Ecclesiastes 2:22 directly parallels the theme of toil leading to anxiety and sorrow, reinforcing the same vanity motif within the book.

Ecclesiastes 6:3 expands on the tragedy of a life without enjoyment, using the stillborn as a contrast, reinforcing the darkness here.

Genesis 3:17 describes the curse of painful toil all days, matching the darkness and frustration of eating here. Both depict the fallen human condition.

Job 21:25 describes dying in bitterness without good, which parallels the 'eat in darkness with frustration' here — both portray joyless existence.

Psalm 78:33 says God ended their days in futility and terror — directly echoing the frustrated, dark days described here.

Psalm 90:7-10 portrays life as toil and sorrow under God's anger, strongly paralleling the darkness, wrath, and sickness described here.

Psalm 102:9 says 'I eat ashes like bread' — a vivid image of affliction, matching the 'eat in darkness with frustration' here.

In Psalm 127:2, the same 'bread of sorrows' image appears, but contrasted with God giving sleep to his beloved—a hopeful counterpoint to the darkness here.

Ezekiel 4:16 describes eating bread by weight with care and astonishment during siege, closely echoing the sorrowful, darkened meals of Ecclesiastes 5:17.

Ezekiel 4:17 continues the siege scene with wasting away and astonishment, reinforcing the theme of consuming affliction and sorrow present here.

1 Corinthians 11:30-32 explains that sickness and death can be divine discipline for believers, providing a New Testament perspective on suffering.