Ecclesiastes 4:6
Better is one handful with some rest than two hands full of toil and chasing the wind.
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Referenced Verses
- Prov 15:16-17 : 16 Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth and turmoil with it. 17 Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox where there is hatred.
- Prov 16:8 : 8 Better to have a little with righteousness than to have abundant income without justice.
- Prov 17:1 : 1 Better is a dry crust of bread where there is quietness than a house full of feasting with strife.
- Ps 37:16 : 16 The little bit that a godly man owns is better than the wealth of many evil men,
Similar Verses (AI)
These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.
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1Better is a dry crust of bread where there is quietness than a house full of feasting with strife.
- Eccl 6:7-93 verses77%
7All of man’s labor is for nothing more than to fill his stomach– yet his appetite is never satisfied!
8So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool? And what advantage does a pauper gain by knowing how to survive?
9It is better to be content with what the eyes can see than for one’s heart always to crave more. This continual longing is futile– like chasing the wind.
- Eccl 4:3-53 verses77%
3But better than both is the one who has not been born and has not seen the evil things that are done on earth.
4Labor Motivated by Envy Then I considered all the skillful work that is done: Surely it is nothing more than competition between one person and another. This also is profitless– like chasing the wind.
5The fool folds his hands and does no work, so he has nothing to eat but his own flesh.
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16Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth and turmoil with it.
- Eccl 2:20-267 verses75%
20So I began to despair about all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so hard on earth.
21For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; however, he must hand over the fruit of his labor as an inheritance to someone else who did not work for it. This also is futile, and an awful injustice!
22Painful Days and Restless Nights What does a man acquire from all his labor and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth?
23For all day long his work produces pain and frustration, and even at night his mind cannot relax! This also is futile!
24Enjoy Work and its Benefits There is nothing better for people than to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in their work. I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment comes from God.
25For no one can eat and drink or experience joy apart from him.
26For to the one who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner, he gives the task of amassing wealth– only to give it to the one who pleases God. This task of the wicked is futile– like chasing the wind!
- Eccl 4:7-93 verses74%
7Labor Motivated by Greed So I again considered another futile thing on earth:
8A man who is all alone with no companion, he has no children nor siblings; yet there is no end to all his toil, and he is never satisfied with riches. He laments,“For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is futile and a burdensome task!
9Labor is Beneficial When Its Rewards Are Shared Two people are better than one, because they can reap more benefit from their labor.
- Eccl 2:10-112 verses74%
10I did not restrain myself from getting whatever I wanted; I did not deny myself anything that would bring me pleasure. So all my accomplishments gave me joy; this was my reward for all my effort.
11Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it, I concluded:“All these achievements and possessions are ultimately profitless– like chasing the wind! There is nothing gained from them on earth.”
- 72%
8Better to have a little with righteousness than to have abundant income without justice.
- 72%
11Wealth gained quickly will dwindle away, but the one who gathers it little by little will become rich.
- 72%
4The one who is lazy becomes poor, but the one who works diligently becomes wealthy.
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4Do not wear yourself out to become rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself.
- Eccl 5:10-123 verses72%
10Covetousness The one who loves money will never be satisfied with money, he who loves wealth will never be satisfied with his income. This also is futile.
11When someone’s prosperity increases, those who consume it also increase; so what does its owner gain, except that he gets to see it with his eyes?
12The sleep of the laborer is pleasant– whether he eats little or much– but the wealth of the rich will not allow him to sleep.
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9Man is Ignorant of God’s Timing What benefit can a worker gain from his toil?
- 72%
10A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to relax,
- 72%
6Surely people go through life as mere ghosts. Surely they accumulate worthless wealth without knowing who will eventually haul it away.”
- 72%
16The little bit that a godly man owns is better than the wealth of many evil men,
- 71%
33“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to relax,
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17Wisdom versus Fools, Sin, and Folly The words of the wise are heard in quiet, more than the shouting of a ruler is heard among fools.
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7which cannot fill the reaper’s hand, or the lap of the one who gathers the grain!
- 71%
11The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes. How does that benefit him?
- 71%
17So I decided to discern the benefit of wisdom and knowledge over foolish behavior and ideas; however, I concluded that even this endeavor is like trying to chase the wind!
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14Then that wealth was lost through bad luck; although he fathered a son, he has nothing left to give him.
- 71%
17So I loathed life because what happens on earth seems awful to me; for all the benefits of wisdom are futile– like chasing the wind.
- 71%
8All this monotony is tiresome; no one can bear to describe it: The eye is never satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear ever content with hearing.
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16This is another misfortune: Just as he came, so will he go. What did he gain from toiling for the wind?
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14I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile– like chasing the wind!
- 70%
3Futility Illustrated from Nature What benefit do people get from all the effort which they expend on earth?
- 70%
2You will eat what you worked so hard to grow. You will be blessed and secure.
- 70%
6Sow your seed in the morning, and do not stop working until the evening; for you do not know which activity will succeed– whether this one or that one, or whether both will prosper equally.
- 70%
29The one who troubles his family will inherit nothing, and the fool will be a servant to the wise person.
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5The plans of the diligent lead only to plenty, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
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23In all hard work there is profit, but merely talking about it only brings poverty.
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24It is better to live on a corner of the housetop than in a house in company with a quarrelsome wife.
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2It is vain for you to rise early, come home late, and work so hard for your food. Yes, he provides for those whom he loves even when they sleep.
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18Enjoy the Fruit of Your Labor I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people: to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all their hard work on earth during the few days of their life which God has given them, for this is their reward.