Ecclesiastes 5:12 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.

Words Then and Now

  • suffer to allow; to permit (also to undergo) Still heard today: doesn’t suffer fools gladly, won’t put up with foolishness (from 2 Corinthians 11:19) Webster’s 1828 · Suffer

What these words mean in the King James Bible, and where you’ll still hear them today.

Matthew Henry

  • The vanity of riches shownThe goodness of Providence is more equally distributed than appears to a careless observer. The king needs the common things of life, and the poor share...

Thompson Chains

Cross References

  • Proverbs 3:24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
  • Psalms 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
  • Psalms 127:2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
  • Jeremiah 31:26 Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.

From OpenBible.info, most relevant first.

Topics

Hebrew and Strong’s

  • The sleep שְׁנַת šĕnat שֵׁנָה Noun · feminine singular construct
  • of a labouring man הָעֹבֵד hāʿōbēd עָבַד Verb · qal active participle, masculine singular · with the
  • sweet מְתוּקָה mĕtûqâ מָתוֹק Adjective · feminine singular
  • whether he eat אִם ʾim Conjunction וְאִם wĕʾim Conjunction יֹאכֵל yōʾkēl אָכַל Verb · qal imperfect, third person masculine singular
  • little מְעַט mĕʿaṭ מְעַט Noun · masculine singular
  • or much הַרְבֵּה harbê רָבָה Verb · hiphil infinitive absolute
  • but the abundance וְהַשָּׂבָע wĕhaśśābāʿ שָׂבָע Noun · masculine singular · with and, the
  • of the rich לֶעָשִׁיר leʿāšîr עָשִׁיר Adjective · masculine singular · with preposition with the
  • will not suffer אֵינֶנּוּ ʾênennû Negative · with suffix: third person masculine singular מַנִּיחַ mannîaḥ יָנַח Verb · hiphil active participle, masculine singular
  • him to sleep לוֹ lô Preposition · with suffix: third person masculine singular לִישׁוֹן lîšôn יָשֵׁן Verb · qal infinitive construct · with preposition

Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex, Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible · CC BY 4.0

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