the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
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Ecclesiastes 4:1
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Again, I observed all the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors have great power, and their victims are helpless.
Then I returned and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and, look, the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.
Again I saw all the people who were mistreated here on earth. I saw their tears and that they had no one to comfort them. Cruel people had all the power, and there was no one to comfort those they hurt.
So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of [such as were] oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors [there was] power; but they had no comforter.
Then I returned and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and, behold, the tears of those who were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.
Then I looked again and considered all the acts of oppression that were being practiced under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them.
Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them.
I turnede me to othere thingis, and Y siy fals chalengis, that ben don vndur the sunne, and the teeris of innocentis, and no man coumfortour; and that thei forsakun of the help of alle men, moun not ayenstonde the violence of hem.
Then I returned and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold, the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power, but they had no comforter.
Again I looked, and I considered all the oppression taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; the power lay in the hands of their oppressors, and there was no comforter.
I looked again and saw people being mistreated everywhere on earth. They were crying, but no one was there to offer comfort, and those who mistreated them were powerful.
Then I returned and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and, behold, the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.
And again I saw all the cruel things which are done under the sun; there was the weeping of those who have evil done to them, and they had no comforter: and from the hands of the evil-doers there went out power, but they had no comforter.
But I turned away and thought about all the kinds of oppression being done under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them. The power was on the side of their oppressors, and they had no one to comfort them.
And I returned and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors was power, and they had no comforter.
Again I saw that many people are treated badly. I saw their tears, and I saw that there was no one to comfort them. I saw that cruel people had all the power, and I saw that there was no one to comfort the people they hurt.
But I returned and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun; and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power, but they had no comforter.
So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done vnder the sunne; & behold the teares of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter: and on the side of their oppressours there was power, but they had no comforter.
Then I saw all the bad powers that were ruling under the sun. I saw the tears of the people who were suffering under these powers, with no one to comfort them. Those who made it hard for them had the power. But the people had no one to comfort them.
Again I saw all the oppressions that are practiced under the sun. Look, the tears of the oppressed—with no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power—with no one to comfort them.
So I turned and considered all the oppressions that are wrought vnder the sunne, and beholde the teares of the oppressed, and none comforteth them: and lo, the strength is of the hand of them yt oppresse them, & none comforteth them.
SO I turned and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun; and behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter to deliver them from the hand of their oppressors, having neither strength nor helper.
Then I looked again at all the injustice that goes on in this world. The oppressed were crying, and no one would help them. No one would help them, because their oppressors had power on their side.
Then again, I, considered all the oppressive deeds which were done under the sun, - and lo! the tears of the oppressed, and they have no comforter, and, on the side of their oppressing, is power, and they have no comforter.
I turned myself to other things, and I saw the oppressions that are done under the sun, and the tears of the innocent, and they had no comforter; and they were not able to resist their violence, being destitute of help from any.
Again I saw all the oppressions that are practiced under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them.
So I turned me, and considered all the violent wrong that is done vnder the sunne: and beholde the teares of such as were oppressed, and there was no man to comfort them, or that woulde deliuer and defende them from the violence of their oppressours.
So I returned, and saw all the oppressions that were done under the sun: and behold the tear of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of them that oppressed them was power; but they had no comforter:
Again, I observed all the acts of oppression being done under the sun. Look at the tears of those who are oppressed; they have no one to comfort them. Power is with those who oppress them; they have no one to comfort them.
Then I returned and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and, behold, the tears of those who were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.
So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.
I looked again, and I saw all the oppression that occurs under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed— no one comforts them! Those who oppress them are powerful— no one can comfort them!
So I returned and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold the tears of those who were oppressed, and they had no comforter! And at the hand of those who oppressed them to them.
And I have turned, and I see all the oppressions that are done under the sun, and lo, the tear of the oppressed, and they have no comforter; and at the hand of their oppressors [is] power, and they have no comforter.
So I turned me, and considered all the violent wronge that is done vnder the Sonne: and beholde, the teares of soch as were oppressed, and there was no man to comforte them, or that wolde delyuer and defende them from the violence of their oppressours.
Next I turned my attention to all the outrageous violence that takes place on this planet—the tears of the victims, no one to comfort them; the iron grip of oppressors, no one to rescue the victims from them. So I congratulated the dead who are already dead instead of the living who are still alive. But luckier than the dead or the living is the person who has never even been, who has never seen the bad business that takes place on this earth.
Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold, I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and power was on the side of their oppressors, but they had no one to comfort them.
Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun: And look! The tears of the oppressed, But they have no comforter-- On the side of their oppressors there is power, But they have no comforter.
Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them.
Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold, I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
I returned: Job 6:29, Malachi 3:18
and considered: Ecclesiastes 3:16, Ecclesiastes 5:8, Ecclesiastes 7:7, Exodus 1:13, Exodus 1:14, Exodus 1:16, Exodus 1:22, Exodus 2:23, Exodus 2:24, Exodus 5:16-19, Deuteronomy 28:33, Deuteronomy 28:48, Judges 4:3, Judges 10:7, Judges 10:8, Nehemiah 5:1-5, Job 24:7-12, Psalms 10:9, Psalms 10:10, Proverbs 28:3, Proverbs 28:15, Proverbs 28:16, Isaiah 5:7, Isaiah 51:23, Isaiah 59:7, Isaiah 59:13-15, Malachi 3:5
the tears: Psalms 42:3, Psalms 42:9, Psalms 80:5, Psalms 102:8, Psalms 102:9, Malachi 2:13, James 5:4
they had: Job 16:4, Job 19:21, Job 19:22, Psalms 69:20, Psalms 142:4, Proverbs 19:7, Lamentations 1:2, Lamentations 1:9, Matthew 26:56, 2 Timothy 4:16, 2 Timothy 4:17
side: Heb. hand
Reciprocal: Exodus 3:9 - and I have Exodus 5:19 - evil case 1 Kings 21:7 - Dost thou now 1 Kings 21:13 - they carried him Job 20:19 - Because Job 24:12 - groan Psalms 12:5 - oppression Psalms 72:12 - him Proverbs 24:30 - went Proverbs 30:14 - to devour Ecclesiastes 1:8 - man Ecclesiastes 4:7 - General Ecclesiastes 6:11 - General Ecclesiastes 9:11 - returned Ecclesiastes 10:5 - as an Isaiah 51:19 - by whom Amos 4:1 - which oppress Habakkuk 1:3 - General Revelation 14:13 - Blessed
Cross-References
And I will put hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; her offspring will attack your head, and you will attack her offspring's heel."
And Adam had marital relations with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth, saying, "God has given me another child in place of Abel because Cain killed him."
He named him Noah, saying, "This one will bring us comfort from our labor and from the painful toil of our hands because of the ground that the Lord has cursed."
Now therefore kill every boy, and kill every woman who has had sexual intercourse with a man.
not like Cain who was of the evil one and brutally murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, but his brother's were righteous.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun,.... The wise man, according to Aben Ezra, returned from the thought, which he had expressed in the latter part of the preceding chapter, that it was good for a man to rejoice in his works, and called it in; since he could not rejoice, when he considered the oppression and violence that were in the world; but it does not appear that he did call it in, for he afterwards repeats it: or rather he returns to his former subject, the abuse of power and authority, mentioned Ecclesiastes 3:16; and from whence he had digressed a little by the above observation; and takes a review of all kinds of oppressions which are done, and of all sorts of "oppressed" x ones, as some render it, which become so, under the sun; subjects by their prince; the stranger, widow, and fatherless, by unjust judges; the poor by the rich; servants and labourers by their masters; and the like. Moreover, he saw by the Holy Ghost, as Jarchi paraphrases it, all oppressions by a spirit of prophecy; he foresaw all the oppressions that would be done under the sun; as all the injuries done to the people of Israel in their several captivities; so to the church of Christ in Gospel times; all the persecutions of Rome Pagan, and also of Rome Papal; all that has or will be done by antichrist, the man of the earth, who before long will oppress no more, Psalms 10:18; the Targum restrains these oppressions to those which are done to the righteous in this world: and it is well observed by the wise man, that they are such as are under the sun, for there are none above it, nor any beyond the grave, Job 3:17;
and behold the tears of [such as were] oppressed; which their eyes poured out, and which ran down their cheeks, and were all they could do, having no power to help themselves: it is in the singular number, "and behold the tear" y; as if it was one continued stream of tears, which, like a torrent, flowed from them; or as if they had so exhausted the source of nature by weeping, that the fountain of tears was dried up, and scarce another could drop; or it was as much as could be, that another should drop from them: and this the wise man could not well behold, without weeping himself; it being the property of a good man to weep with them that weep, especially with good men oppressed;
and they had no comforter; to speak a comfortable word to them; not so much as to do that which would be some alleviation of their sorrow, much less to help them, no human comforter; and this is a very deplorable condition, Lamentations 1:2; indeed, when this is the case, good men under their oppressions have a divine Comforter; God comforts them under all their tribulations; one of the names of the Messiah is "the Consolation of Israel", Luke 2:25; and the Spirit of God is "another Comforter", John 14:16; and such are well off, when all other comforters are miserable ones, or other men have none;
and on the side of their oppressors [there was] power; to crush them and keep them under, or to hinder others from helping or comforting them: or there was no "power [to deliver them] out of the hand of their oppressors" z; so some render and supply the words; with which sense agrees the Targum,
"and there is none to redeem them out of the hand of their oppressors, by strength of hand and by power.''
It may be rendered, "out of the hand of their oppressors [comes] power", or violence; such as the oppressed are not able to withstand; so the Arabic version;
but they had no comforter: which is repeated, not so much for confirmation, as to excite attention and pity, and to express the affliction of the oppressed, and the cruelty of others; and this following on the other clause, leads to observe, that the power of the oppressor is what hinders and deters others from comforting. Jarchi interprets this whole verse of the damned in hell, punished for their evil works, weeping for their souls oppressed by the destroying angels; and so, he says, it is, explained in an ancient book of theirs, called Siphri.
x העשקים "oppressos", Montanus, Junius Tremellius, Drusius, Schmidt, Rambachius, so Broughton "fraudatos", Cocceius. y דמעת "lachryma", Montanus, Tigurine version, Cocceius, Rambachius. z ומיד עשקיהם כח "et quia deest facultas se vindicandi e manu opprimentium ipsos", Tigurine version; "aut evadendi e manu opprimentium se virtus", Junius Tremellius "nec vires ad evadendum a manu opprimentium ipsos", Piscator.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
So I returned, and considered - Rather, And I returned and saw. He turns to look upon other phenomena, and to test his previous conclusion by them.
Oppressed - See the introduction to Ecclesiastes.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
CHAPTER IV
The vanity of life is increased by oppression, 1-3;
by envy, 4;
by idleness, 5.
The misery of a solitary life, and the advantages of society,
6-12.
A poor and wise child; better than an old and foolish king, 13.
The uncertainty of popular favour, 14-16.
NOTES ON CHAP. IV
Verse Ecclesiastes 4:1. Considered all the oppressions — עשקים ashukim signifies any kind of injury which a man can receive in his person, his property, or his good fame.
On the side of their oppressors there was power — And, therefore, neither protection nor comfort for the oppressed.
