King James Version

Ecclesiastes 5:14

But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

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Hebrew

Tap a word to see its meaning. Words run left to right in English reading order.

In the Hebrew text this line is Ecclesiastes 5:13.

וְאָבַ֛דveavadand destroyאָבַדconjunction, verb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and destroy”, a completed actionH6properly, to wander away, i.e. lose oneself; by implication to perish (causative, destroy)break, destroy(-uction), [phrase] not escape, fail, lose, (cause to, make) perish, spend, [idiom] and surely, take, be undone, [idiom] utterly, be void of, have no way to flee.הָעֹ֥שֶׁרhaosherthe richesעֹשֶׁרdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the riches”, the ordinary formH6239wealth[idiom] far (richer), riches.הַה֖וּאhahuthe as for herהוּאdefinite article, pronoun, personal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “the as for her”H1931he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or arehe, as for her, him(-self), it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they, this, those, which (is), who.בְּעִנְיַ֣ןbeinyanin businessעִנְיָןpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “in business”, the ordinary formH6045ado, i.e. (generally) employment or (specifically) an affairbusiness, travail.רָ֑עrabadרַעadjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “bad”, the ordinary formH7451bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, [phrase] displease(-ure), distress, evil((-favouredness), man, thing), [phrase] exceedingly, [idiom] great, grief(-vous), harm, heavy, hurt(-ful), ill (favoured), [phrase] mark, mischief(-vous), misery…וְהוֹלִ֣ידveholidand bearיָלַדconjunction, verb, hiphil, perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and bear”, a completed actionH3205to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineagebear, beget, birth(-day), born, (make to) bring forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch, labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be the son of, (wom…בֵּ֔ןbensonבֵּןnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “son”, the ordinary formH1121a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)[phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, […וְאֵ֥יןveeynand elseאַיִןconjunction, particle, negative — “and else”H369a non-entity; generally used as a negative particleelse, except, fail, (father-) less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without. Compare H370 (אַיִן).בְּיָד֖וֹbeyadvoin handיָדpreposition, noun, common, both genders, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “in hand”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3027a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etc.),([phrase] be) able, [idiom] about, [phrase] armholes, at, axletree, because of, beside, border, [idiom] bounty, [phrase] broad, (broken-) handed, [idiom] by, charge, coast, [phrase] consecrate, [phrase] creditor, custody, debt, dominion, […מְאֽוּמָהmeumahfaultמְאוּמָהnoun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “fault”, the ordinary formH3972properly, a speck or point, i.e. (by implication) something; with negative, nothingfault, [phrase] no(-ught), ought, somewhat, any (no-)thing.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

(5-13) and those riches perish by evil adventure; and if he hath begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

and those riches perish by evil adventure; and if he hath begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.

Young’s Literal Translation

And that wealth hath been lost in an evil business, and he hath begotten a son and there is nothing in his hand!

World English Bible

Those riches perish by misfortune, and if he has fathered a son, there is nothing in his hand.

Darby Translation

or those riches perish by some evil circumstance, and if he have begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.

Douay-Rheims

As he came forth naked from his mother’s womb, so shall he return, and shall take nothing away with him of his labour.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

(5-13) and those riches perish by evil adventure; and if he hath begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And that wealth shall perish in an evil trouble: and the man begets a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

καὶ ἀπολεῖται ὁ πλοῦτος ἐκεῖνος ἐν περισπασμῷ πονηρῷ, καὶ ἐγέννησεν υἱὸν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ οὐδέν.