The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not allow him to sleep.
Parallel translations
- KJV The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
- BSB The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich man permits him no sleep.
- NKJV The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, Whether he eats little or much; But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.
- NASB The sleep of the laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach of the rich person does not allow him to sleep.
- NLT People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The laborer sleeps sweetly whether he eats little or much, but the rich man's abundance robs him of rest. It matters because wealth often brings anxiety, not the peace people imagine.
Overview
The Preacher contrasts the contented rest of the worker with the sleepless worry of the wealthy. Riches that promise security instead breed anxiety. The verse commends the simple gift of honest labor and restful trust, echoing the peace God grants His beloved (Psalm 127:2) and the rest Jesus offers to the weary and heavy-laden (Matthew 11:28).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Prov 3:24When you lie down, you will not be afraid. Yes, you will lie down, and your sleep will be sweet.
- Ps 4:8In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, Yahweh alone, make me live in safety.
- Jer 31:26On this I awakened, and saw; and my sleep was sweet to me.
- Ps 127:2It is vain for you to rise up early, to stay up late, eating the bread of toil; for he gives sleep to his loved ones.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The search that finds everything 'under the sun' to be vapor exposes the emptiness of life without God and drives us to the one who alone gives meaning, the resurrection that makes our labor not in vain.
How Ecclesiastes 5:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.