Ecclesiastes
Chapter 4
I also reflected on the extent of oppression under the sun: the tears of the oppressed with no one to comfort them, the violence of the oppressors with no one to stop them.
The dead are luckier than the living for being dead,
and even more fortunate than both are those not yet born, who haven’t experienced the abuses under the sun.
Work
I realized that everything done and all success come from rivalry with others: everything is pointless and like chasing the wind.
The fool crosses his arms and eats his meat.
Yet half a fistful of rest is better than fistfuls of toil and chasing the wind.
I saw yet another meaningless thing under the sun:
a man alone, without a son or brother, working tirelessly, never satisfied with his wealth: “For whom do I work and deprive myself of pleasure?” This, too, is foolishness and a misguided pursuit.
Happier two than one alone, because their work yields a better wage,
and when one falls, the other helps him up. Unfortunate is the one who is alone and has no one to lift him!
Moreover, it’s warmer with two in bed; how can one be warm alone?
One person might be overcome by an attacker, but two can easily resist him; a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Wisdom
Better a poor but wise youth than a fool of an old king who ignores advice.
He might even go from prison to the throne, even if he’s born in poverty in his kingdom.
I saw everyone under the sun follow the youth who replaced the older king, and there were no shortages of people supporting him.
And yet those who come after will not be satisfied. This also makes no sense; it’s just chasing the wind.
Vows and Promises
Be careful when you go to God’s House; listening is a better offering than sacrifices, as fools do, because they do not realize the evil they commit.
Commentaries
Injustice.
This section and the following four deal with some of the hardships of human life: the oppression of the righteous through force and defeat (3:16-4:3), the passion for work (4:4-12), the fleeting nature of glory (4:13-16), the abuse of vows (4:17-5:6), and the tyranny of authorities (5:7ff). The starting point that leads to the following conclusions is “since there is injustice…”: 1. God will judge both the righteous and the wicked, because on earth iniquity favors the powerful—similar statements appear in Babylonian lamentations. 2. Men and animals share the same fate. He does not imply evil; he observes it—hence the similarity between humans and animals—and notes the impossibility of escaping death (“breath” and “death,” cf. Gn 2:7, 19). 3. The only good thing for humans is to enjoy what they do, aligning with the previous section’s conclusion. 4. It is better not to have existed, because then one would not witness the evil deeds done under the sun.
How can Qohelet have such a wide range of responses to observing injustice? Does the same situation provoke the same reaction in different people, or in different conditions that the same person experiences? But then, what doctrine can be drawn from what is expressed here? Rather than seeking a doctrine, we should let Ecclesiastes enlighten and correct our own personal conclusions about unjust situations.
Work.
The new focus is on work. As in the previous section, it begins with an observation that prompts questions and provides insight: “Since there is work…”; from there, it draws two conclusions: 1. “A handful with tranquility is better than two with fatigue,” because fatigue and success are linked to rivalry and envy. 2. “A threefold cord is not quickly broken”; two are better than one, since the fruit of one’s labor is meaningless.
These are likely two ancient proverbs that convey traditional wisdom. Qohelet uses them to show the results of his reflection on experience.
Wisdom.
The third area of observation is wisdom. Here, too, he uses a popular saying as a conclusion: “Better a poor and wise young man than an old and foolish king…”, because the latter does not accept advice, and even if he is praised, those who come after him will not rejoice in what he has done. Some have seen an allusion to the biblical story of Joseph, but this isn’t easy to confirm, as only very general information is provided. As in the reflection in 3:16-4:3, here, too, we must allow Ecclesiastes to challenge our conclusions about wisdom and foolishness.
Vows and Promises.
The Preacher now examines worship and religion. He explains the difference between the behavior of the wise and the foolish based on vows and promises—on sins of inadvertence, see Leviticus 4; Numbers 15:22-.
He speaks of the respect owed to the sacred place; he rejects inconsistency (Hos 8:18; Am 5:21-24) and values obedience (4:17). He emphasizes God’s transcendence (5:1; cf. Dt 26:15; Ps 115:3; Jos 2:11), hence silence is the most respectful way to address Him — as seen in the Egyptian instruction of “Ani” from around 1000 B.C. — and warns of the fulfillment of what is promised (5:3f). All of this is seasoned with sentences that sound like popular proverbs: “obedience is more acceptable than sacrifices”; “our concerns appear in our dreams”; “many concerns bring nightmares”… Finally, it alludes to the “messenger” (5:5), which may refer to the priest (Mal 2:7) or the angel before whom excuses are futile, since he keeps track of our deeds (Tob 12:12; Acts 10:4). It concludes that it is best to abandon vain illusions and fear God.
Vow fulfillment is common across all cultures (Gen 28:20-22). The importance of acting quickly to fulfill vows is already noted in Deut 23:22, which reflects an ancient wisdom tradition that often distances itself from ritual sacrifices. The argument is that God causes misfortune, but it is humans who bring it about (cf. Ex 32:10-14; Ps 106:23).
The words we find in this section are logical and full of common sense. For our reflection, consider the following example, which aligns with the previous sections: “Since there are vows and promises…,” obedience is greater, because those who act contrary to them are doing wrong.