the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Wycliffe Bible
Ecclesiastes 4:5
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The fool folds his armsand consumes his own flesh.
The fool folds his hands together and ruins himself.
The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.
The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh.
The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh.
Some say it is foolish to fold your hands and do nothing, because you will starve to death.
The fool folds his hands [together] and consumes his own flesh [destroying himself by idleness and apathy].
The fool folds his hands together and ruins himself.
The foole foldeth his hands, and eateth vp his owne flesh.
The fool folds his hands in embrace and consumes his own flesh.
The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh.
Fools will fold their hands and starve to death.
Fools fold their arms together and eat their own flesh away.
The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.
Some people say, "It is foolish to fold your hands and do nothing. If you don't work, you will starve to death."
The fool folds his hands together and suffers hunger.
They say that we would be fools to fold our hands and let ourselves starve to death.
The fool refuses to work with his hands, so he has nothing to eat except his own skin!
The fool folds his hands together and eats his own flesh.
The foole foldeth his handes together, & eateth vp his owne flesh.
The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.
The foolish man, folding his hands, takes the flesh of his body for food.
The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.
The foole foldeth his hands together, and eateth his owne flesh.
The foole foldeth his handes together, and eateth vp his owne fleshe.
The fool folds his hands together, and eats his own flesh.
The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.
The fool folds his hands together, and eats his own flesh.
The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.
The fool folds his hands and does no work, so he has nothing to eat but his own flesh.
The fool folds his hands And consumes his own flesh.
"Fools fold their idle hands, leading them to ruin."
The fool folds his hands and has no food to eat.
Fools fold their hands and consume their own flesh.
The dullard, claspeth his hands, and consumeth his own flesh.
The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh, saying:
The fool folds his hands, and eats his own flesh.
The fool is clasping his hands, and eating his own flesh:
The fool sits back and takes it easy, His sloth is slow suicide.
The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
fool: Proverbs 6:10, Proverbs 6:11, Proverbs 12:27, Proverbs 13:4, Proverbs 20:4, Proverbs 24:33, Proverbs 24:34
eateth: That is, with envy - see Ecclesiastes 4:4, though too idle to follow his neighbour's example. Job 13:14, Proverbs 11:17, Isaiah 9:20
Reciprocal: Ephesians 5:29 - hated
Cross-References
And God seide to Cayn, What hast thou do? the vois of the blood of thi brother crieth to me fro erthe.
Now therfor thou schalt be cursid on erthe, that openyde his mouth, and resseyuede of thin hond the blood of thi brothir.
Also Jacob perseyuede the face of Laban, that it was not ayens hym as yistirdai, and the thridde dai agoon,
Y se the face of youre fadir, that it is not ayens me as `yisterdai and the thridde dai agoon; but God of my fadir was with me.
We comen not. And Moises was wrooth greetli, and seide to the Lord, Biholde thou not the sacrifices of hem; thou wost that Y took neuere of hem, yhe, a litil asse, nethir Y turmentide ony of hem.
Wrathfulnesse sleeth `a fonned man, and enuye sleeth a litil child.
Be he myndeful of al thi sacrifice; and thi brent sacrifice be maad fat.
Whether it is not leueful to me to do that that Y wole? Whether thin iye is wickid, for Y am good?
And Jewis sien the puple, and weren fillid with enuye, and ayenseiden these thingis that weren seyd of Poul, and blasfemyden.
Bi feith Abel offride a myche more sacrifice than Caym to God, bi which he gat witnessyng to be iust, for God bar witnessyng to hise yiftis; and bi that feith he deed spekith yit.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
The fool foldeth his hands together,.... In order to get more sleep, or as unwilling to work; so the Targum adds,
"he folds his hands in summer, and will not labour;''
see Proverbs 6:10. Some persons, to escape the envy which diligence and industry bring on men, will not work at all, or do any right work, and think to sleep in a whole skin; this is great folly and madness indeed:
and eateth his own flesh; such a man is starved and famished for want of food, so that his flesh is wasted away; or he is so hungry bitten, that he is ready to eat his own flesh; or he hereby brings to ruin his family, his wife, and children, which are his own flesh, Isaiah 58:7. The Targum is,
"in winter he eats all he has, even the covering of the skin of his flesh.''
Some understand this of the envious man, who is a fool, traduces the diligent and industrious, and will not work himself; and not only whose idleness brings want and poverty on him as an armed man, but whose envy eats up his spirit, and is rottenness in his bones, Proverbs 6:11. Jarchi, out of a book of theirs called Siphri, interprets this of a wicked man in hell, when he sees the righteous in glory, and he himself judged and condemned.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Foldeth his hands - The envious man is here exhibited in the attitude of the sluggard (marginal references).
Eateth his own flesh - i. e., âDestroys himself:â compare a similar expression in Isaiah 49:26; Psalms 27:2; Micah 3:3.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Ecclesiastes 4:5. The fool foldeth his hands — After all, without labour and industry no man can get any comfort in life; and he who gives way to idleness is the veriest of fools.
