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Bible study · Ecclesiastes 4:1-16

Ecclesiastes 4: Two are better than one

Read Ecclesiastes 4:1-16 before you meet.

In a few lines

The Preacher says twice in one verse that the oppressed "had no comforter" (4:1). And in 4:8-12 the Hebrew word one, echad, stands behind the WEB's alone in 4:10-12: the man who is one, with no second (4:8), beside the two who are better than one.

The verse to carry

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 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.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

To talk about

  1. 1. The Preacher saw "the tears of those who were oppressed, and they had no comforter" (4:1). What helps you notice the tears of the people around you?

  2. 2. "Better is a handful, with quietness, than two handfuls with labor and chasing after wind" (4:6). What does the Preacher set against quietness in this verse, and why do you think he calls the one handful better?

  3. 3. "For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow" (4:10). Who has lifted you up, and who might you lift up this week?

Prayer requests