What connection exists between "many cares" and "dreams" in Ecclesiastes 5:3? The Text “As a dream comes through many cares, so the speech of a fool comes with many words.” — Ecclesiastes 5:3 Unpacking the Picture • Solomon pairs two everyday experiences: • Night-dreams that spill out of a busy mind • Rambling speech that spills out of a foolish mouth • The form is parallel: “many cares ➞ dreams” // “many words ➞ foolish talk.” • The point: excess on the inside (anxious activity) and excess on the outside (wordiness) both produce something empty and unreliable. How “Many Cares” Produce Dreams • The Hebrew term translated “cares” (עִנְיָן, inyan) speaks of business, occupation, busyness. • A mind overloaded with: • anxieties (Proverbs 12:25) • activities and deadlines (Ecclesiastes 1:13) • unresolved worries (Job 4:13-15) tends to keep running after the lights go out. • Dreams in Scripture often picture what is fleeting (Isaiah 29:7-8) or illusory (Psalm 73:20). They lack substance, disappear by dawn, and cannot be trusted for guidance unless God is the source (Genesis 40; Matthew 2). • So “many cares” → restless dreaming: the brain keeps chewing on unfinished business, creating story-lines that fade with sunrise. Parallel Lesson from the Fool’s Mouth • Just as mental overload births worthless dreams, verbal overload births worthless talk. • “Many words” reveal a heart that hasn’t learned restraint (Proverbs 10:19; James 1:19). The listener is left with noise, not nourishment. • Solomon’s pairing drives home the underlying principle: quantity without wisdom equals emptiness. Practical Implications • Guard the heart’s agenda: trim needless obligations that crowd out rest (Psalm 127:2). • Cast cares on the LORD before lying down (1 Peter 5:7); fewer cares, fewer fretful dreams. • Guard the tongue: choose silence over surplus speech (Proverbs 17:27-28). • Seek substance—whether in thought life or conversation—so what flows out has weight and benefit. Supporting Scriptures • Mark 4:19 — “But the worries of this life…choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” • Philippians 4:6-7 — “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything…let your requests be made known to God.” • Proverbs 12:25 — “Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.” • James 1:26 — “If anyone considers himself religious yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart.” Take-Away Busy minds dream; quiet, trustful minds rest. Wordy mouths stumble; restrained, thoughtful lips bless. Solomon invites us to trade “many cares” for confidence in God and “many words” for measured, meaningful speech. |
    |