Ecclesiastes 4:6

4:6 Better is one handful with some rest

than two hands full of toil ¹  and chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 6:5

6:5 though it never saw the light of day ²  nor knew anything, ³ 

yet it has more rest ⁴  than that man –

[4:6]  ¹ sn 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 in 4:6. The balanced approach rebukes the two extremes.

[6:5]  ² tn Heb “it never saw the sun.”

[6:5]  ³ tn The word “anything” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[6:5]  ⁴ sn The Hebrew term translated rest here refers to freedom from toil, anxiety, and misery – part of the miserable misfortune that the miserly man of wealth must endure.