Passage

Ecclesiastes 4.9-10

Book: Ecclesiastes · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"7. Then I returned and saw vanity under the sun. 8. There is one that is alone, and he hath not a second; yea, he hath neither son nor brother; yet is there no end of all his labor, neither are his eyes satisfied with riches. For whom then, saith he, do I labor, and deprive my soul of good? This also is vanity, yea, it is a sore travail."

"9. Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 10. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him up."

"11. Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one be warm alone? 12. And if a man prevail against him that is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:7-12, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"7. Then I returned and saw vanity under the sun. 8. There is one who is alone, and he has neither son nor brother. There is no end to all of his labor, neither are his eyes satisfied with wealth. “For whom then, do I labor, and deprive my soul of enjoyment?” This also is vanity. Yes, it is a miserable business."

"9. Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 10. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up."

"11. Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one keep warm alone? 12. If a man prevails against one who is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:7-12, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"7. Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun. 8. There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail."

"9. Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 10. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up."

"11. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? 12. And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:7-12, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"7. And I have turned, and I see a vain thing under the sun: 8. There is one, and there is not a second; even son or brother he hath not, and there is no end to all his labour! His eye also is not satisfied with riches, and [he saith not], 'For whom am I labouring and bereaving my soul of good?' This also is vanity, it is a sad travail."

"9. The two [are] better than the one, in that they have a good reward by their labour. 10. For if they fall, the one raiseth up his companion, but woe to the one who falleth and there is not a second to raise him up!"

"11. Also, if two lie down, then they have heat, but how hath one heat? 12. And if the one strengthen himself, the two stand against him; and the threefold cord is not hastily broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:7-12, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Qohelet (traditionally Solomon)
Audience: wisdom-seekers facing life's apparent vanity
Location: Israel
Time period: traditionally c. 935 BC (Solomon); some scholars date later c. 450-200 BC

Theological reading

Key words

H0259 - echad, echad (Strong's H259). Also appears in: Genesis 2.24, Genesis 3, Genesis 10.25.
H2896 - tov, tov (Strong's H2896). Also appears in: Genesis 1.14-19, Genesis 1.21, Genesis 1.24-28.

Quoted in

Spirit of Isolation

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.