Font Size
Ecclesiastes 4:12-14
New English Translation
Ecclesiastes 4:12-14
New English Translation
12 Although an assailant may overpower[a] one person,
two can withstand him.
Moreover, a three-stranded cord is not quickly broken.
Labor Motivated by Prestige Seeking
13 A poor but wise youth is better than an old and foolish king
who no longer knows how to receive advice.
14 For he came out of prison[b] to become king,
even though he had been born poor in what would become his[c] kingdom.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 4:12 tn The verbal root תָּקַף (taqaf) means “to overpower; to prevail over” e.g., Job 14:20; 15:24; Eccl 4:12; 6:10 (HALOT 1786 s.v. תקף).
- Ecclesiastes 4:14 tn Heb “came from the house of bonds.”
- Ecclesiastes 4:14 tn The phrase “what would become” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. However, it is not altogether clear whether the third person masculine singular suffix (“his”) on בְּמַלְכוּתוֹ (bemalkhuto, “his kingdom”) refers to the old foolish king or to the poor but wise youth of 4:13.
New English Translation (NET)
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.