There is an oppression that comes on good men from the worldly men. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/teb/ecclesiastes-4.html. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dun/ecclesiastes-4.html. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 4:4". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/kdo/ecclesiastes-4.html. Devotion to Business springs from Jealous Competition: (a) Let us glance once more at the several symptoms we have already heard him discuss, and consider whether or not they accord with the results of our own observation and experience, is it true, then-or, rather, is it not true-that our devotion to business is becoming excessive and exhausting, and that this devotion springs mainly from our jealous rivalry and competition with each other? 4:12b). Bullinger's Companion bible Notes". "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 4:4". Ecclesiastes 4:3. {See Trapp on "Proverbs 27:4"}. And Ecclesiastes 4:15 tells us that everyone followed that new king who was the formerly poor wise child who came out of prison. and ruin themselves. Right work — All the worthy designs of virtuous men. Prosperity, which men so much covet, is the very source of provoking oppression (Ecclesiastes 4:1) and "envy," so far is it from constituting the chief good. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hcc/ecclesiastes-4.html. Some people have no friends. Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the … 2 Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 4:4". "is done is the result of rivalry"-"that the basic motive for success is the driving force of envy and jealousy" (Tay). and to this sense Jarchi; compare with this, Philemon 1:15. Ecclésiaste 4:9-12 Louis Segond (LSG). ; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David. ", "For this a man is envied of his neighbor" (Ecclesiastes 4:4). “And I saw all the labour and all the skill of business, that it is an envious surpassing of the one by the other: also this is vain and windy effort.” The היא refers to this exertion of vigorous effort and skill. "The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge". This also is vanity and a striving after wind. Il vaut mieux ne pas faire de vœu qu’en faire et ne pas s’en acquitter. 4:4 Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. 1765. Ecclésiaste 4.9. BibliographyHaydock, George Leo. New International Version Update. "E.W. But it does not seem to matter who we are. 1876. "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged". Other people are too lazy. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bul/ecclesiastes-4.html. The title “Ecclesiastes” comes from a Greek word indicating a person who calls an assembly, so it makes sense that the author identified himself in Ecclesiastes 1:1 by "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 4:4". All rights reserved worldwide. BibliographyTrapp, John. 11 De même, si deux couchent ensemble, ils auront chaud; mais celui qui est seul, comment aura-t-il chaud? This is another piece of life’s vanity; that, as greater men will lie heavy upon you and oppress you, so meaner men will be envying at you and oppose you: as Cain did Abel, Saul’s courtiers did David; the peers of Persia, Daniel; the Scribes and Pharisees, our Saviour. This [is] also vanity and vexation of spirit. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 4:6 Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 4:4". 4:9,10,11,12. Treasury of Scripture. "Then I saw all labor, and every skillful work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbor. All Rightes Reserved, Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855. BibliographyGill, John. ECCLES 4:4 Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. Every right work ... for this a man is envied - rather (as note, Ecclesiastes 2:21, "equity," prosperity), prosperous. And though there is no end to his labor, his eyes are still not content with his wealth: "For whom do I toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?" I saw all the living who walk under the sun; They were with the second youth who stands in his place. In addition, how many of us have inherently linked our personal worth with our economic worth? 4. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tbi/ecclesiastes-4.html. Copyright StatementThese files are public domain. The only effect of that would be to ruin ourselves. 4:6 This verse is possibly another proverb (e.g., Prov. Another human being changes the equation. - Secondly, success meets with envy, and produces no lasting good to the worker; yet, however unsatisfactory the result, man must continue to labor, as idleness is ruin. 1870. "George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary". To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use our convenient, "For this a man is envied of his neighbor", John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible, Again I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament, I. 1871-8. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 4:4". Every right work - Rather, every success in work. 9 Deux valent mieux qu'un, parce qu'ils retirent un bon salaire de leur travail. BibliographyWesley, John. - Again, I considered all travail, and every right work. Ver. 1909-1922. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 4:4". Deux valent mieux qu'un ; car ils ont un meilleur salaire de leur travail. They often become great and prosperous, but this excites envy and opposition. and if he does a right thing, and yet has not right ends and views in it, it stands for nothing; it has only the appearance of good, but is not truly so, and yields no solid peace and comfort. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 4:4". Following the example of the Decalogue מרעהו draws attention to the baseness of the fact that the friend, of God and right, grudges him the successful results of his skilful labour. and chasing after the wind. Ver. 1905-1909. I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. 5 The fool b folds his hands and c eats his own flesh. It so, then the workaholic and the sluggard are contrasted. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. The principal passage is Proverbs 6:9-11 : "How long wilt thou lie, O sluggard? Assuming, as Koheleth does in this discussion, from Ecclesiastes 3:22, that there is no future life, he is prepared to suggest that jealousy of one another is the main cause of men’s efforts in life. Instead, they are cruel. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bcc/ecclesiastes-4.html. See note on Ecclesiastes 1:14. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/heg/ecclesiastes-4.html. This too is vanity and striving after wind. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tsk/ecclesiastes-4.html. IV. BibliographyKeil, Carl Friedrich & Delitzsch, Franz. "Expositor's Bible Commentary". 7 ¶ Then I returned, and I saw a vanity under the sun. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 4:4". It is possible that "rest" here represents Eccl. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 4:4". 1854-1889. I believe that many of us have experienced the above. The illustration hereby induced of the value of closer social connection of men and harmonious co-operation of their powers to one end (9–12) leads to the closing reflection; this is devoted to the distress and disaster of the highest circles of human society, acknowledging the fate even of the most favoured pets of fortune, such as the occupants of princely or kingly thrones, to be uncertain and liable to a reverse, and thus showing that. 1999-2014. travail = toil, as connected with trouble, sorrow. ECCLES 4:6 Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit. 1857. The root meaning of the word is “thus pointing to what is hidden in the distant future or in the distant past.”[1] Therefore, in some passages the word refers to something in the distant past or future. It does not seem to matter what we do. Some people work too much. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfu/ecclesiastes-4.html. "And I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. Which naturally rob labor and talent of lasting enjoyment. "Mark Dunagan Commentaries on the Bible". "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 4:4". Used by Permission. "[5] Another view of the fool mentioned here is that he represents the envious man. Read verse in Ostervald (French) follows the object. The coming day will burn them up,” says the Lord who rules over all. So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.". BibliographyCoffman, James Burton. BibliographyNisbet, James. 15:16,17; 16:8) or quote. But instead thereof, so it is. Ecclesiastes 4:1 So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of [such as were] oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors [there was] power; but they had no comforter. (Calmet). here and in Ecclesiastes 2:21 by ἀνδρέα, virtus. Now the focus and effect of the Fall are reduced. From the sad lot of victims innocently suffering from tyrannical persecution and oppression (1–3), the description proceeds directly to the more lucky but not more innocent condition of persons consumed with envy, dissatisfaction, and jealousy, and who with toilsome efforts chase after the treasures of this earth. 4 And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible, Devotion to Business springs from Jealous Competition, Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments, George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, "First, the competitive urge….We may quibble if we will, and remind him (Solomon) of such people as solitary castaways or needy peasants, who toil simply to keep alive, or those artists who really love perfection for its own sake; but the fact remains that all too much of our hard work and high endeavor is mixed with the craving to outshine or not to be outshone. Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/ecclesiastes-4.html. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/gsb/ecclesiastes-4.html. "The 1599 Geneva Study Bible". We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. It aggravates the baseness of the envy, that it is on the part of one's own neighbour. It is meant to highlight the futility of human effort apart from God. Cela aussi est une vanité et un tourment d'esprit. that for this a man is envied of his neighbour; who will be sure to find fault with what he has done, speak contemptibly of him and his work, and traduce him among men. Joseph Benson's Commentary. 4:16 The Teacher tells us that people are not fair to each other. When men gather grapes from thorns and figs from thistles, then, but not before, we may look to find a satisfying good in "all the toil and all the dexterity in toil" which spring from this "jealous rivalry of the one with the other.". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mpc/ecclesiastes-4.html. BibliographyWhedon, Daniel. 4. I. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfb/ecclesiastes-4.html. The illustration hereby induced of the value of closer social connection of men and harmonious co-operation of their powers to one end, V. The sentence against the vanity of all earthly things necessarily extends even to the greatest and most powerful of earth. "Some understand the meaning of this verse as a description of work which is the effect of rivalry with a neighbor. To lay or fold the hands together is a gesture of laziness. 5 Fools fold their hands. Others, seeing the vexations of an active course, foolishly expect more satisfaction in sloth and idleness. Is it not as accurate a delineation of our life as it could be of any ancient form of life? BibliographyNicoll, William R. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 4:4". "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 4:4". Now self is not the only issue. Who, in consequence of this very wealth, run the risk of falling into a helpless, joyless, and isolated condition, destitute of friends and adherents, IV. The Ecclesiastes 4: 1 Then I returned and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and, behold, the tears of those who were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter. In this paragraph the author returns to the question that he asked in Ecclesiastes 1:3, "What does man have to show for all his trouble"? I saw the tears of the oppressed, and there was no one to comfort them.+ And their oppressors had the power, and there was no one to comfort them. Ecclesiastes 4:14 leads us through that poor and wise child coming out of prison to become king after that old and foolish king. 4 1 “For indeed the day 2 is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant evildoers will be chaff. BibliographyPoole, Matthew, "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 4:4". Copyright StatementThese files are public domain.Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Again I considered all travail — Hebrew כל עמל, all the labour, toil, or trouble, which men undertake or undergo; and every right work — All the worthy designs of virtuous men; that for this a man is envied of his neighbour — Instead of that honour and recompense which he deserves, he meets with nothing but envy, and obloquy, and many evil fruits thereof. "Coffman Commentaries on the Old and New Testament". The Graec. Envied — Instead of honour, he meets with envy and obloquy. That for this a man is envied of his neighbour.] Prosperity, which men so much covet, is the very source of provoking oppression (Ecclesiastes 4:1) and “envy,” so far is it from constituting the chief good. If, some two or three and twenty centuries ago, the Jews were bent every man on outdoing and outselling his neighbour; if his main ambition was to amass greater wealth or to secure a larger business than his competitors, or to make a handsomer show before the world; if in the urgent pursuit of this ambition he held his neighbours not as neighbours, but as unscrupulous rivals, keen for gain at his expense and to rise by his fall; if, to reach his end, he was willing to get up early and go late to rest, to force all his energies into an injurious activity and strain them close to the snapping point: if this were what a Jew of that time was like, might you not easily take it for a portrait of many an English merchant, manufacturer, lawyer, or politician? Then I saw all the labor and achievement that is the envy of a man's neighbor. Not the same word as in Ecclesiastes 1:13; Ecclesiastes 2:23, Ecclesiastes 2:26; Ecclesiastes 3:10; Ecclesiastes 4:8; Ecclesiastes 5:14. every right work = all the dexterity in work. This also is a vanity 1 and a striving after wind. BibliographyBenson, Joseph. Ecclésiaste 4.4. He had never come to the Light. Several interpreters think that hero all distinctions are traced back to the principle of rivalry. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/ecclesiastes-4.html. So the tenth commandment. Anche questo è vanità e un correr dietro al vento. 4:8 used in Eccl. Some apply themselves, with great diligence and industry, to the study of the liberal arts and sciences; and to attain the knowledge of languages; and to writing books, for the improvement of those things, and the good of mankind: and others employ themselves in mechanic arts, and excel in them, and bring their works to great perfection and accuracy; when they might expect to be praised and commended, and have thanks given them by men. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/wen/ecclesiastes-4.html. New York. 6 Better one handful with tranquillity. Ecclesiaste 4:4 E ho visto che ogni fatica e ogni buona riuscita nel lavoro provocano invidia dell’uno contro l’altro. 1983-1999. In all such statements as this, Solomon's viewpoint is centered absolutely upon the present world, taking into account no thought whatever of God. Then he becomes a living soul. 10 Car, s'ils tombent, l'un relève son compagnon; mais malheur à celui qui est seul et qui tombe, sans avoir un second pour le relever! This also is a vanity and a striving after wind. 3. "[7] Also in this second paragraph, a number of illustrations are given to illuminate the real point. the min in mere'ehu is as in amatz min , Psalms 18:18, and the like - the same as the compar. "John Wesley's Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible". Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. wisdom and knowledge and Kishron. vexation, &c. = feeding on wind. Verse 4. (translation: French: Louis Segond (1910)) BibliographyBeza, Theodore. Ecclesiastes 6:4 "For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness. " "The envious man is here exhibited in the attitude of the sluggard (Proverbs 6:10). This is also vanity and b vexation of spirit. Copyright StatementThe New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernised and adapted for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. I just seems that whenever we get something really nice, someone tries to shoot us down or find a flaw in our selection. Waddey's comment on this paragraph: "In a godless world, sinners envy and resent another's success, rather than rejoicing in it; and in contrast he mentions the lazy fool who, rather than work, `foldeth his hands together' in rest, and `eateth his own flesh,' he consumes his inheritance. "[6] In this understanding of it, the fool's eating his own flesh would mean the same as the common saying that, "He was eating his heart out with envy.". 4 And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. 4. NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. 4:9-12 - This sermon encourages believers to develop intentional relationships within the Body of Christ. Ecclesiastes 3. Ecclésiaste 5.4. 1 Unusual skill, talent and success seem only to expose a man to envy and ill will from his neighbor. This constitutes a part of the vain and empty system of human life. The word כשרין, which occurs only in Koheleth, is rendered by the LXX. BibliographyDunagan, Mark. For this … - i. e., “This successful work makes the worker an object of envy.” Some understand the meaning to be, “this work is the effect of the rivalry of man with his neighbor.”. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/ecclesiastes-4.html. (4) Right work.—Rather, skilful. New International Version (NIV), Upgrade to Bible Gateway Plus, and access the, Ecclesiastes 4:4 in all English translations, NIV, Beautiful Word Bible Journal, Romans, Comfort Print, NIV, Quest Study Bible, Comfort Print: The Only Q and A Study Bible, NIV, Story of Jesus: Experience the Life of Jesus as One Seamless Story, NIV, The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People, NIV, Biblical Theology Study Bible, Comfort Print: Follow God’s Redemptive Plan as It Unfolds throughout Scripture. Companionship and … 4 ¶ Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is a envied of his neighbour. 4. Therefore the encouragement to do good, to act an upright part, is very little. When wilt thou arise out of sleep? ECCLES 4:5 The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh. BibliographyExell, Joseph S. "Commentary on "Ecclesiastes 4:4". Hengstenberg translates skill. Eccl. Ecclesiastes 4:4 Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. Sowing Discord Contributed by James Dina on Aug 7, 2020 | 698 views. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan. Copyright StatementJames Burton Coffman Commentaries reproduced by permission of Abilene Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. "Whedon's Commentary on the Bible". "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 4:4". In order to avoid envy we may not throw ourselves into the arms of inactivity. Based Ecc. Sowing discord among brethren is an abomination in the eyes of the Lord. Of his neighbour. Ecclesiastes 4:4. 1859. Read verse in Riveduta 1927 (Italian) We gravely need to remember that the stream cannot rise above its source, nor the fruit be better than the root from which it grows; that the business ardour which has its origin in a base and selfish motive can only be a base and selfish ardour. 4. The verb also is frequently used to denote envy or jealousy of advantages. III. Looking with jealous envy on the successful rivals of their struggles, and with scorn on those less fortunate, who are contented with a more modest lot, III. BibliographyHengstenberg, Ernst. Ecclesiastes 4 is the fourth chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Ernst Hengstenberg on John, Revelation, Ecclesiastes, Ezekiel & Psalms. If it be, as I think it is, we have grave need to take the Preacher’s warning. Parallel with this is the passage (Ecclesiastes 3) where Job, who had no peace nor repose, and who was disturbed ever afresh, wishes for himself the lot of "an hidden untimely birth," and curses the day of his birth, or where in In Isaiah 11:13, קנאת אפרים is the jealousy felt by Ephraim of Judah, who was preferred: in Ecclesiastes 9:6, of this book, envy is conjoined with hatred. The book contains philosophical speeches by a character called '(the) Qoheleth' (="the Teacher"), composed probably between 5th to 2nd century BCE. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit. 2 Therefore I praised the dead who have been long dead more than the living who are yet alive. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 4:4". This is also true of moral works; which are right, when done from a right principle, from love to God, in faith, and with a view to the glory of God; and which when done, and ever so well done, draw upon a man the envy of the wicked, as may be observed in the case of Cain and Abel, 1 John 3:12; though some understand this, not passively, of the envy which is brought upon a man, and he endures, for the sake of the good he excels in; but actively, of the spirit of emulation with which he does it; though the work he does, as to the matter of it, is right; yet the manner of doing it, and the spirit with which he does it, are wrong; he does not do it with any good affection to the thing itself, nor with any good design, only from a spirit of emulation to outdo his neighbour: so the Targum paraphrases it, "this is the emulation that a man emulates his neighbour, to do as he; if he emulates him to do good, the heavenly Word does good to him; but if he emulates him to do evil, the heavenly Word does evil to him;'. Other people become famous and they have many friends. With כּי , quod , that which forms the pred. 4 Again I turned my attention to all the acts of oppression that go on under the sun. Venet., by rendering here and at Ecclesiastes 2:24 כּשׁרון , by καθαρότης , betrays himself as a Jew. Ecclesiastes 4:4. That would be an incorrect thought: whereas it is a demonstrated truth that "men envy the happy." "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible". This [is] also vanity and vexation of spirit. The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh. "Vanity and empty effort" are not usually predicated of labours winch are morally worthless, but of such as bring no advantage (compare Ecclesiastes 2:17). See Proverbs 27:4. Who doesn’t love a Cinderella story? For this a man is envied - It is not by injustice and wrong only that men suffer, but through envy also. This is also vanity, and vexation of spirit; whether it be understood in the one sense or the other; how dissatisfying and vexatious is it, when a man has taken a great deal of pains to do right works for public good, instead of having thanks and praise, is reproached and calumniated for it? This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Finding the new version too difficult to understand? כשרון is employed in the sense of "skill, ability," here also.—That this is the envy of a man from his neighbour:—the end of the whole matter is that a man is envied by his neighbour; Vulgate, "eum patere invidae proximi."