Ecclesiastes 5:10 · Bible study
Ecclesiastes 5:10 Commentary: Why Money Never Satisfies
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Ecclesiastes 5:10 study: why love of silver never satisfies. Historical context, commentary, discussion questions, and sermon outlines.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The love of money leads to endless dissatisfaction, not fulfillment.
- Key words: Silver (money), abundance (multitude of possessions), increase (income or fruit), vanity.
- Main debate: Whether the second clause is a statement ('has no increase') or a question ('who loves abundance, has no fruit?'); both agree on insatiability.
- Theological theme: The self-defeating nature of greed; human insufficiency apart from God.
- Best use: Teaching on money, contentment, and the fear of God as the alternative to covetousness.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile.
WEB World English Bible 2000
He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity.
KJV King James Version 1769
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance, with increase: this also is vanity.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Whoso is loving silver is not satisfied with silver, nor he who is in love with stores with increase. Even this is vanity.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he that loveth abundance with increase. This also is vanity.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
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?
Translations in other languages (10 available)
El que ama el dinero, no se hartará de dinero; y el que ama el mucho tener, no sacará fruto. También esto es vanidad.
Aquele que amar o dinheiro, nunca se fartará de dinheiro; e quem amar a riqueza, nunca se fartará com seus bens; isto também é futilidade.
Quand le bien abonde, ceux qui le mangent abondent; et quel avantage en revient-il à son possesseur, sinon qu’ il le voit de ses yeux?
Wer Geld liebt, wird Geldes nimmer satt; und wer Reichtum liebt, wird keinen Nutzen davon haben. Das ist auch eitel.
Die het geld liefheeft, wordt van het geld niet zat; en wie den overvloed liefheeft, wordt van het inkomen niet zat. Dit is ook ijdelheid.
Chi ama l’argento non è saziato con l’argento; e chi ama le ricchezze non ne trae profitto di sorta. Anche questo è vanità.
Gdzie wiele majętności, wiele bywa tych, co ją jedzą. Cóż tedy za pożytek Panu z tego? jedno że na nie patrzy oczyma swemi.
Умножается имущество, умножаются и потребляющие его; и какое благо для владеющего им: разве только смотреть своими глазами?
貪愛 銀子的，不 因得銀子 知足；貪愛 豐富 的，也不 因得利益知足。這 也是 虛空。
He who has a love for silver never has enough silver, or he who has love for wealth, enough profit. This again is to no purpose.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree on the core point: the love of money is inherently insatiable. Adam Clarke notes the Latin proverb crescit amor nummi, quantum ipsa pecunia crescit, the love of money grows as money itself grows. Cambridge Bible and Gill both cite Juvenal's semper avarus eget, the miser always in need. Keil and Delitzsch observe that insatiableness lies in the very nature of covetousness. On the second clause, the one who loves abundance (a multitude of goods) finds no increase or fruit from it (so Keil and Delitzsch, rejecting a question-reading). The Teacher's verdict, 'This also is vanity', seals the observation. The passage is not a prohibition of wealth but a diagnosis: greed promises satisfaction yet delivers only craving. This simple warning from Qoheleth searches every generation that puts its trust in possessions.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The love of money leads to insatiable desire rather than fulfillment, as the experience of the covetous confirms.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Love of money vs. money itself | The verse condemns the love of money, not legitimate use of wealth. | Some traditions emphasise that wealth itself is spiritually dangerous; others maintain it is neutral and only the heart's attachment matters. |
| Meaning of 'increase' or 'fruit' | Whatever is gained from abundance does not satisfy. | The word 'increase' (תְּבוּאָה, tevu'ah) can mean 'income' or 'produce', some read 'no increase' as no additional gain, others as 'no real profit/benefit' from abundance. |
| What cures the greed described here | Only turning to God can satisfy the insatiable heart. | Protestant traditions stress contentment in Christ and trusting God's providence; Catholic and Orthodox traditions also include sacramental discipline; a common thread is the fear of God (5:7) as the starting point. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This verse sits in a section (Ecclesiastes 5:8, 6:9) where Qoheleth moves from public injustice to private greed. Having observed oppression by officials (v.8), he now examines the heart that loves money. Silver (כֶּסֶף, kesef) was the standard coinage of the ancient Near East; Keil and Delitzsch note that the word for silver had become the general term for money. The parallel 'abundance' (הָמוֹן, hamon) suggests a tumultuous multitude, crowded possessions, servants, luxury goods (Gill cites Aben Ezra and Jarchi on this). The surrounding verses drive the point home: when goods increase, so do those who consume them (v.11); the rich cannot sleep (v.12); wealth perishes through misfortune (v.13, 14). The cultural backdrop includes an agrarian economy where land produced real sustenance, yet the miser exchanged that for the illusion of security in coin. Ancient wisdom, both Israelite and pagan, knew this pattern, Ecclesiastes shares ground with Proverbs 30:15, 16, where the leech and the grave are never satisfied. Qoheleth's contribution is to place this observation under his repeated verdict: vanity. The verse does not forbid wealth but exposes a disordered love that leaves the soul empty. The same invitation to fear God and enjoy his gifts (5:18, 20) stands open.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant manuscript variants for this verse. Some discussion exists over whether the second clause is a statement or a question, as the Hebrew syntax allows both readings. Keil and Delitzsch argue against the question-reading, noting it is not Qoheleth's style. This is a grammatical ambiguity, not a textual variant.
Reception History
This verse has been a key text in Christian teaching on greed, used across traditions to warn against the love of money. The Latin proverb semper avarus eget, quoted by commentators from Juvenal onward, shows its resonance in classical moral philosophy. Early church fathers applied it to the sin of avarice; monastic writers used it to commend voluntary poverty. In the Protestant Reformation, it was cited to caution against the notion that material prosperity is a sure sign of blessing. Its pairing with Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, which commends enjoyment of God's gifts, provided a balanced perspective. Across the centuries, this verse has called readers back to the simple truth: only God can fill the longing that wealth leaves hollow.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The object of love: silver and abundance, the things we think will satisfy.
- The result of love: no satisfaction, no real fruit, the promised fulfillment never arrives.
- The verdict: vanity, the Teacher's final word on every worldly security.
Five-point outline
- The nature of greed: loving silver for its own sake (v.10a).
- The broken promise: the more you have, the more you want (v.10b).
- The expanding circle: more goods bring more dependents, not more rest (v.11).
- The loss of peace: abundance robs sleep; the labourer rests, the rich can't (v.12).
- The ultimate end: wealth perishes, the owner leaves with nothing (v.13-17).
Illustration hooks
- A person receives a promotion with a large raise. For a few weeks there is excitement. Then they begin planning the next step; the old salary now feels inadequate. The hunger grows with the portion.
- A lottery winner is interviewed months after the win. Their life is not happier; friends and relatives have made demands, trust is gone, and the money has brought anxiety rather than peace.
- The experience of scrolling online shopping: finding an item, wanting it, ordering it, opening the box, and then quickly looking for the next thing. The satisfaction lasts minutes.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why do I still feel empty inside when I have everything I need?
- Is it wrong to want to be financially secure or to desire more for my family?
- How can I tell if I love money too much?
Leading a Discussion
Ecclesiastes 5:10 exposes a painful truth: the more we love money, the less it satisfies. This passage invites honest self-examination and points us to the freedom that comes from fearing God and enjoying his gifts.
Discussion questions
- What does this verse say about the relationship between loving silver and being satisfied? Why does the Teacher call this 'vanity'?
- The second clause is translated in different ways: 'nor he that loves abundance with increase' or 'he who loves abundance has no fruit thereof.' How does each translation shape the meaning?
- Read Ecclesiastes 5:11-17. How do the following verses (the sleepless rich, wealth that perishes, leaving naked) reinforce the point of verse 10?
- In what ways does our culture promise that money will satisfy? Where do you see that promise break down?
- The passage does not condemn money itself but the love of it. How would you describe the difference between using money wisely and loving it?
- The Teacher later says that enjoying food, drink, and work is 'the gift of God' (5:18-20). How does contentment differ from the greed described here?
- What small step could you take this week to loosen money's hold on your heart and rest more in God's provision?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 52:1 | For the Chief Musician. A contemplation by David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, “David has come to Ahimelech’s house.” Why do you boast of mischief, mighty man? God’s loving kindness endures continually. |
| Psalms 52:7 | “Behold, this is the man who didn’t make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.” |
| Psalms 62:10 | Don’t trust in oppression. Don’t become vain in robbery. If riches increase, don’t set your heart on them. |
| Proverbs 30:15 | “The leech has two daughters: ‘Give, give.’ “There are three things that are never satisfied; four that don’t say, ‘Enough!’: |
| Proverbs 30:16 | Sheol, the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that doesn’t say, ‘Enough!’ |
| Ecclesiastes 1:17 | I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind. |
| Ecclesiastes 2:11 | Then I looked at all the works that my hands had worked, and at the labor that I had labored to do; and behold, all was vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was no profit under the sun. |
| Ecclesiastes 2:17 | So I hated life, because the work that is worked under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the love for money grows as the amount of money increases. This growing desire never ends no matter how much one possesses.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that the phrase about loving silver shows money never satisfies a person. It remains empty no matter how much one has. This proves everything is vanity.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note observes that growing wealth only attracts more people to consume it, leaving the owner with no real benefit beyond the mere sight of it. Possession alone provides nothing lasting or satisfying.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill contrasts the tangible satisfaction of farming's produce with the insatiable greed for money, noting that a person cannot eat bags of gold or silver. Even immense wealth never satisfies the covetous heart, making the love of money a vain and fruitless pursuit.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Christians who hold the view that God will ultimately judge the wicked point to Ecclesiastes 5:10 as showing those who unjustly take money have no lasting joy from it. They also note that such people are not satisfied with the more they gain.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch note that the word for silver is used because it represents coin rather than gold. They explain that clinging to wealth brings no real benefit since it only creates more desire and unrest.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that those who love money think it will bring true happiness but it does not. He shows that having great riches is just as vain as other desires because a person still leaves nothing useful behind when he dies.