people, and the favorable produce of the land. He could not be unjust and oppressive without injuring his revenues in the end. Ben-Sirs sings the praises of agriculture: "Hate not laborious work, neither husbandry., which the Most High hath ordained" (Ecclus. 7:15). Agriculture held a very prominent position in the Mosaic commonwealth. The enactments concerning the firstfruits, the sabbatical year, landmarks, the non-alienation of inheritances, etc., tended to give peculiar importance to cultivation of the soil. Cicero's praise of agriculture is often quoted. Thus ('De Senect.,' 15. sqq.; 'De Off.,' 1:42):" Omninm return, ex quibus aliquid acquiritur, nihil est agricultura melius, nihil uberius, nihil dulcius, nihil heroine libero dignius." Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew The produceוְיִתְר֥וֹן (wə·yiṯ·rō·wn) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 3504: Preeminence, gain of the earth אֶ֖רֶץ (’e·reṣ) Noun - feminine singular Strong's 776: Earth, land is taken by all; בַּכֹּ֣ל (bak·kōl) Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every the king himself מֶ֥לֶךְ (me·leḵ) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 4428: A king profits נֶעֱבָֽד׃ (ne·‘ĕ·ḇāḏ) Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 5647: To work, to serve, till, enslave from the fields. לְשָׂדֶ֖ה (lə·śā·ḏeh) Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 7704: Field, land Links Ecclesiastes 5:9 NIVEcclesiastes 5:9 NLT Ecclesiastes 5:9 ESV Ecclesiastes 5:9 NASB Ecclesiastes 5:9 KJV Ecclesiastes 5:9 BibleApps.com Ecclesiastes 5:9 Biblia Paralela Ecclesiastes 5:9 Chinese Bible Ecclesiastes 5:9 French Bible Ecclesiastes 5:9 Catholic Bible OT Poetry: Ecclesiastes 5:9 Moreover the profit of the earth (Ecclesiast. Ec Ecc Eccles.) |
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