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Revised Standard Version

Ecclesiastes 4:10

For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Fellowship;   Friendship;   Union;   Thompson Chain Reference - Friendship;   Friendship-Friendlessness;   The Topic Concordance - Company;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Church;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes, Book of;   Fellowship;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ecclesiastes;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes, Book of;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Lift;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher;   Fellow;   Lift;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Accents in Hebrew;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for July 12;   Every Day Light - Devotion for September 16;  

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!
Geneva Bible (1587)
For if they fal, the one wil lift vp his felow: but wo vnto him that is alone: for he falleth, and there is not a second to lift him vp.
Christian Standard Bible®
For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up.
Hebrew Names Version
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn't have another to lift him up.
Easy-to-Read Version
If one person falls, the other person can reach out to help. But those who are alone when they fall have no one to help them.
Amplified Bible
for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and does not have another to lift him up.
American Standard Version
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him up.
Contemporary English Version
If you fall, your friend can help you up. But if you fall without having a friend nearby, you are really in trouble.
Complete Jewish Bible
if one of them falls, the other will help his partner up — woe to him who is alone when he falls and has no one to help him up.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him up.
King James Version (1611)
For if they fall, the one will lift vp his fellow; but woe to him that is alone, when he falleth: for he hath not another to helpe him vp.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falls, and there is not a second to lift him up.
English Revised Version
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him up.
Berean Standard Bible
For if one falls down, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to help him up!
Lexham English Bible
For if one falls, his companion may help him up. But pity the one who falls and there is no one to help him up.
Literal Translation
For if they fall, this one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him, the one that falls, and there is not another to lift him up.
New Century Version
If one falls down, the other can help him up. But it is bad for the person who is alone and falls, because no one is there to help.
New English Translation
For if they fall, one will help his companion up, but pity the person who falls down and has no one to help him up.
New King James Version
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.
New Living Translation
If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.
New Life Bible
For if one of them falls, the other can help him up. But it is hard for the one who falls when there is no one to lift him up.
New Revised Standard
For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, if the one should fall, the other would raise up his companion, - but alas! for him who is alone when he falleth, with no second to raise him up!
Douay-Rheims Bible
If one fall he shall be supported by the other: woe to him that is alone, for when he falleth, he hath none to lift him up.
George Lamsa Translation
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls; for there is none to lift him up.
Good News Translation
If one of them falls down, the other can help him up. But if someone is alone and falls, it's just too bad, because there is no one to help him.
New American Standard Bible
for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up!
King James Version
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But wo is him that is alone: for yf he fal, he hath not another to helpe him vp.
Darby Translation
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and who hath not another to lift him up!
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If oon fallith doun, he schal be vndurset of the tothere; wo to hym that is aloone, for whanne he fallith, he hath noon reisynge him.
Young's Literal Translation
For if they fall, the one raiseth up his companion, but wo to the one who falleth and there is not a second to raise him up!
World English Bible
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn't have another to lift him up.
Update Bible Version
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falls, and does not have another to lift him up.
Webster's Bible Translation
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him [that is] alone when he falleth; for [he hath] not another to help him to rise.
Bible in Basic English
And if one has a fall, the other will give him a hand; but unhappy is the man who is by himself, because he has no helper.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf one of them fall, his companyon helpeth him vp againe: But wo is him that is alone, for yf he fall, he hath not another to helpe him vp.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.
Legacy Standard Bible
For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not a second one to lift him up.

Contextual Overview

7 Again, I saw vanity under the sun: 8 a person who has no one, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, "For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?" This also is vanity and an unhappy business. 9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up. 11 Again, if two lie together, they are warm; but how can one be warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

if: Exodus 32:2-4, Exodus 32:21, Deuteronomy 9:19, Deuteronomy 9:20, 1 Samuel 23:16, 2 Samuel 11:27, 2 Samuel 12:7-14, Job 4:3, Job 4:4, Isaiah 35:3, Isaiah 35:4, Luke 22:31, Luke 22:32, Galatians 2:11-14, Galatians 6:1, 1 Thessalonians 4:18, 1 Thessalonians 5:11

but: Genesis 4:8, 2 Samuel 14:6

Reciprocal: Genesis 3:1 - he said Judges 13:23 - his wife Ezra 1:4 - help him Mark 6:7 - two and

Cross-References

Genesis 3:13
Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent beguiled me, and I ate."
Genesis 4:9
Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?"
Genesis 4:10
And the LORD said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.
Genesis 9:5
For your lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning; of every beast I will require it and of man; of every man's brother I will require the life of man.
Genesis 18:20
Then the LORD said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomor'rah is great and their sin is very grave,
Exodus 3:7
Then the LORD said, "I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters; I know their sufferings,
Numbers 35:33
You shall not thus pollute the land in which you live; for blood pollutes the land, and no expiation can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of him who shed it.
Joshua 7:19
Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel, and render praise to him; and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me."
2 Kings 9:26
'As surely as I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons--says the LORD--I will requite you on this plot of ground.' Now therefore take him up and cast him on the plot of ground, in accordance with the word of the LORD."
Job 16:18
"O earth, cover not my blood, and let my cry find no resting place.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow,.... That is, if anyone of them fall, the other will lift him up, as they are travelling together, in whatsoever manner; if one falls from his horse, or out of his carriage, or into a ditch, the other will endeavour to raise him up again: this, as it is true in a natural, so in a figurative and metaphorical sense, with religious persons especially;

"if one of them falls upon the bed, and lies sick,''

as the Targum paraphrases it, his friend and brother in a religions community will visit him, and sympathize with him, and speak a word of comfort to him, and pray with him, which may issue in his restoration. So the Targum,

"the other will cause his friend to rise by his prayer;''

or if he fall into outward distress, poverty, and want, his spiritual friend or friends will distribute to his necessity; if he falls into errors, as a good man may, such as are of the same religious society with him will take some pains to convince him of the error of his way, and to convert him from it, and to save a soul from death, and cover a multitude of sins; and if he falls into sin, to which the best of men are liable, such as are spiritual will endeavour to restore him in a spirit of meekness;

but woe to him [that is] alone when he falleth! for [he hath] not another to help him up; no companion to raise him up when fallen; no Christian friend to visit and comfort him when sick, to relieve him under his necessities, when poor and afflicted, or to recover him from errors in judgment, or immoralities in practice; and especially if he has not Christ with him to raise him up, keep, and uphold him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The spectacle of a prosperous man whose condition is rendered vain by his brotherless, childless isolation.

Ecclesiastes 4:8

A second - Any one associated or connected with him.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Compare a saying from the Talmud: “A man without companions is like the left hand without the right.”


 
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