to clasp (the hands or in embrace) · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
hands
יָדָ֔יוya.Dav
H3027
a hand (the open one (indicating power · noun, common both genders dual construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
together
חָבַקchâbaq
H2263
to clasp (the hands or in embrace)
eateth
וְאֹכֵ֖לve.'o.Khel
H398
to eat (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
flesh
בְּשָׂרֽוֹbe.sa.Ro
H1320
flesh (from its freshness) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Proverbs 6:10-11 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
Isaiah 9:20 And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat eve…
Proverbs 13:4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
Job 13:14 Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand?
Proverbs 20:4 The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.
Proverbs 11:17 The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.
Proverbs 12:27 The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.
Proverbs 24:33-34 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 4:4-6
Here Solomon returns to the observation and consideration of the vanity and vexation of spirit that attend the business of this world, which he had spoken of before, Ecc 2:11.
I. If a man be acute, and dexterous, and successful in his business, he gets the ill-will of his neighbours, Ecc 4:4. Though he takes a great deal of pains, and goes through all travail, does not get his estate easily, but it costs him a great deal of hard labour, nor does he get it dishonestly, he wrongs no man, defrauds no man, but by every right work, by applying himself to his own proper business, and managing it by all the rules of equity and fair dealing, yet for this he is envied of his neighbour, and the more f…
Still the
fool (the wicked oppressor) is not to be envied even in this life, who "folds his hands together" in idleness (Pro 6:10; Pro 24:33), living on the means he wrongfully wrests from others; for such a one
eateth his own flesh--that is, is a self-tormentor, never satisfied, his spirit preying on itself (Isa 9:20; Isa 49:26).
John Gill on Ecclesiastes 4:5
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 eat…
There ought certainly to be activity according to our calling; indolence is self-destruction: "The fool foldeth his hands, and eateth his own flesh." He layeth his hands together (Prov 6:10-24:33), - placeth them in his bosom, instead of using them in working, - and thereby he eateth himself up, i.e., bringeth ruin upon himself (Psa 27:2; Mic 3:3; Isa 49:26); for instead of nourishing himself by the labour of his hands, he feeds on his own flesh, and thus wasteth away. The emphasis does not lie on the subject (the fool, and only the fool), but on the pred.
The Church Fathers
But if any one is in want by gluttony, drunkenness or idleness, he does not deserve any assistance or to be esteemed a member of the church of God. For the Scripture, speaking of such persons, says, "The slothful hides his hand in his bosom and is not able to bring it to his mouth again." And again, "The sluggard folds up his hands, and eats his own flesh." "For every drunkard and whoremonger shall come to poverty, and every drowsy person shall be clothed with tatters and rags." And in another passage [we read], "If you give your eyes to drinking and cups, you shall afterwards walk more naked than a pestle." For certainly idleness is the mother of famine.
But if any one is in want by gluttony, drunkenness or idleness, he does not deserve any assistance or to be esteemed a member of the church of God. For the Scripture, speaking of such persons, says, "The slothful hides his hand in his bosom and is not able to bring it to his mouth again." And again, "The sluggard folds up his hands, and eats his own flesh." "For every drunkard and whoremonger shall come to poverty, and every drowsy person shall be clothed with tatters and rags." And in another passage [we read], "If you give your eyes to drinking and cups, you shall afterwards walk more naked than a pestle." For certainly idleness is the mother of famine. .
Let one who still doubts hear the testimony of the Gospel, for the Son of God said, "We have played for you, and you have not danced." The Jews who did not dance and knew not how to clap their hands were abandoned, but the Gentiles were called and applauded God in spirit. "The fool folds his hands together and eats his own flesh," that is, he becomes involved in the concerns of the body and eats his own flesh, just as does all-powerful death. And such a one will not find eternal life. But the wise person who lifts up his works that they may shine before his Father who is in heaven has not consumed his flesh; instead, he has raised it to the grace of the resurrection. This is the wise person's honorable dance which David danced, mounting by the loftiness of his spiritual dance to the throne of Christ that he may see and hear the Lord saying to his Lord, "Sit at my right hand."
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Fool · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Fools · Are: Slothful — Are: Slothful
Holy Spirit · 31:3;35:31; — 31:3;35:31;
Idleness · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Olive · SYMBOLI — SYMBOLI
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Tyndale Open Study Notes on Ecclesiastes 4:5-6
Fools do not even try to succeed and end up impoverished. Others frantically devote two handfuls—all their time and effort—to hard work in pursuit of fleeting wealth that they will have no time to enjoy (cp. Prov 23:4-5). Wise people practice moderation and contentment (quietness).
Rashi on Ecclesiastes 4:5
The fool. The wicked person.11Alternatively, “the fool.” (Targum)
Folds his hands. And does not toil, and he eats only from robbery.
And eats his own flesh. On the Day of Judgement, when he sees the righteous bestowed with honor, while he is being judged.12Alternatively, because he did not toil, he eventually dies from starvation (Ibn Ezra); or בשרו refers to “his relatives” that suffer on his account. See Rashi below 5:5 and also in Yeshayahu 58:7. It is expounded in this manner in Sifre.
