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Text -- Ecclesiastes 4:1-16 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
Evil Oppression on Earth
4:1 So I again considered all the oppression that continually occurs on earth . This is what I saw : The oppressed were in tears , but no one was comforting them; no one delivers them from the power of their oppressors .
4:2 So I considered those who are dead and gone more fortunate than those who are still alive .
4:3 But better than both is the one who has not been born and has not seen the evil things that are done on earth .
Labor Motivated by Envy
4:4 Then I considered all the skillful work that is done: Surely it is nothing more than competition between one person and another . This also is profitless – like chasing the wind .
4:5 The fool folds his hands and does no work, so he has nothing to eat but his own flesh .
4:6 Better is one handful handful with some rest than two hands full of toil and chasing the wind .
Labor Motivated by Greed
4:7 So I again considered another futile thing on earth :
4:8 A man who is all alone with no companion , he has no children nor siblings ; yet there is no end to all his toil , and he is never satisfied with riches . He laments, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure ?” This also is futile and a burdensome task !
Labor is Beneficial When Its Rewards Are Shared
4:9 Two people are better than one , because they can reap more benefit from their labor .
4:10 For if they fall , one will help his companion up , but pity the person who falls down and has no one to help him up .
4:11 Furthermore , if two lie down together, they can keep each other warm , but how can one person keep warm by himself?
4:12 Although an assailant may overpower one person, two can withstand him. Moreover, a three-stranded cord is not quickly broken .
Labor Motivated by Prestige-Seeking
4:13 A poor but wise youth is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive advice .
4:14 For he came out of prison to become king , even though he had been born poor in what would become his kingdom .
4:15 I considered all the living who walk on earth , as well as the successor who would arise in his place .
4:16 There is no end to all the people nor to the past generations , yet future generations will not rejoice in him. This also is profitless and like chasing the wind .
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Dictionary Themes and Topics:
Philosophy |
Instruction |
Life |
Friendship |
Fellowship |
Union |
Poor |
Rulers |
Cord |
Greed |
Oppression |
Vanity |
Miser |
Thread |
Fool |
Envy |
Rope |
Poverty |
Laziness |
Jealousy |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Ecc 4:1; Ecc 4:1; Ecc 4:1; Ecc 4:1; Ecc 4:1; Ecc 4:1; Ecc 4:1; Ecc 4:1; Ecc 4:1; Ecc 4:1; Ecc 4:1; Ecc 4:2; Ecc 4:2; Ecc 4:2; Ecc 4:3; Ecc 4:3; Ecc 4:4; Ecc 4:4; Ecc 4:4; Ecc 4:4; Ecc 4:4; Ecc 4:4; Ecc 4:5; Ecc 4:5; Ecc 4:6; Ecc 4:7; Ecc 4:7; Ecc 4:7; Ecc 4:7; Ecc 4:8; Ecc 4:8; Ecc 4:8; Ecc 4:8; Ecc 4:8; Ecc 4:8; Ecc 4:8; Ecc 4:9; Ecc 4:9; Ecc 4:10; Ecc 4:12; Ecc 4:14; Ecc 4:14; Ecc 4:15; Ecc 4:15; Ecc 4:15; Ecc 4:16; Ecc 4:16; Ecc 4:16; Ecc 4:16
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NET Notes: Ecc 4:4 The word “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
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NET Notes: Ecc 4:5 Heb “and eats his own flesh.” Most English versions render the idiom literally: “and eats/consumes his flesh” (KJV, AS, NASB, ...
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NET Notes: Ecc 4:6 Qoheleth lists three approaches to labor: (1) the competitive workaholic in 4:4, (2) the impoverished sluggard in 4:5, and (3) the contented laborer i...
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NET Notes: Ecc 4:8 The adjective רָע (ra’, “evil”) here means “misfortune” (HALOT 1263 s.v. רָעָ&...
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NET Notes: Ecc 4:12 The verbal root תקף means “to overpower; to prevail over” e.g., Job 14:20; 15:24; Eccl 4:12; 6:10 (HALOT 1786 s.v. ...
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NET Notes: Ecc 4:14 The phrase “what would become” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. However, it is not altogether cl...
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NET Notes: Ecc 4:15 The verb עָמַד (’amad, “to stand”) may denote “to arise; to appear; to come on the scene” ...
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