Question 1

What does it mean that the oppressed have no comforter in this passage?

Accepted Answer

The writer looks around at the world and sees people being crushed by those in power. He notices their tears and says they have “no comforter,” meaning no one to stand with them, defend them, or bring them real relief. On the other side are the oppressors, who hold all the power. This shows how lonely and bitter suffering can be when no one cares or helps. It also hints that human power is often misused, and that people deeply need others who will show mercy and stand with them.

Question 2

Why does the writer say the dead or the unborn are better off than the living?

Accepted Answer

These verses are very heavy because they show how deeply the writer feels the pain of oppression. Seeing so much evil and no comfort for the weak, he says the dead are better off than the living, and that those who have never been born are better still, because they have not seen such wrong. He is not giving a full teaching on life and death here, but speaking from grief as he looks at life only “under the sun.” It shows how hopeless the world seems when God’s comfort and justice are not in view.

Question 3

What does envy of a neighbour’s work teach about human labor here?

Accepted Answer

The writer notices that even good, honest work often leads to envy. A person may work hard and do things well, yet instead of joy and thanks, they stir up jealousy in others. This makes work feel empty, because the result is rivalry and bitterness, not peace. The passage is not saying work itself is bad, but warns that when labor is driven by comparison or the desire to outdo others, it becomes “vanity and vexation of spirit,” leaving the heart tired and unsatisfied.

Question 4

What does the phrase the fool foldeth his hands and eateth his own flesh mean?

Accepted Answer

This is a picture of lazy self-destruction. The fool “folds his hands,” meaning he refuses to work and just sits idle. “Eats his own flesh” is a strong way of saying he ruins himself. By avoiding effort, he ends up in need, wasting his own life and strength. The verse warns that idleness is not restful wisdom but a slow kind of self-harm. It stands beside the warning against restless striving to show that both extremes, lazy neglect and feverish greed, lead to misery.

Question 5

Why is a handful with quietness better than both hands full with travail?

Accepted Answer

Here the writer commends a simple, content life. “A handful with quietness” means having enough, even if it is not much, together with peace of mind and rest. “Both hands full with travail and vexation of spirit” pictures someone grabbing all they can, working nonstop, yet always anxious and worn out. The point is that inner rest with modest means is better than wealth gained at the cost of constant stress and trouble. Contentment in God and simple provision is worth more than overwork and worry.

Question 6

Who is the person who is alone with no child or brother, and why is this sad?

Accepted Answer

The passage describes a man who is completely alone, with no child, no brother, and no close companion. Yet he never stops working and piling up riches. He never stops to ask himself, “For whom am I working?” or to enjoy what he has. This picture shows the emptiness of selfish ambition. Without relationships, his hard labor brings no real joy. His life becomes “vanity” and a “sore travail” because he has chosen gain over people and ended up with neither real comfort nor lasting purpose.

Question 7

What does two are better than one teach about friendship and support?

Accepted Answer

“Two are better than one” sums up the goodness of companionship. When two work together, their efforts are rewarded more. If one falls, the other can help him up. If they are cold, they can share warmth. If one is attacked, two can stand and resist. These simple examples show that life is safer, warmer, and more fruitful when shared. The point is not just about marriage, but about any close partnership or friendship where people walk together, help each other, and face hardship side by side.

Question 8

What is the meaning of a threefold cord is not quickly broken?

Accepted Answer

A cord made of three strands is far stronger than a single strand. The writer uses this picture to show the strength of close bonds. If two together are strong, three are stronger still. Many readers see in this a general truth about close-knit relationships, whether in family, friendship, or shared faith. When people are bound together in loyalty and love, they can bear more, stand firmer, and are less easily torn apart by trouble or opposition.

Question 9

How can this passage speak to loneliness and isolation today?

Accepted Answer

This passage feels very current because it shows both deep suffering and deep loneliness. Many today work hard, chase success, and yet feel alone, like the man with no child or brother. Others feel crushed by unfair treatment without anyone to comfort them. The text gently warns against living only for gain and calls us to seek and value real relationships. It invites us to share burdens, help one another up when we fall, and remember that shared life, not isolated success, brings the richer reward.

Ecclesiastes 4:1

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.

The Evil of Oppression

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Ecclesiastes 4:1

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.

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The Evil of Oppression

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