Ecclesiastes 4 (JND) - Bible Truth Library

Library Home>Ecclesiastes 4 (JND)

Verse 3

Go

Verse 5

Articles on

Ecclesiastes 4

Eccl. 4:4 KJV (With Strong’s)

+

4

Again, I considered all travail, and κevery right work, that λfor this a man is enviedm of his neighbor. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

κ

all the rightness of.

λ

this is the envy of a man from.

m

Gen. 37:4‑11• ⁴And his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, and they hated him, and could not greet him with friendliness.
⁵And Joseph dreamed a dream, and told it to his brethren, and they hated him yet the more.
⁶And he said to them, Hear, I pray you, this dream, which I have dreamt:
⁷Behold, we were binding sheaves in the fields, and lo, my sheaf rose up, and remained standing; and behold, your sheaves came round about and bowed down to my sheaf.
⁸And his brethren said to him, Wilt thou indeed be a king over us? wilt thou indeed rule over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words.
⁹And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamt another dream, and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.
¹⁰And he told it to his father and to his brethren. And his father rebuked him, and said to him, What is this dream which thou hast dreamt? Shall we indeed come, I and thy mother and thy brethren, to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
¹¹And his brethren envied him; but his father kept the saying. (Gen. 37:4‑11)

More on:

+

Spirit

Cross References

+

Ministry on This Verse

+

every, etc.

Heb. all the rightness of work, that this is theenvy of man from his neighbour.

Gen. 4:4‑8• ⁴And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of their fat. And Jehovah looked upon Abel, and on his offering;
⁵and upon Cain, and on his offering, he did not look. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
⁶And Jehovah said to Cain, Why art thou angry, and why is thy countenance fallen?
⁷If thou doest well, will not thy countenance look up with confidence? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door; and unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
⁸And Cain spoke to Abel his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. (Gen. 4:4‑8)

;

Gen. 37:2‑11• ²These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, fed the flock with his brethren; and he was doing service with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought to his father an evil report of them.
³And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was son of his old age; and he made him a vest of many colours.
⁴And his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, and they hated him, and could not greet him with friendliness.
⁵And Joseph dreamed a dream, and told it to his brethren, and they hated him yet the more.
⁶And he said to them, Hear, I pray you, this dream, which I have dreamt:
⁷Behold, we were binding sheaves in the fields, and lo, my sheaf rose up, and remained standing; and behold, your sheaves came round about and bowed down to my sheaf.
⁸And his brethren said to him, Wilt thou indeed be a king over us? wilt thou indeed rule over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words.
⁹And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamt another dream, and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.
¹⁰And he told it to his father and to his brethren. And his father rebuked him, and said to him, What is this dream which thou hast dreamt? Shall we indeed come, I and thy mother and thy brethren, to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
¹¹And his brethren envied him; but his father kept the saying. (Gen. 37:2‑11)

;

1 Sam. 18:8‑9,14‑16,29‑30• ⁸And Saul was very wroth, and that saying was evil in his sight; and he said, They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed the thousands; and what is there more for him but the kingdom?
⁹And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
¹⁴And David prospered in all his ways; and Jehovah was with him.
¹⁵And Saul saw that he prospered well, and he stood in awe of him.
¹⁶But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.
²⁹And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul was David's enemy continually.
³⁰And the princes of the Philistines went forth; and it came to pass, whenever they went forth, that David succeeded better than all the servants of Saul; and his name was much esteemed. (1 Sam. 18:8‑9,14‑16,29‑30)

;

Prov. 27:4• ⁴Fury is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before jealousy? (Prov. 27:4)

;

Matt. 27:18• ¹⁸For he knew that they had delivered him up through envy. (Matt. 27:18)

;

Acts 7:9• ⁹And the patriarchs, envying Joseph, sold him away into Egypt. And God was with him, (Acts 7:9)

;

James 4:5• ⁵Think ye that the scripture speaks in vain? Does the Spirit which has taken his abode in us desire enviously? (James 4:5)

;

1 John 3:12• ¹²not as Cain was of the wicked one, and slew his brother; and on account of what slew he him? because his works were wicked, and those of his brother righteous. (1 John 3:12)

This is.

Eccl. 4:16• ¹⁶There is no end of all the people, of all that stood before them; those however that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after the wind. (Eccl. 4:16)

;

Eccl. 1:14• ¹⁴I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and pursuit of the wind. (Eccl. 1:14)

;

Eccl. 2:21,26• ²¹For there is a man whose labour hath been with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skill, and who leaveth it to a man that hath not laboured therein, to be his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.
²⁶For he giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he giveth travail to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good in God's sight. This also is vanity and pursuit of the wind. (Eccl. 2:21,26)

;

Eccl. 6:9,11• ⁹Better is the seeing of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this also is vanity and pursuit of the wind.
¹¹For there are many things that increase vanity: what is man advantaged? (Eccl. 6:9,11)

;

Gen. 37:4,11• ⁴And his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, and they hated him, and could not greet him with friendliness.
¹¹And his brethren envied him; but his father kept the saying. (Gen. 37:4,11)

• But the Preacher still continues his search “under the sun,” and turns from oppression and tears to regard what is, on the surface at least, a comparatively happy lot―“right work,” by which a man has attained to prosperity and pre-eminence. But as he looks closer at a case which, at first sight, seems to promise real satisfaction, he sees that there is a bitter sting connected with it―a sting that at once robs it of all its attraction, and makes void all its promise of true rest―for “for this a man is envied of his neighbor.” His success is only cause of bitter jealousy, and makes him the object not of love, but of envy, to all about him. Success, then, and a position of pre-eminence above one’s competitors, gained by skillful toil, is rather to be avoided as vanity and pursuit of the wind―a grasping at an empty nothingness. (“Ecclesiastes 4” by F.C. Jennings)

J. N. Darby Translation

+

4

And I saw all labour, and all successi of work, that it is man’s jealousy of his neighbour. This also is vanity and pursuit of the wind.

JND Translation Notes

+

i

Or "skilfulness," as ch. 2.21.