This is a second example of the puzzling fact that wealth cannot satisfy. It is probably a proverbial saying, which Qoheleth quotes. It comes in two contrasting parts, as is typical of the proverb, comparing the laborer with the wealthy person, and concluding that the advantage lies with the laborer. It represents yet another situation that is difficult to understand, but which has to be faced, especially by those who are “lovers of wealth” (verse 10). This example also depends on the keyword much and shares a bond with verse 11 in this regard. It is also linked with verse 10 through the root “satisfy.”

Sweet is the sleep of a laborer: Sweet describes a calm or peaceful sleep. The root “serve” lies behind the term laborer, so it is similar in meaning to “slave” or “servant.” Barton suggests that the term here probably refers to the “agricultural laborer” mentioned in Pro 12.11, but Qoheleth seems to have a more general usage in mind. “Servant” is a possible alternative, as the sense is that this person is a less privileged member of society, poorly paid for his hard work. However, the laborer sleeps soundly, presumably because the work is so hard that it leaves him exhausted.

Whether he eats little or much: regardless of how much food the laborer has to eat, and at times there will be very little, he can sleep well at night. He has little and so has little to worry about. However, Qoheleth quotes this example as an illustration of someone who is satisfied, and his point is already clear without adding the second part of the saying. Satisfaction, here represented as sound and peaceful sleep, does not depend on having lots of things. Eats should be rendered by a verb form indicating habitual action. In some languages the translation will have to say more: “whether he has lots of food to eat or just a little.” Languages may differ as to their preference of word order between “little or much” and “much or little.” This of course has no bearing on the meaning.

Some suggested translations are:

• The laborer sleeps soundly at night, no matter whether he has a lot or a little to eat.

• The laborer sleeps peacefully whether he eats a lot or a little.

• Servants sleep well at night, no matter how much they have to eat.

But the surfeit of the rich: the second half of the saying provides the other side of the contrast. The contrast may seem to assume that the rich do not work hard in the same way as the laborer, but that conclusion is not necessarily correct. The point of the comparison here is that the rich person has an over-abundance of things while the laborer has only a little. Surfeit is a noun based on the same root as the verb “satisfy” in verse 10. It means having more than enough, or “over-abundance.” It may be an over-abundance of food, but that is not necessarily the case. All kinds of material goods are included in the word “surfeit.”

Will not let him sleep: having too many things is a source of worry and anxiety, keeping the wealthy person awake at night. Hebrew uses an unusual form of the verb “sleep” with an accusative of the personal pronoun, and this combination indicates permission for the person to sleep.

In translation we suggest the following examples:

• But the rich man has so much that he cannot sleep.

• Whereas the rich person has an overabundance, and it keeps him from sleeping [or, keeps him awake at night].

• But the rich man has so much, his worries won’t allow him to sleep.

If desired, the two lines of the verse can be balanced out as follows:

• The worker sleeps soundly, whether he eats a little or a lot. But the rich man has so much, he can’t sleep at all!

Underlying this section is an important issue that concerned the wise men of Israel. Deuteronomy presents the view that material goods are a sign of success and of God’s blessing. The wise men were forced to question this view because it did not match people’s experience. Qoheleth would agree with them that the amount of material goods a person has is no measure of a person’s spiritual state. Here he suggests that material things are a burden. Having less may result in a less stressful life. So having less rather than more may sometimes signal God’s blessing!

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .