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Ecclesiastes 4:4
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I saw that all labor and all skillful work is due to one person’s jealousy of another. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
Then I saw all the labor and achievement that is the envy of a man's neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
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.
Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a person and his neighbor. This too is futility and striving after wind.
I realized the reason people work hard and try to succeed: They are jealous of each other. This, too, is useless, like chasing the wind.
Then I saw all of labor and of achievement that is the envy of a man's neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Also I beheld all trauaile, & all perfection of workes yt this is ye enuie of a man against his neighbour: this also is vanitie & vexation of spirit.
I have seen that every labor and every success of the work is the result of jealousy between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind.
I saw that all labor and success spring from a man's envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
Then I realized that we work and do wonderful things just because we are jealous of others. This makes no more sense than chasing the wind.
Next I realized that all effort and achievement stem from one person's envy of another. This too is futility and feeding on wind.
And I saw all labour, and all success of work, that it is man's jealousy of his neighbour. This also is vanity and pursuit of the wind.
Then I thought, "Why do people work so hard?" I saw people try to succeed and be better than other people. They do this because they are jealous. They don't want other people to have more than they have. This is senseless. It is like trying to catch the wind.
Then I saw that all the labor and all the work is successful because a man is more zealous than his neighbor. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.
I have also learned why people work so hard to succeed: it is because they envy the things their neighbors have. But it is useless. It is like chasing the wind.
I also realized that all of the toil and all of the skillful work that is done—it is envy between one man and another. This also is vanity and chasing wind!
And I considered every labor, and every advantage of the work, that it is the envy of a man against his neighbor; this is also vanity and striving after wind.
Agayne, I sawe that all trauayle and diligence of laboure was hated of euery man. This is also a vaine thinge, and a vexacion of mynde.
Then I saw all labor and every skilful work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
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.
Again, I considered all labour and all excelling in work, that it is a man's rivalry with his neighbour. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Againe I considered all trauaile, and euery right worke, that for this a man is enuied of his neighbour: this is also vanitie, and vexation of spirit.
Agayne, I sawe that all trauayle and diligence of labour that euery man taketh in hande, was done of enuie agaynst his neighbour: This is also a vayne thyng, and a vexation of mynde.
And I saw all labour, and all the diligent work, that this is a man’s envy from his neighbour. This is also vanity and waywardness of spirit.
Then I saw all labour and every skilful work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Eft Y bihelde alle the trauelis of men, and bisynesses; and Y perseyuede that tho ben opyn to the enuye of neiybore; and therfor in this is vanyte, and superflu bisynesse.
Then I saw all labor and every skillful work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Again, I considered all labor, and every right work, that for this a man is envied by his neighbor. This [is] also vanity and vexation of spirit.
Then I considered all the skillful work that is done: Surely it is nothing more than competition between one person and another. This also is profitless—like chasing the wind.
Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
I have seen that all the work done is because a man wants what his neighbor has. This also is for nothing, like trying to catch the wind.
Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from one person's envy of another. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.
Then saw, I, all the toil and all the skill of the work, that, for this, a man was envied of his neighbour, - even this, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
Again I considered all the labours of men, and I remarked that their industries are exposed to the envy of their neighbour: so in this also there is vanity, and fruitless care.
Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
And I have seen all the labour, and all the benefit of the work, because for it a man is the envy of his neighbour. Even this [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.
Then I observed all the work and ambition motivated by envy. What a waste! Smoke. And spitting into the wind.
I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
every: etc. Heb. all the rightness of work, that this is the envy of man from his neighbour, Genesis 4:4-8, Genesis 37:2-11, 1 Samuel 18:8, 1 Samuel 18:9, 1 Samuel 18:14-16, 1 Samuel 18:29, 1 Samuel 18:30, Proverbs 27:4, Matthew 27:18, Acts 7:9, James 4:5, 1 John 3:12
This is: Ecclesiastes 4:16, Ecclesiastes 1:14, Ecclesiastes 2:21, Ecclesiastes 2:26, Ecclesiastes 6:9, Ecclesiastes 6:11, Genesis 37:4, Genesis 37:11
Reciprocal: Genesis 26:14 - envied Genesis 30:1 - Rachel envied Genesis 31:1 - Jacob Exodus 1:9 - the people Judges 8:1 - the men Judges 12:1 - Wherefore 1 Samuel 17:28 - Eliab's anger Nehemiah 6:2 - Come Ecclesiastes 1:2 - General Ecclesiastes 1:13 - this sore Ecclesiastes 4:5 - eateth Ecclesiastes 5:10 - this Ecclesiastes 6:2 - vanity Ecclesiastes 8:14 - a vanity Ecclesiastes 9:11 - returned Ecclesiastes 12:8 - General Jeremiah 2:13 - broken cisterns Ezekiel 31:9 - envied Daniel 3:12 - certain Daniel 6:4 - sought Matthew 26:8 - they Mark 14:4 - there Mark 15:10 - for envy John 3:26 - he that John 10:32 - for John 12:4 - one Acts 5:17 - indignation Acts 13:45 - they
Cross-References
So Cain went away from the [manifested] presence of the LORD, and lived in the land of Nod [wandering in exile], east of Eden.
Cain knew his wife [one of Adam's descendants] and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch; and Cain built a city and named it Enoch, after the name of his son.
And Lamech took for himself two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah.
Adah gave birth to Jabal; he became the father of those [nomadic herdsmen] who live in tents and have cattle and raise livestock.
When the sun had gone down and a [deep] darkness had come, there appeared a smoking brazier and a flaming torch which passed between the [divided] pieces [of the animals].
you shall set apart and dedicate to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock shall be the LORD'S.
Then fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell face downward [in awe and worship].
Fire also came forth from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense.
"All the best of the fresh [olive] oil, and all the best of the new wine and of the grain, the first fruits of those which they give to the LORD, I give them to you.
"But the firstborn of a cow or of a sheep or of a goat you shall not redeem; they are holy [and belong to the LORD]. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and shall offer up their fat in smoke as an offering by fire, for a sweet and soothing aroma to the LORD.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Again I considered all travail, and every right work,.... The pains that men take to do right works. Some apply themselves, with great diligence and industry, to the study of the liberal arts and sciences; and to attain the knowledge of languages; and to writing books, for the improvement of those things, and the good of mankind: and others employ themselves in mechanic arts, and excel in them, and bring their works to great perfection and accuracy; when they might expect to be praised and commended, and have thanks given them by men. But instead thereof, so it is,
that for this a man is envied of his neighbour; who will be sure to find fault with what he has done, speak contemptibly of him and his work, and traduce him among men. This is also true of moral works; which are right, when done from a right principle, from love to God, in faith, and with a view to the glory of God; and which when done, and ever so well done, draw upon a man the envy of the wicked, as may be observed in the case of Cain and Abel, 1 John 3:12; though some understand this, not passively, of the envy which is brought upon a man, and he endures, for the sake of the good he excels in; but actively, of the spirit of emulation with which he does it; though the work he does, as to the matter of it, is right; yet the manner of doing it, and the spirit with which he does it, are wrong; he does not do it with any good affection to the thing itself, nor with any good design, only from a spirit of emulation to outdo his neighbour: so the Targum paraphrases it,
"this is the emulation that a man emulates his neighbour, to do as he; if he emulates him to do good, the heavenly Word does good to him; but if he emulates him to do evil, the heavenly Word does evil to him;''
and to this sense Jarchi; compare with this, Philippians 1:15.
This [is] also vanity, and vexation of spirit; whether it be understood in the one sense or the other; how dissatisfying and vexatious is it, when a man has taken a great deal of pains to do right works for public good, instead of having thanks and praise, is reproached and calumniated for it? and if he does a right thing, and yet has not right ends and views in it, it stands for nothing; it has only the appearance of good, but is not truly so, and yields no solid peace and comfort.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Every right work - Rather, every success in work.
For this ... - i. e., âThis successful work makes the worker an object of envy.â Some understand the meaning to be, âthis work is the effect of the rivalry of man with his neighbor.â
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Ecclesiastes 4:4. 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 neighbour'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.
