Ecclésiaste 5:10

10 Celui qui aime l'argent n'est pas rassasié par l'argent, et celui qui aime les richesses n'en profite pas. C'est encore là une vanité.

Ecclésiaste 5:10 Meaning and Commentary

Ecclesiastes 5:10

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver
The tillage of the earth is necessary, a very laudable and useful employment, and men do well to busy themselves in it; without this, neither the common people nor the greatest personages can be supplied with the necessaries of life; but then an immoderate love of money is criminal, which is here meant by loving silver, one kind of money, which when loved beyond measure is the root of all evil; and besides, when a man has got ever so much of it, he is not satisfied, he still wants more, like the horse leech at the vein cries Give, give; or he cannot eat silver, so Jarchi; or be "fed with money", as Mr. Broughton renders it; and herein the fruits of the earth, for which the husbandman labours, have the preference to silver; for these he can eat, and be filled and satisfied with them, but he cannot eat his bags of gold and silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase;
that is, he that coveteth a great deal of this world's things shall not be satisfied with the increase of them, let that be what it will; or, he shall have "no increase" ^F6, be ever the better for his abundance, or enjoy the comfort and benefit of it: or, "he that loveth abundance [from whence there is] no increase" ^F7; that loves to have a multitude of people about him, as manservants and maidservants; a large equipage, as Aben Ezra suggests, which are of very little use and service, or none at all; this [is] also vanity:
the immoderate love of money, coveting large estates and possessions, and to have a train of servants. Jarchi allegorically interprets silver and abundance, of the commands, and the multitude of them.

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FOOTNOTES:

F6 (hawbt al) "non erit proventus illi", Vatablus, Mercerus, Gejerus; "nullum fructum percipit", Tigurine version.
F7 "Qui amat copiam, sc. multitudinem ex qua non est sperandus profectus", Schmidt, so Gussetius.

Ecclésiaste 5:10 In-Context

8 Si tu vois dans une province le pauvre opprimé et la violation du droit et de la justice, ne t'en étonne point; car un homme élevé est placé sous la surveillance d'un autre plus élevé, et au-dessus d'eux il en est de plus élevés encore.

9 Un avantage pour le pays à tous égards, c'est un roi honoré du pays.

10 Celui qui aime l'argent n'est pas rassasié par l'argent, et celui qui aime les richesses n'en profite pas. C'est encore là une vanité.

11 Quand le bien abonde, ceux qui le mangent abondent; et quel avantage en revient-il à son possesseur, sinon qu'il le voit de ses yeux?

12 Le sommeil du travailleur est doux, qu'il ait peu ou beaucoup à manger; mais le rassasiement du riche ne le laisse pas dormir.