Bible Strands
Ecclesiastes 5:9
The produce of the earth is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Preacher addresses readers observing systemic corruption in provincial governance. He speaks during a reflection on the futility of wealth and the reality of earthly power structures.
The words — יִתְרוֹן (yitron) translates to "profit" or "advantage," while אֶרֶץ (eretz) means "land" or "earth." These terms frame the agricultural yield as a resource extracted for royal gain.
The thread — This dynamic of earthly produce supporting earthly rulers echoes the administrative provisions in 1 Kings 4:7 and contrasts with the divine grant of the earth to humanity in Genesis 1:29 and Psalm 115:16.
Why it lands — The text reports that agricultural output ultimately flows to both the masses and the monarch, demanding recognition that human systems of extraction operate independently of divine justice.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 4:7 Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel to provide food for the king and his household. Each one would arrange provisions for one month of the year,
- Psalms 115:16 The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He has given to mankind.
- Genesis 1:29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food.
- Psalms 104:14 He makes the grass grow for the livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate, bringing forth food from the earth:
- Genesis 3:17 And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
- 1 Samuel 8:12 He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.
- 1 Chronicles 27:26 Ezri son of Chelub was in charge of the workers in the fields who tilled the soil.
- Proverbs 13:23 Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor, but without justice it is swept away.
- Proverbs 27:23 Be sure to know the state of your flocks, and pay close attention to your herds;
- Proverbs 28:19 The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.