Ecclesiastes 4:5. The fool foldeth his hands, &c. Is careless and idle: perceiving that diligence is attended with envy, he runs into the other extreme. And eateth his own flesh Wastes his substance, and brings himself to poverty, whereby his very flesh pines away for want of bread. read more
Ecclesiastes 4:6. Better is a handful with quietness, &c. These are the words, either, 1st, Of the sluggard, making this apology for his idleness, that his little, with ease, is better than great riches got with much trouble; or, 2d, of Solomon, who elsewhere speaks to the same purpose, and here proposes this antidote against the vanity of immoderate cares and labours for worldly goods, against which he industriously directs his speech in divers places of this book, and particularly in... read more
The uselessness of achievement (4:4-16)Several examples illustrate how useless much human activity is. Some people drive themselves in their work but can never relax and enjoy it, because they are always worrying about being ahead of everyone else. Others do not work at all and so ruin themselves. Both extremes should be avoided. People should work for a living and enjoy it, but they should not be so ambitious that they create trouble for themselves (4-6).Other unhappy people are those who... read more
fool. Hebrew. kesil, fat, inert. See note on Proverbs 1:7 . read more
Ecclesiastes 4:5-6. The fool foldeth his hands, &c.— The fool, folding his hands together, and eating his own flesh, saith, Better is the palm of one hand full of rest, than both the hands full of work, and that which goes with the wind. Desvoeux; who observes, that metaphors derived from images which are not familiar to us, and which on that account may at first appear almost unintelligible, are sometimes easily understood, when you compare therewith the context: thus the expression,... read more
5. Still the fool (the wicked oppressor) is not to be envied even in this life, who "folds his hands together" in idleness (Proverbs 6:10; Proverbs 24:33), living on the means he wrongfully wrests from others; for such a one eateth his own flesh—that is, is a self-tormentor, never satisfied, his spirit preying on itself (Isaiah 9:20; Isaiah 49:26). read more
6. Hebrew; "One open hand (palm) full of quietness, than both closed hands full of travail." "Quietness" (mental tranquillity flowing from honest labor), opposed to "eating one's own flesh" ( :-), also opposed to anxious labor to gain (Ecclesiastes 4:8; Proverbs 15:16; Proverbs 15:17; Proverbs 16:8). read more
Envy of others 4:4-6"Every labor and every skill" (Ecclesiastes 4:4) undoubtedly means every type of labor and skill, rather than every individual instance of these things. Solomon used hyperbole. Much achievement is the result of a desire to be superior. Ecclesiastes 4:5 seems to be the opposite of Ecclesiastes 4:4."We pass from the rat-race with its hectic scramble for status symbols to the drop-out with his total indifference." [Note: Eaton, p. 93.] "He [the drop-out] is the picture of... read more
3. The motivations of labor 4:4-16The phrase "vanity and striving after wind" (Ecclesiastes 4:4; Ecclesiastes 4:16) brackets this section. This structure emphasizes the relative vapidity of everything between these statements. The main theme seems to be "the power complex common among humans and ways of reacting to it." [Note: J. S. Wright, "Ecclesiastes," p. 1165.] read more
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Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Ecclesiastes 4:6
Either the fool’s sarcasm on his successful but restless neighbor; or the comment of Solomon recommending contentment with a moderate competence. The former meaning seems preferable. read more