Ecclesiastes 5:15
As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.
Ecclesiastes 5:15 in other translations
| BSB | As a man came from his mother’s womb, so he will depart again, naked as he arrived. He takes nothing for his labor to carry in his hands. |
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| WEB | As he came out of his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand. |
| ASV | As he came forth from his mother’s womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand. |
| YLT | As he came out from the belly of his mother, naked he turneth back to go as he came, and he taketh not away anything of his labour, that doth go in his hand. |
| DARBY | As he came forth from his mother's womb, naked shall he go away again as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand. |
| BBE | As he came from his mother at birth, so does he go again; he gets from his work no reward which he may take away in his hand. |
| Webster | As he came into the world, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand. |
What does Ecclesiastes 5:15 mean?
Adam Clarke's Commentary
Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ecclesiastes 5:9-17
The goodness of Providence is more equally distributed than appears to a careless observer. The king needs the common things of life, and the poor share them; they relish their morsel better than he does his luxuries. There are bodily desires which silver itself will not satisfy, much less will worldly abundance satisfy spiritual desires. The more men have, the better house they must keep, the more servants they…
Ecclesiastes 5:15 in the original Hebrew
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Cross references for Ecclesiastes 5:15
- Psalms 49:17
For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.
- Job 1:21
And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
- 1 Timothy 6:7
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
- Luke 12:20
But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
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Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Context
- Ecclesiastes 5:14
But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.
- Ecclesiastes 5:15
As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.
- Ecclesiastes 5:16
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?
Ecclesiastes 5:15 in other languages
| Spanish Reina-Valera 1909 | Como salió del vientre de su madre, desnudo, así se vuelve, tornando como vino; y nada tuvo de su trabajo para llevar en su mano. |
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| French Bible J.N. Darby 1885 | Et cela aussi est un mal douloureux, que, tout comme il est venu, ainsi il s’en va; et quel profit a-t-il d’avoir travaillé pour le vent? |
| German Elberfelder 1871 | Gleichwie er aus dem Leibe seiner Mutter hervorgekommen ist, wird er nackt wieder hingehen, wie er gekommen ist; und für seine Mühe wird er nicht das Geringste davontragen, das er in seiner Hand mitnehmen könnte. |
| Latin Clementine Vulgate | Miserabilis prorsus infirmitas: quomodo venit, sic revertetur. Quid ergo prodest ei quod laboravit in ventum? |