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Ecclesiastes 4:3-5
New Catholic Bible
Ecclesiastes 4:3-5
New Catholic Bible
3 But happier than both of these
is the one yet unborn
who has not witnessed the evil deeds
that are done under the sun.
Concurrence of Toil and Envy.[a] 4 Then I came to realize that all toil and skill in work derive from one person’s envy of another. This also is vanity and a chase after the wind.
5 The fool folds his arms
and consumes his own flesh.[b]
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 4:4 Certainly labor and success would merit our praise if the desire to possess would not introduce the poison of jealousy therein. Observe how the two sayings in verses 5-6 are contradictory; the first was undoubtedly inserted later on by a scrupulous scribe.
- Ecclesiastes 4:5 Consumes his own flesh: i.e., refuses to work, thus going hungry and bringing on ill health (see Eccl 10:18; Prov 6:6-11; 24:30-34).
