Ecclesiastes 5:19

5:18-20 Life is God's gift. We must not view our calling as a drudgery, but take pleasure in the calling where God puts us. A cheerful spirit is a great blessing; it makes employments easy, and afflictions light. Having made a proper use of riches, a man will remember the days of his past life with pleasure. The manner in which 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 kind words of the merciful Redeemer, Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life. Christ is the Bread of life, the only food of the soul. All are invited to partake of this heavenly provision.

Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth,.... Which include the whole of a man's substance; all his estate, personal and real; and all his goods and possessions, movable and immovable, as gold, silver, cattle, fields, and farms; which are all the gift of God, by whatsoever means they may be acquired or possessed; and hath given him power; or, "caused him to have dominion" (r), over his wealth and riches, and not be a slave to them, as many are: but to have so much command of them and of himself, as to eat thereof; comfortably enjoy them; and dispose of them to his own good, the good of others, and the glory of God. It follows, and to take his portion; which God hath allotted him; to take it thankfully, and use it freely and comfortably; and to rejoice in his labour; in the things he has been labouring for, in a cheerful use of them; blessing God for them, and taking the comfort of them; this is the gift of God; to have such power over his substance, and not be a slave to it, and to enjoy the fruits of his labour, in a cheerful and comfortable manner; this is as much the gift of God as riches themselves (s). (r) "eumque dominari eum fecerit", Tigurine version; "imperare fecit eum", Gejerus; "dominari eum fecerit", Rambachius. (s) "Di tibi divitias dederunt, artemque fruendi", Horat. Ep. l. 1. Ep. 4. v. 7.

Ecclesiastes 5:19-20 . Every man also, &c. — “And whosoever he be whom God hath blessed, not only with plenty of worldly goods, but also with such a noble and generous mind that he is not their slave, but truly master of them,” (so the Hebrew, השׂלישׂו signifies,) “being able to enjoy them innocently, and that with cheerfulness, and to delight in doing good to others with them; let him be very thankful to Almighty God for so great a happiness, and acknowledge it to be a singular gift of his bounty.” For be shall not much remember the days of his life — “For he that is thus highly favoured by God, will not think life tedious or irksome; but, forgetting his past toils, and taking no” anxious “care for the future, will spend his time most comfortably; because God hath given him his hearths desire, in that inward tranquillity of mind, or, rather, joy and gladness of heart, wherewith God hath compensated all his pains, and testified his extraordinary kindness to him.” — Bishop Patrick. See notes on Ecclesiastes 2:24 ; and Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 .

19. As Ec 5:18 refers to the "laboring" man (Ec 5:12), so Ec 5:19 to the "rich" man, who gets wealth not by "oppression" (Ec 5:8), but by "God's gift." He is distinguished also from the "rich" man (Ec 6:2) in having received by God's gift not only "wealth," but also "power to eat thereof," which that one has not. to take his portion—limits him to the lawful use of wealth, not keeping back from God His portion while enjoying his own.

Hath given him power, Heb. hath given him the dominion ; who is the lord and master of his estate, not a slave to it. Of this and the former verse, See Poole "Ecclesiastes 2:24" ; See Poole "Ecclesiastes 3:12" , See Poole "Ecclesiastes 3:13" . To take his portion to his own use , to use what God hath given him.

19 . this is the gift of God ] The words indicate a return to the sense of dependence on the Divine bounty, which we have seen in chs. Ecclesiastes 2:24 , Ecclesiastes 3:13 . Life itself, and the outward goods of life, few or many, and the power to enjoy these, all are alike God’s gifts.

Verse 19. - Every man also. The sentence is anacoluthic, like Ecclesiastes 3:13 , and may best be rendered, Also for every man to whom ... this is a gift of God . Ginsburg connects the verse closely with the preceding one, supplying, "I have also seen that a man," etc. Whichever way we take the sentence, it comes to the same tiling, implying man's absolute dependence upon God's bounty. To whom God hath given riches and wealth . Before he can enjoy his possessions a man must first receive them from God's hands. The two terms here used are not quite synonymous. While the former word, osher ; is used for wealth of any kind whatever, the latter, nekasim , means properly "wealth in cattle," like the Latin pecunia , and thence used generally for riches ( volek ). Hath given him power to eat thereof. Abundance is useless without the power to enjoy it. This is the gift of God , a great and special bounty from a loving and gracious God. Thus Horace, 'Epist.,' 1:4. 7 - "Di tibi divitias dederunt artemque fruendi." "The gods have given you wealth, and (what is more)Have given you wisdom to enjoy your store." ( Howes. ) Ecclesiastes 5:19

This verse, expressing the same, is constructed anakolouthistically, altogether like Ecclesiastes 3:13 : "Also for every man to whom God hath given riches and treasures, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; just this is a gift of God." The anakolouthon can be rendered into English here as little as it can at Ecclesiastes 3:13 ; for if we allow the phrase, "also every man," the "also" remains fixed to the nearest conception, while in the Heb it governs the whole long sentence, and, at the nearest, belongs to זה. Cheerful enjoyment is in this life that which is most advisable; but also it is not made possible in itself by the possession of earthly treasures, - it is yet a special gift of God added thereto. Nechasim, besides here, occurs also in Joshua 22:8 ; 2 Chronicles 1:11 .; and in the Chald. of the Book of Ezra; Ezra 6:8 ; Ezra 7:26 . Also hishlit, to empower, to make possible, is Aram., Daniel 2:38 , Daniel 2:48 , as well as Heb., Psalm 119:133 ; the prevalence of the verbal stem שלט is characteristic of the Book of Koheleth. Helqo, "his portion," is just the cheerful enjoyment as that which man has here below of life, if he has any of it at all.

[Bible] 5:10. Where there are great riches, there are also many to eat them. And what doth it profit the owner, but that he seeth the riches with his eyes? 5:11. Sleep is sweet to a labouring man, whether he eat little or much: but the fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. 5:12. There is also another grievous evil, which I have seen under the sun: riches kept to the hurt of the owner. 5:13. For they are lost with very great affliction: he hath begotten a son, who shall be in extremity of want. 5:14. As he came forth naked from his mother's womb, so shall he return, and shall take nothing away with him of his labour. 5:15. A most deplorable evil: as he came, so shall he return. What then doth it profit him that he hath laboured for the wind? 5:16. All the days of his life he eateth in darkness, and in many cares, and in misery, and sorrow. 5:17. This therefore hath seemed good to me, that a man should eat and drink, and enjoy the fruit of his labour, wherewith he hath laboured under the sun, all the days of his life, which God hath given him: and this is his portion. 5:18. And every man to whom God hath given riches, and substance, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to enjoy his portion, and to rejoice of his labour: this is the gift of God. 5:19. For he shall not much remember the days of his life, because God entertaineth his heart with delight. Ecclesiastes Chapter 6 The misery of the covetous man. 6:1. There is also another evil, which I have seen under the sun, and that frequent among men: 6:2. A man to whom God hath given riches, and substance, and honour, and his soul wanteth nothing of all that he desireth: yet God doth not give him power to eat thereof, but a stranger shall eat it up. This is vanity and a great misery. 6:3. If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, and attain to a great age, and his soul make no use of the goods of his substance, and he be without burial: of this man I pronounce, that the untimely born is better than he.

Such a one will use, not abuse, earthly things (1 Corinthians 7:31). Opposed to the anxious life of the covetous (Ecclesiastes 5:10, 17). 19. As Ecclesiastes 5:18 refers to the "laboring" man (Ecclesiastes 5:12), so Ecclesiastes 5:19 to the "rich" man, who gets wealth not by "oppression" (Ecclesiastes 5:8), but by "God's gift." He is distinguished also from the "rich" man (Ecclesiastes 6:2) in having received by God's gift not only "wealth," but also "power to eat thereof," which that one has not. to take his portion —limits him to the lawful use of wealth, not keeping back from God His portion while enjoying his own. 20. He will not remember much, looking back with disappointment, as the ungodly do (Ecclesiastes 2:11), on the days of his life. answereth … in the joy —God answers his prayers in giving him "power" to enjoy his blessings. G ESENIUS and Vulgate translate, "For God (so) occupies him with joy," &c., that he thinks not much of the shortness and sorrows of life. H OLDEN , "Though God gives not much (as to real enjoyment), yet he remembers (with thankfulness) the days; for (he knows) God exercises him by the joy," &c. (tries him by prosperity), so Margin, but English Version is simplest. CHAPTER 6 Ecclesiastes 6:1-12. ## 1. common —or else more literally,—"great upon man," falls heavily upon man. 2. for his soul —that is, his enjoyment. God giveth him not power to eat —This distinguishes him from the "rich" man in Ecclesiastes 5:19.