Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageBut the land yields its profit for everyone — even a king is in service to the tilled earth.
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GYet there is profit for a land in all this: a king himself is bound to the cultivated field.
KJV
King James VersionMoreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleThe produce of the earth is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.
Footnotes
This is one of the most contested verses in Ecclesiastes. וְיִתְרוֹן אֶרֶץ בַּכֹּל can mean "the advantage of a land in every respect" or "the profit of the land belongs to all." מֶלֶךְ לְשָׂדֶה נֶעֱבָד can mean "a king devoted to the cultivated field" (a king who tends the land ensures national welfare) or "a king served by the cultivated field" (even royalty is ultimately dependent on the worked earth). יִתְרוֹן (yitron) is Qohelet's signature word for surplus, profit, and advantage. The F.O.G takes the first reading; the F.O.G Message takes the second, pressing the levelling implication that no one — not even a king — escapes dependence on the earth.
