Ecclesiastes 4:6 - Exposition

Better is a handful with quietness ; literally, better a hand full of rest . Than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit ; literally, than two hands full of travail , etc . This verse, which has been variously interpreted, is most simply regarded as the fool's defense of his indolence, either expressed in his own words or fortified by a proverbial saying. One open hand full of quietness and rest is preferable to two closed hands full of toil and vain effort. The verse must not be taken as the writer's warning against sloth, which would be out of place here, but as enunciating a maxim against discontent and that restless activity which is never satisfied with moderate returns.