Ecclesiastes 4:5

The fool folds his hands together, 1 And eats his own flesh. 1

Updated Brenton Septuagint

In The King James Version

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

In Context

4And I saw all labor, 1 And all the diligent work, 1 That this is a man’s envy from his neighbor. 1 This is also vanity and waywardness of spirit. 1

6Better is a handful of rest 1 Than two handfuls of trouble 1 And waywardness of spirit. 1

Read all of Ecclesiastes 4

Cross References

Proverbs 6:9How long wilt thou lie, O sluggard? 1 And when wilt thou awake out of sleep? 1

Proverbs 6:11a But if thou be diligent, thy harvest shall arrive as a fountain, 1 And poverty shall flee away as a bad courier. 1

Proverbs 12:27A deceitful man shall catch no game; 1 But a blameless man is a precious possession. 1

Proverbs 20:4A sluggard when reproached is not ashamed: 1 So also he who borrows corn in harvest. 1

Isaiah 9:20For Manasseh shall eat the flesh of Ephraim, and Ephraim the flesh of Manasseh; for they shall besiege Judah together. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is yet exalted.

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 →

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