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Selected Verse: Ecclesiates 4:4 - Basic English
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| Ec 4:4 |
Basic English |
And I saw that the cause of all the work and of everything which is done well was man's envy of his neighbour. This again is to no purpose and a desire for wind. |
| |
King James |
Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
| right--rather, "prosperous" (see on Ecc 2:21). Prosperity, which men so much covet, is the very source of provoking oppression (Ecc 4:1) and "envy," so far is it from constituting the chief good. |
| Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
Every right work - Rather, every success in work.
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." |
| Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78] |
| "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 Graec. Venet., by rendering here and at Ecc 2:24 כּשׁרון, by καθαρότης, betrays himself as a Jew. With כּי, quod, that which forms the pred. follows the object. the min in mere'ehu is as in amatz min, Psa 18:18, and the like - the same as the compar.: aemulatio qua unus prae altero eminere studet. All this expenditure of strength and art has covetousness and envy, with which one seeks to surpass another, as its poisoned sting. |
| Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
| Right work - All the worthy designs of virtuous men. Envied - Instead of honour, he meets with envy and obloquy. |
| Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
| For this a man is envied - It is not by injustice and wrong only that men suffer, but through envy also. For if a man act uprightly and properly in the world, he soon becomes the object of his neighbor's envy and calumny too. Therefore the encouragement to do good, to act an upright part, is very little. This constitutes a part of the vain and empty system of human life. |
1 And again I saw all the cruel things which are done under the sun; there was the weeping of those who have evil done to them, and they had no comforter: and from the hands of the evil-doers there went out power, but they had no comforter.
21 Because there is a man whose work has been done with wisdom, with knowledge, and with an expert hand; but one who has done nothing for it will have it for his heritage. This again is to no purpose and a great evil.
18 They came on me in the day of my trouble; but the Lord was my support.
24 There is nothing better for a man than taking meat and drink, and having delight in his work. This again I saw was from the hand of God.