Parallel Verses

New American Standard Bible

“Surely every man walks about as a phantom;
Surely they make an uproar for nothing;
He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.

King James Version

Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

Holman Bible

“Certainly, man walks about like a mere shadow.
Indeed, they frantically rush around in vain,
gathering possessions
without knowing who will get them.

International Standard Version

In fact, people walk around as shadows. Surely, they busy themselves for nothing, heaping up possessions but not knowing who will get them.

A Conservative Version

Surely every man walks in a shadow. Surely they are disquieted in vain. He heaps up, and knows not who shall gather them.

American Standard Version

Surely every man walketh in a vain show; Surely they are disquieted in vain: He heapeth up riches , and knoweth not who shall gather them.

Amplified


“Surely every man walks around like a shadow [in a charade];
Surely they make an uproar for nothing;
Each one builds up riches, not knowing who will receive them.

Bible in Basic English

Truly, every man goes on his way like an image; he is troubled for no purpose: he makes a great store of wealth, and has no knowledge of who will get it.

Darby Translation

Verily, man walketh in a vain show; verily they are disquieted in vain; he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

Julia Smith Translation

Surely in a shadow a man will go about: surely they will be disquieted in vain: he will store up, and he knew not who shall gather them.

King James 2000

Surely every man walks in a vain show: surely they are in turmoil in vain: he heaps up riches, and knows not who shall gather them.

Lexham Expanded Bible

Surely a man walks about as a [mere] {shadow}; surely in vain they bustle about. He heaps up [possessions] but does not know who [will] gather them [in].

Modern King James verseion

Surely a man walks about like a shadow! Surely they are in an uproar in vain. He heaps up, and does not know who shall gather them.

Modern Spelling Tyndale-Coverdale

Yea every man walketh as it were a shadow, and disquieteth himself in vain: he heapeth up riches, and cannot tell who shall gather them.

NET Bible

Surely people go through life as mere ghosts. Surely they accumulate worthless wealth without knowing who will eventually haul it away."

New Heart English Bible

"Surely every man walks like a shadow. Surely they busy themselves in vain. He heaps up, and doesn't know who shall gather.

The Emphasized Bible

Surely as a shadow, doth every man wander, Surely in vain, do they bustle about, he heapeth things up, and knoweth not who shall gather them in.

Webster

Surely every man walketh in a vain show: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

World English Bible

"Surely every man walks like a shadow. Surely they busy themselves in vain. He heaps up, and doesn't know who shall gather.

Youngs Literal Translation

Only, in an image doth each walk habitually, Only, in vain, they are disquieted, He heapeth up and knoweth not who gathereth them.

References

Fausets

Context Readings

The Fleeting Nature Of Life

5 “Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah.
6 “Surely every man walks about as a phantom;
Surely they make an uproar for nothing;
He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.
7 “And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in You.


Cross References

Ecclesiastes 2:26

For to a person who is good in His sight He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God’s sight. This too is vanity and striving after wind.

Luke 12:20-21

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’

1 Corinthians 7:31

and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away.

Job 27:16-17

“Though he piles up silver like dust
And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,

Ecclesiastes 5:14

When those riches were lost through a bad investment and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to support him.

James 4:14

Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

Psalm 49:10-11

For he sees that even wise men die;
The stupid and the senseless alike perish
And leave their wealth to others.

Psalm 127:2

It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.

Proverbs 13:22

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

Proverbs 23:5

When you set your eyes on it, it is gone.
For wealth certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.

Proverbs 27:24

For riches are not forever,
Nor does a crown endure to all generations.

Ecclesiastes 1:14

I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 2:8

Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of men—many concubines.

Ecclesiastes 2:17-21

So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 4:7-8

Then I looked again at vanity under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 6:11-12

For there are many words which increase futility. What then is the advantage to a man?

Ecclesiastes 12:8

Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!”

Ecclesiastes 12:13

The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.

Isaiah 55:2

“Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And delight yourself in abundance.

Luke 10:40-42

But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”

Luke 12:29

And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying.

James 5:3

Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!

1 Peter 1:24

For,
All flesh is like grass,
And all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
And the flower falls off,

1 Peter 5:7

casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

King James Version Public Domain

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.

International Standard Version Copyright © 1996-2008 by the ISV Foundation.

New American Standard Bible Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org

American Standard Version Public Domain

NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. NetBible

Basic English, produced by Mr C. K. Ogden of the Orthological Institute - public domain