Ecclesiastes 5:13

Hoarding Wealth Can Backfire

¹² The sleep of a working man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach (greed) of the rich [who hungers for even more] will not let him sleep. ¹³ There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being kept and hoarded by their owner to his own misery. ¹⁴ For when those riches are lost in bad investments and he becomes the father of a son, then there is nothing in his hand [for the support of the child].

In the World

On Earth

Under the Sun

Ecclesiastes 6:1-2

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily on men:

Genesis 13:5-11

But Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents.

Genesis 14:16

And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, and also the women, and the people.

Genesis 19:14

So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were [betrothed, and legally promised] to marry his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he appeared to be joking.

Genesis 19:26

But Lot’s wife, from behind him, [foolishly, longingly] looked [back toward Sodom in an act of disobedience], and she became a pillar of salt.

Genesis 19:31-38

The firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is aging, and there is not a man on earth [available] to be intimate with us in the customary way [so that we may have children].

Proverbs 1:11-13

If they say, “Come with us;
Let us lie in wait to shed blood,
Let us ambush the innocent without cause;

Proverbs 1:19

So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
Greed takes away the lives of its possessors.

Proverbs 1:32

“For the turning away of the naive will kill them,
And the careless ease of [self-righteous] fools will destroy them.

Proverbs 11:4

Riches will not provide security in the day of wrath and judgment,
But righteousness rescues from death.

Proverbs 11:24-25

There is the one who [generously] scatters [abroad], and yet increases all the more;
And there is the one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want and poverty.

Ecclesiastes 4:8

There was a certain man—without a dependent, having neither a child nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches and he never asked, “For whom do I labor and deprive myself of pleasure?” This too is vanity (a wisp of smoke, self-conceit); yes, it is a painful effort and an unhappy task.

Ecclesiastes 8:9

All this I have seen while applying my mind to every deed that is done under the sun. There is a time in which one man has exercised power over others to their detriment.

Isaiah 32:6-8

For the fool speaks nonsense,
And his heart (mind) plans wickedness:
To practice ungodliness and to speak error concerning the Lord,
To keep the craving of the hungry unsatisfied
And to deprive the thirsty of drink.

Zephaniah 1:18

Neither their silver nor their gold
Will be able to rescue them
On the day of the Lord’s indignation and wrath.
And the whole earth will be consumed
In the fire of His jealous wrath,
For He shall make a full and complete end,
Indeed a terrifying one,
Of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Luke 12:16-21

Then He told them a parable, saying, “There was a rich man whose land was very fertile and productive.

Luke 16:1-13

Now Jesus was also saying to the disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager [of his estate], and accusations [against this man] were brought to him, that this man was squandering his [master’s] possessions.

Luke 16:19

“Now there was a certain rich man who was habitually dressed in expensive purple and fine linen, and celebrated and lived joyously in splendor every day.

Luke 16:22-23

Now it happened that the poor man died and his spirit was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom (paradise); and the rich man also died and was buried.

Luke 18:22-23

When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “You still lack one thing; sell everything that you have and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have [abundant] treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk].”

Isaiah 2:20

In that day men will throw away to the moles and to the bats
Their idols of silver and their idols of gold,
Which they made for themselves [as objects] to worship,

Luke 19:8

Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “See, Lord, I am [now] giving half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I will give back four times as much.”

1 Timothy 6:9-10

But those who [are not financially ethical and] crave to get rich [with a compulsive, greedy longing for wealth] fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction [leading to personal misery].

James 2:5-7

Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters: has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and [as believers to be] heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

James 5:1-4

Come [quickly] now, you rich [who lack true faith and hoard and misuse your resources], weep and howl over the miseries [the woes, the judgments] that are coming upon you.