Solomon is right, of course, but what is he right about?

The translation of Ecclesiastes 4:4 is significantly different in various translations of the Bible. The Amplified reading seems to emphasize ALL the PAIN in work and ALL the SKILL in work and not work itself comes from envy, or rivalry in a life lived without God. The New Living Translation really softens the impact of the verse 4. The HCSB and NASB reading more or less agree with the NIV translation, which puts the emphasis on LABOR and ACHIEVEMENT. For Step 2 of Explore the Bible lesson “What’s Wrong With Wanting Wealth?”, I suggest showing a slide of various translations of verse 4 to members and discuss the meaning of the verse. To help, arrange the various translations in order from literal (word for word) to understandable translations (thought for thought) to paraphrase.

What do you think this verse means? Remember, he is speaking about living “under the sun” (without God), as contrasted to living with God (Col 3:23) where everything that does not come from faith is sin.

The study questions offered by SonShine for this lesson suggests an alternate lesson title, “What is Really Better in Life?”, which can be used to have a “what’s better” discussion with members concerning verse 4.