Ecclesiastes 5:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Both he and his child come into this world stripped of possessions and will return to the earth bereft, carrying nothing from their efforts. Is there any greater anguish than to be ensnared by worries due to riches, to toil endlessly in acquiring wealth with desire, sighs, frustration, and disputes, only to find these riches vanish, knowing we cannot take any of it with us at the end? This is the straightforward interpretation.

However, if we look more profoundly, it appears that Ecclesiastes critiques philosophers or heretics who hoard doctrinal wealth for their own detriment. These creators find no true benefit for themselves and cannot produce lasting fruit for their followers. Both they and their disciples will return to the ground and lose these riches as decreed by Him who proclaimed: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will cast away the understanding of the prudent’ (1 Cor. 1:19). Indeed, just as they emerged from a corrupt church—contrary to what is affirmed in Scripture, ‘But Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all’ (Gal. 4:26)—so they will depart empty-handed, having labored in futility. They are exhausted, ‘tested by trial’ (Psalm 63:7), swayed by every change of doctrine, living in darkness and reaping the consequences of their own statutes. They remain perpetually afflicted, always harboring resentment, amassing anger for the day of judgment, devoid of mercy from God.

Ecclesiastes also remarks, “There is an evil boredom which I have seen on earth - to guard wealth to the evil of him who possesses it”; further expressing, “There is a painful affliction which I have seen under the sun - wealth being saved by the possessor of it to his detriment.” Instead, seek transcendent riches—those concealed in the heavens rather than those buried in the earth. Embrace being poor in spirit to find true wealth in matters of judgment, for “a man's life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15), but rather on character and faith. Such divine riches will indeed make you genuine wealthy when your treasure lies in God.

Individuals often use their children as justification for accumulating riches. Occasionally, they engage in wrongdoing and exploitation, claiming their actions are for the benefit of their children. I have observed those who hoard wealth, yet they find no fulfillment in it. Neither do they themselves derive joy from it, nor does their offspring inherit it; rather, they are impoverished in every sense, possessing only what they entered this world with—born without money or means. Only the treasures of the soul can accompany anyone on their journey. If, in their possession of wealth, they acted charitably; if, endowed with renown and respect, they sought to support the needy, then from their efforts, that person can carry with them the fruits of righteous deeds.