Eclesiastes 4
William MacDonald · Citado em PreceptAustin
Eclesiastes 4
William MacDonald - Robert Burns said, "Man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn!" Sensitive hearts in every age have been grieved to see the oppression that is carried out by men against their fellowmen. It tormented Solomon also. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary) And behold (hinneh; Lxx = idou) I saw the tears (evidence of distress and sorrow) of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort (naham/nacham; Lxx = parakaleo console, show compassion to) them; and on the side of their oppressors (ashaq; Lxx = sukophanteo = accuse falsely, bring false charges, blackmail; harass, oppress; extort, defraud, cheat) was power, but they had no one to comfort (naham/nacham; Lxx = parakaleo console, show compassion to) them. - He uses "behold (hinneh; Lxx = idou)" to make sure we pay attention to the suffering, sorrow and helplessness of the oppressed, for they are voiceless and have no one to comfort them, no advocate, no rescuer! The oppressors exert their power over the vulnerable. No comfort is emphasized by repetition. This verse is an illustration of Eccl 3:4+ "a time to weep." Donald Glenn - Plaintively Solomon lamented the desperate and hopeless plight of the oppressed who cry out for help but find none because of the irresistible power and authority of their oppressors. The repetition of the words they have no comforter emphasizes their plight. (See Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament - Page 986) William MacDonald - From this vantage point, it seemed that "Truth [was] forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne." He could not see that "behind the dim unknown, standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above His own." (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary) The hopeless and the helpless ask, "Who can we turn to? Where can we go for deliverance?" Ray
Eclesiastes 4
William MacDonald - He saw that the wheel of life was propelled by the competitive spirit. The desire to have better clothes and a more luxurious home—it all seemed so empty and unworthy of men created in God's image and after His likeness. When Michelangelo and Raphael were commissioned to use their artistic talents for the adornment of the Vatican, a deep spirit of rivalry broke out between them. "Although each had a different job to do, they became so jealous that at last they would not even speak to one another." Some are more adept at concealing their envy than these geniuses were, but this same attitude of rivalry is at the bottom of much contemporary activity. Warren