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Ecclesiastes 5:13
There is a sore evilwhich I have seen under the sun,namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

Ecclesiastes 2:22,23
For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun? …

what

1 Samuel 12:21
And turn ye not aside: forthen should ye go after vainthings, which cannot profit nor deliver; for theyare vain.

Jeremiah 2:8
The priests said not, Whereis the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked afterthings that do not profit.

Mark 8:36
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

for

Ecclesiastes 1:3
What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

Proverbs 11:29
He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the foolshall be servant to the wise of heart.

Isaiah 26:18
We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.

Exactly as a man is born, so he will depart:
This phrase underscores the inevitability of death and the equality it brings to all people, regardless of their status or achievements. It reflects the biblical theme of human mortality, as seen inGenesis 3:19, where God tells Adam, "For dust you are, and to dust you shall return." The cyclical nature of life and death is a reminder of the limitations of earthly pursuits and the need for a focus on eternal matters.

What does he gain as he toils for the wind?
The imagery of "toiling for the wind" conveys the futility and elusiveness of human efforts when they are not grounded in eternal purpose. This echoes the sentiment inEcclesiastes 1:14, where the Preacher observes, "I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind." The rhetorical question challenges the reader to consider the ultimate value of their labor and to seek fulfillment beyond material and temporal achievements. This aligns with Jesus' teaching inMatthew 6:19-21, where He advises storing up treasures in heaven rather than on earth.

“Grievous” signals something painfully wrong in the life God designed. Solomon has just exposed the futility of hoarding riches only to lose them (Ecclesiastes 5:13-15).

• Scripture repeatedly calls the pursuit of gain for its own sake an “affliction” (Ecclesiastes 6:2;1 Timothy 6:10).

• The word “too” links this verse to earlier laments about life “under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:14), reminding us that apart from God everything devolves into hardship and frustration.

•Romans 8:20 notes that creation was subjected to futility, explaining why any effort divorced from eternal purpose feels grievous.

The verse now points to the inescapable bookends of life.

• We enter and exit with nothing—Job 1:21;Psalm 49:17;1 Timothy 6:7 echo the same truth.

• Solomon stresses the word “exactly,” emphasizing the literal sameness of birth and death regarding possessions, status, or acclaim.

• The thought pushes us to face mortality honestly: what we cling to now will not accompany us past the grave (Luke 12:20-21).

“Toil” highlights strenuous labor; “wind” pictures something ungraspable.

• Chasing wealth without God is like trying to net a breeze—once the hands open, nothing is there (Ecclesiastes 2:11;Proverbs 23:4-5).

• Jesus presses the same point: “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).

• The gospel offers the only lasting gain: treasures in heaven that do not fade or fail (Matthew 6:19-20).

Ecclesiastes 5:16 confronts the reader with life’s stark reality: earthly riches are temporary, death is certain, and self-centered striving ends in emptiness. By exposing this “grievous affliction,” Scripture lovingly redirects us to seek eternal treasure in God Himself, where labor becomes meaningful and gain endures forever.