Ecclesiastes 4:9
Labor is Beneficial When Its Rewards Are Shared Two people are better than one, because they can reap more benefit from their labor.
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Referenced Verses
- Gen 2:18 : 18 The LORD God said,“It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him.”
- 1 Cor 12:18-21 : 18 But as a matter of fact, God has placed each of the members in the body just as he decided. 19 If they were all the same member, where would the body be? 20 So now there are many members, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand,“I do not need you,” nor in turn can the head say to the foot,“I do not need you.”
- Prov 27:17 : 17 As iron sharpens iron, so a person sharpens his friend.
- Num 11:14 : 14 I am not able to bear this entire people alone, because it is too heavy for me!
- John 4:36 : 36 The one who reaps receives pay and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps can rejoice together.
- Acts 15:39-40 : 39 They had a sharp disagreement, so that they parted company. Barnabas took along Mark and sailed away to Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and set out, commended to the grace of the Lord by the brothers and sisters.
- Acts 13:2 : 2 While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
- Hag 1:14 : 14 So the LORD energized and encouraged Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the whole remnant of the people. They came and worked on the temple of their God, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
- Mark 6:7 : 7 Sending Out the Twelve Apostles Jesus called the twelve and began to send them out two by two. He gave them authority over the unclean spirits.
- Ruth 2:12 : 12 May the LORD reward your efforts! May your acts of kindness be repaid fully by the LORD God of Israel, from whom you have sought protection!”
- Exod 4:14-16 : 14 Then the LORD became angry with Moses, and he said,“What about your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he can speak very well. Moreover, he is coming to meet you, and when he sees you he will be glad in his heart. 15 “So you are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And as for me, I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you both what you must do. 16 He will speak for you to the people, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were his God.
Similar Verses (AI)
These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.
- Eccl 4:10-123 verses86%
10For if they fall, one will help his companion up, but pity the person who falls down and has no one to help him up.
11Furthermore, if two lie down together, they can keep each other warm, but how can one person keep warm by himself?
12Although an assailant may overpower one person, two can withstand him. Moreover, a three-stranded cord is not quickly broken.
- Eccl 4:6-83 verses77%
6Better is one handful with some rest than two hands full of toil and chasing the wind.
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!
- Eccl 4:2-43 verses74%
2So I considered those who are dead and gone more fortunate than those who are still alive.
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.
- Eccl 2:24-263 verses73%
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!
- John 4:36-372 verses71%
36The one who reaps receives pay and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps can rejoice together.
37For in this instance the saying is true,‘One sows and another reaps.’
- Eccl 2:20-223 verses71%
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?
- 71%
9Man is Ignorant of God’s Timing What benefit can a worker gain from his toil?
- 70%
18The LORD God said,“It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him.”
- 70%
14In times of prosperity be joyful, but in times of adversity consider this: God has made one as well as the other, so that no one can discover what the future holds.
- 69%
22So I perceived there is nothing better than for people to enjoy their work, because that is their reward; for who can show them what the future holds?
- 69%
3Futility Illustrated from Nature What benefit do people get from all the effort which they expend on earth?
- Eccl 9:9-102 verses69%
9Enjoy life with your beloved wife during all the days of your fleeting life that God has given you on earth during all your fleeting days; for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work on earth.
10Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, the place where you will eventually go.
- Eccl 2:10-112 verses68%
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.”
- 68%
2You will eat what you worked so hard to grow. You will be blessed and secure.
- 68%
6They help one another; one says to the other,‘Be strong!’
- 68%
8The one who plants and the one who waters work as one, but each will receive his reward according to his work.
- 68%
24That is why a man leaves his father and mother and unites with his wife, and they become a new family.
- 68%
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.
- 68%
17In the same way, the one who had two gained two more.
- 68%
17A friend loves at all times, and a relative is born to help in adversity.
- 68%
8and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
- 68%
4Better to Be Poor but Alive than Rich but Dead But whoever is among the living has hope; a live dog is better than a dead lion.
- 68%
11The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes. How does that benefit him?
- 68%
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.
- 68%
4Let each one examine his own work. Then he can take pride in himself and not compare himself with someone else.
- 67%
11Wealth gained quickly will dwindle away, but the one who gathers it little by little will become rich.
- 67%
12Enjoy Life in the Present I have concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they live,
- 67%
2It is better to go to a funeral than a feast. For death is the destiny of every person, and the living should take this to heart.
- 67%
3Do two walk together without having met?
- 67%
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.
- 67%
15Enjoy Life In Spite of Its Injustices So I recommend the enjoyment of life, for there is nothing better on earth for a person to do except to eat, drink, and enjoy life. So joy will accompany him in his toil during the days of his life which God gives him on earth.
- 67%
7All of man’s labor is for nothing more than to fill his stomach– yet his appetite is never satisfied!
- 67%
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.
- 67%
23In all hard work there is profit, but merely talking about it only brings poverty.
- 67%
17As iron sharpens iron, so a person sharpens his friend.
- 67%
4The one who is lazy becomes poor, but the one who works diligently becomes wealthy.
- 67%
17They lock tightly together, one to the next; they cling together and cannot be separated.