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Ecclesiastes 4:5

The foole foldeth his handes together, and eateth vp his owne fleshe.

Bible (Bishops')

In The King James Version

The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.

In Context

4Agayne, 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.

6One handfull [saith he] is better with rest, then both the handes full with labour and trauayle of mynde.

Read all of Ecclesiastes 4

Cross References

Proverbs 6:9Howe long wylt thou sleepe thou sluggishe man? When wylt thou aryse out of thy sleepe?

Proverbs 6:11So shall pouertie come vnto thee as one that trauayleth by the way, and necessitie like a weaponed man.

Proverbs 12:27The deciptfull man shall not coste that he toke in huntyng: but the riches of the iust man is of great value.

Proverbs 20:4A slouthfull body wyll not go to plow for colde of the winter: therefore shall he begge in sommer, and haue nothing.

Isaiah 9:20But he robbeth on the right hande, and doth famishe, he eateth on the left hande, and he shall not haue inough: euery man shall eate the fleshe of his owne arme.

Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 4:5-7

The Prevalence of Oppression. 4 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. 5 The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh. 6 Better is a handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit. Here Solomon returns to the observation and consideration of the vanity and vexation of spirit that attend the business of this world, which he had spoken of before, ch. ii.… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

King James VersionBíblia Portuguesa MundialLuther Bibel (Deutsch)Bible Louis Segond (Français)Библия (Русский)新标点和合本성경 (한국어)الكتاب المقدس باللغة العربية، فان دايكBibbia Diodati (Italiano)Kinh Thánh (Tiếng Việt)Biblia Cornilescu (Română)Polish Biblia Gdanska (1881)Statenvertaling (Nederlands)

Study Ecclesiastes 4:5

Matthew HenryJamieson-Fausset-BrownAdam ClarkeJohn WesleyJohn CalvinKeil and DelitzschScofieldFamily Bible NotesGeneva Bible Notes (1599)
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