Ecclesiastes 5:16 · Bible study
Ecclesiastes 5:16 Commentary: The Emptiness of Labouring for the Wind
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore what 'labouring for the wind' means in Ecclesiastes 5:16, a critique of wealth that leads to the biblical call to receive God's gifts with joy.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The futile pursuit of wealth leads to emptiness because nothing can be carried past death.
- Key words: “Grievous evil” (an emphatic judgment), “labour for the wind” (work whose object is as fleeting as air).
- Main debate: Whether this critique is purely cynical or clears ground for the positive call to enjoy life as God’s gift.
- Theological theme: Human mortality; the limits of material security; the proper posture of receiving from God.
- Best use: A sobering but hopeful reminder to reorder priorities around eternal rather than temporary treasures.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
This too is a grievous evil: Exactly as a man is born, so he will depart. What does he gain as he toils for the wind?
WEB World English Bible 2000
This also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go. And what profit does he have who labors for the wind?
KJV King James Version 1769
And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that he laboreth for the wind?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And this also is a painful evil, just as he came, so he goeth, and what advantage is to him who laboureth for wind?
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came so doth he go away, and what profit hath he, in having laboured for the wind?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
All the days of his life he eateth in darkness, and in many cares, and in misery, and sorrow.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Este también es un gran mal, que como vino, así haya de volver. ¿ Y de qué le aprovechó trabajar al viento?
De modo que isto também é um mal causador de sofrimentos, que exatamente como veio, assim se vai; e que proveito ele teve em trabalhar para o vento?
De plus, toute sa vie il mange dans les ténèbres, et il a beaucoup de chagrin, de maux et d’ irritation.
Das ist ein böses Übel, daß er hinfährt, wie er gekommen ist. Was hilft' s ihm denn, daß er in den Wind gearbeitet hat?
Daarom is dit ook een kwaad, dat krankheid aanbrengt; dat hij in alle manier, gelijk hij gekomen is, alzo heen gaat; en wat voordeel is het hem, dat hij in den wind gearbeid heeft?
Anche questo è un male grave: ch’ei se ne vada tal e quale era venuto; e qual profitto gli viene dall’aver faticato per il vento?
Dotego, że po wszystkie dni swoje w ciemności jadał z wielkim kłopotem, z boleścią i z gniewem.
А он во все дни свои ел впотьмах, в большом раздражении, в огорчении и досаде.
他來 的情形怎樣，他去 的情形也怎樣。這 也 是一宗大 禍患。他 為風 勞碌 有甚麼 益處呢？
And this again is a great evil, that in all points as he came so will he go; and what profit has he in working for the wind?
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse drives home the point of the preceding verses: wealth cannot be carried beyond death, so hoarding it is a tragic waste. Cambridge Bible notes that the question “What profit?” echoes earlier refrains (Ecclesiastes 1:3; 2:22; 3:9), marking it as a central concern of the book. Gill’s Exposition stresses that “in all points as he came, so shall he go” means a person enters and leaves the world stripped of everything, naked in body and empty of accumulated goods. The phrase “labouring for the wind” is nearly identical to the “feeding on wind” or “striving after the wind” that the Preacher has already declared to be the key-note of the whole book. Matthew Henry calls it a “sore evil” because the covetous person mistakes shadows for substance. Wesley’s Notes adds that the wind represents riches that are empty, uncertain, and transitory, properties that make any labour for them futile. What unites these voices is the recognition that this verse is not merely cynical but truthful: in death, all human striving for material things meets its limit, and the wise life reorients toward what endures.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Cynical-realist reading: The recurring ‘what profit?’ question (1:3; 2:22; 3:9) suggests all labour under the sun is ultimately empty.
- Reading in light of the surrounding passage: Verses 18–20 immediately offer an alternative: receive food, drink and work as God’s gift. The critique of v. 16 is the foil for that joyful reception.
- Spiritual application (Gill): Gill distinguishes the unregenerate (who die as they came, in sin) from the redeemed (who die justified), seeing an implicit evangelistic hope in the contrast.
What is clear: All readers agree that wealth cannot be carried beyond death and that labour aimed solely at accumulating it is fundamentally misdirected.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The meaning of 'grievous evil' | All traditions see it as a strong indictment of the folly of wealth hoarding. | Some understand it as an absolute statement about all riches (wealth itself is vanity), while others see it as describing a specific pattern, accumulating without enjoying or trusting God. |
| 'As he came, so shall he go', physical or spiritual? | Everyone agrees the primary meaning is physical: we enter and leave the world with nothing material. | Gill’s Exposition adds a spiritual layer: the unregenerate come in sin and go in sin, while the redeemed come in sin but go justified, so the statement is not universally true in the same way. |
| The function of the wind metaphor | The wind stands for emptiness, transience, and the inability to grasp lasting profit. | Some emphasize the danger of wind (like a storm), others stress the sheer futility (striving after something that cannot be held). Both readings point to the same conclusion: such labour is wasted. |
| Whether this verse leads to despair or to hope | The verse is a lament and a critique that must be taken seriously. | Evangelicals and Reformed writers often read it as a wake-up call that points to the need for God’s gift of joy (vv. 18, 20). A more cynical reading, popular in secular existentialism, treats the Preacher as a disillusioned sage whose only answer is to eat and drink before you die. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Ecclesiastes 5:16 sits within a longer wisdom reflection on the futility of wealth, a theme common in ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature. The Preacher (traditionally identified with Solomon) observes life “under the sun”, a vantage point that deliberately excludes heavenly perspective in order to test what can be known from sheer human experience (Ecclesiastes 1:13, 14). In the ancient world, wealth was often seen as a sign of divine blessing, yet the Preacher repeatedly challenges that assumption. Here he draws on the universal reality of birth and death: no one brings a thing into the world, and no one carries a thing out.
The metaphor of “wind” is especially striking in Hebrew poetry. Wind is visible only in its effects, cannot be grasped, and vanishes as quickly as it comes. Proverbs 11:29 says that “troubling one’s own house shall inherit the wind,” and Isaiah 26:18 describes failed deliverance as giving birth “only to wind.” In Ecclesiastes, the Preacher uses this image to argue that labour aimed at accumulating wealth, especially when the wealth is never enjoyed, is a pursuit of emptiness. The historical setting of the book (likely post-exilic, though some date it earlier) was one of economic uncertainty and shifting fortunes, making the warning especially pointed. People then, as now, could watch their life’s work vanish through misfortune, theft, or death. The surrounding passage makes a deliberate pivot in verses 18, 20, where the Preacher counsels that the proper response is not despair but receiving each day’s food and work as gifts from God. The verse thus functions as a hinge: it presses the reader to confront death honestly so that life can be lived freely.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Ecclesiastes 5:16. The Masoretic Text is stable, and the early versions (Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac) reflect the same reading. The word rendered “evil” (Hebrew ra‘ah) is consistent across witnesses, and the phrase “labouring for the wind” appears without major disagreement.
Reception History
Throughout church history, Ecclesiastes 5:16 has been a staple of funeral sermons and exhortations against greed. The early church fathers read it as a reminder of human mortality and the emptiness of worldly accumulation; Augustine, for instance, referenced the “naked we came” theme in his City of God. Medieval monastic writers used the verse to commend voluntary poverty and detachment. The Reformers, especially Luther and Calvin, saw in it a warning against trusting in works for salvation, since no labour can purchase what only grace gives. More recently, preachers from varied traditions have paired the verse with 1 Timothy 6:7 (“we brought nothing into the world”) to call believers to generosity and to treasure heavenly riches. The question “what profit?” remains one of the most haunting refrains in Scripture, challenging every generation to examine what they are really building.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- The undeniable frame: exactly as we come, so we go. Naked, empty-handed, powerless over the boundaries of life (v. 15, 16).
- The futile pursuit: labouring for the wind is any work that aims at a prize that cannot survive death, especially wealth hoarded but not enjoyed.
- The better portion: God’s gift is to eat, drink, and receive joy in work (vv. 18, 20). The critique clears ground for gratitude.
Five-Point Outline
- The grievous evil named: a life spent acquiring what you must leave.
- The universal truth: death is the great equaliser; birth and death have the same posture of emptiness.
- The emptiness of wealth without God: the wind metaphor rules out any “profit” that can be held in the hand at the end.
- The invitation disguised as a lament: the Preacher wants readers to see the folly so they can turn toward what satisfies.
- The Christian hope that enlarges the picture: Christ’s resurrection means that labour “in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58) because it is caught up in something beyond the wind.
Illustration Hooks
- The moving truck: When a family relocates, they pack everything they own. At the moment of death, no trucks are hired. The contrast is stark, and the Preacher wants us to feel it.
- The coin left on the table: A person who spends decades stockpiling money, never spending it, is like one who fills a cup only to watch it be knocked over. The wind image captures the frustration.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- Does this mean all work is pointless? (The Preacher would answer: no, work itself is a gift; it’s work aimed at wind that is pointless.)
- Is it wrong to save for retirement or leave an inheritance? (The verse critiques the spirit of accumulation that forgets God, not prudent planning.)
- How do I know if I am “labouring for the wind”? (When the thought of losing money causes more anxiety than the thought of losing Christ.)
Leading a Discussion
This verse invites a group to look honestly at the relationship between work, wealth, and the unavoidable end of life. The Preacher uses stark language not to depress us but to free us from the illusion that any amount of labour can produce lasting security. Use these questions to help the group move from observation to honest reflection to practical change.
Discussion Questions
- Read verses 15, 16 together. What makes this a “grievous evil” in the Preacher’s eyes?
- How does the image of “wind” capture something about the nature of wealth or of labour spent on wealth?
- Why does the Preacher keep asking “what profit?” (see 1:3; 2:22; 3:9)? What does that question reveal about his search for meaning?
- If you were to describe “labouring for the wind” in one modern sentence, what would you say?
- Verses 18, 20 take a surprising turn: the Preacher endorses eating, drinking, and enjoying work. How does the critique of verse 16 actually make room for that thanksgiving?
- How does knowing you can take nothing with you change the way you think about your current job, savings, or financial worries?
- What small step could your group take this week to practice receiving God’s gifts with open hands rather than clenched fists?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| I Samuel 12:21 | Don’t turn away to go after vain things which can’t profit or deliver, for they are vain. |
| Proverbs 11:29 | He who troubles his own house shall inherit the wind. The foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart. |
| Ecclesiastes 1:3 | What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun? |
| Ecclesiastes 2:22 | For what does a man have of all his labor and of the striving of his heart, in which he labors under the sun? |
| Ecclesiastes 2:23 | For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity. |
| Ecclesiastes 5:13 | There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm. |
| Isaiah 26:18 | We have been with child. We have been in pain. We gave birth, it seems, only to wind. We have not worked any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen. |
| Jeremiah 2:8 | The priests didn’t say, ‘Where is Yahweh?’ and those who handle the law didn’t know me. The rulers also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal and followed things that do not profit. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges sees laboring for the wind as a direct reference to feeding on wind meaning striving after something that gives no result. This image shows work that leads to complete emptiness.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note stresses that this person's misery is not occasional but constant: every single day, even at meals, he lives in darkness, grief, sorrow and anger. The commentator sees no relief or interval—the wealth brings only unrelieved gloom and inner turmoil.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that "as he came, so shall he go" holds only in natural and worldly matters. The unregenerate enter and depart in sin, but believers leave this world without sin, clothed in Christ's righteousness and made perfectly holy.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes that even if a person keeps all his wealth before dying he will still leave it behind. He also says such work is like toiling for the wind.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch see those who work hard for no reward as existing in complete parallel to the way they arrived. Their efforts bring no advantage because they serve a windless purpose.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that the Hebrew word for the evil here means more than sickness or weakness—it conveys being in great pain, a storm hurled on the wicked. This makes the tragedy overwhelming: a man passes from darkness into darkness, with nothing gained from his labor.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that Solomon shows great riches are just as vain as other desires because a person who works hard gains nothing at death. He believes this teaches that having much wealth does not bring true happiness.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that riches are like the wind because they vanish quickly and cannot be kept. They bring no lasting satisfaction even though people try to hold onto them.