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Ecclesiastes 4:8
There is onealone, andthere is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yetis there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neithersaith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? Thisis also vanity, yea, itis a sore travail.

Ecclesiastes 6:7
All the labour of manis for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

Psalm 52:1,7
To the chief Musician, Maschil,A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech. Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of Godendureth continually…

this

Ecclesiastes 1:17
And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

Ecclesiastes 2:11,17,18,26
Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, allwas vanity and vexation of spirit, andthere was no profit under the sun…

Ecclesiastes 3:19
For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for allis vanity.

and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income
The repetition of the theme underscores the futility of seeking fulfillment in material gain. In the cultural context of the Bible, wealth was often seen as a sign of God's blessing, yet the scriptures consistently warn against placing trust in riches (Proverbs 11:28). The phrase suggests that no matter how much income one accumulates, it will never be enough to satisfy the deeper longings of the heart. This aligns with Jesus' teaching inLuke 12:15, where He warns against all kinds of greed, stating that life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.

This too is futile
The conclusion of the verse ties back to the overarching theme of Ecclesiastes, which is the vanity and meaninglessness of life when pursued apart from God. The term "futile" or "vanity" is a recurring motif in Ecclesiastes, often translated from the Hebrew word "hevel," meaning vapor or breath, symbolizing transience and emptiness. This reflects the book's exploration of life's purpose and the ultimate fulfillment found only in a relationship with God. The futility of wealth is a reminder that earthly pursuits are temporary and cannot provide eternal satisfaction, pointing to the need for a deeper, spiritual focus.

The verse begins by spotlighting the heart’s affection. Money itself is not condemned; the love of it is. When affection shifts from the Giver to the gift, it becomes idolatry (Matthew 6:24;1 Timothy 6:10). Solomon, a man who had everything, testifies that an unchecked craving for more is a spiritual trap.

• Accumulation cannot meet soul-level needs.

• Every new acquisition raises the bar for the next thrill, leaving the heart emptier than before (Luke 12:15).

• Like a mirage in the desert, satisfaction appears close yet keeps receding (Proverbs 27:20).

Wealth promises security, prestige, and control, but those promises are shaky at best (Proverbs 11:28). Jesus warned of “the deceitfulness of riches” choking out the word (Mark 4:19). Loving wealth turns a good stewardship tool into a cruel master.

• Raises, bonuses, and windfalls quickly become the new normal.

• The appetite grows faster than the paycheck (Habakkuk 2:5).

• Contentment is not income-based; it is Christ-based (Philippians 4:11-13).

Solomon labels this treadmill “futile,” echoing his refrain that life “under the sun” is vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:11). Chasing satisfaction in cash flow is like “striving after wind”—energetic, exhausting, and empty.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 exposes the hollowness of making money or wealth the object of our love. The more we crave, the less we are filled. True contentment comes only when our hearts rest in the Lord, using money as His servant rather than worshipping it as our master.

"Interea pleno quum forget sacculus ere,
Crescit amor nummi, quantum ipsa pecnnia crevit."
"For as thy strutting bags with money rise,
The love of gain is of an equal size."

(Dryden.) There is much more of similar import in Horace. See 'Carm.,' 2:2. 13,sqq.; 3:16. 17, 28; 'Ep.,' 2:2, 147; an, 1 Ovid, Fast.,' 1:211 -

"Creverunt etopes et opum furiosa cupido,
Et, quum possideant plura, plura volunt."
"As wealth increases grows the frenzied thirst
For wealth; the more they have, the more they want."Nor he that loveth abundance with increase. The Authorized Version scarcely presents the sense of the passage, which is not tautological, but rather that given by the Vulgate,Et qui amat divitias fructum non capiet exeis, "He who loveth abundance of wealth hath no fruit therefrom;" he derives no real profit or enjoyment from the luxury which it enables him to procure; rather it brings added trouble. And so the old conclusion is again reached, this is also vanity. Hitzig takes the sentence as interrogative, "Who hath pleasure in abundance which brings nothing in?" But such questions are hardly in the style of Kohelcth, and the notion of capital without interest is not a thought which would have been then understood. The Septuagint, however, reads the clause interrogatively,Καὶ τίς ἠγάπησεν ἐνπλήθει αὐτῶν (αὐτοῦ,al.)γέννημα; "And who has loved [or, has been content with] gain in its fullness?" Butמִי is not necessarily interrogative, but here indefinite, equivalent to "whosoever."

Parallel Commentaries ...