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Forכִּיwhoeverמִי אֲשֶׁרis joinedיְחֻבַּרto allאֶל כָּלthe livingהַחַיִּיםhasיֵשׁconfidence,בִּטָּחוֹןforכִּיa livingחַיdogלְכֶלֶבisהוּאbetterטוֹבthan the deadמִן הָ הַמֵּתlion.אַרְיֵה
Ecclesiastes 9:4
Study it in the app“For whoever is joined to all the living has confidence, for a living dog is better than the dead lion.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Ecclesiastes 9:4, word by word
- is joinedיְחֻבַּרyechubar
ally
To make an alliance with someone.
Where else “yechubar” appears- the livingחַיִּיםchayim
alive
Having life, not dead.
Where else “chayim” appears- confidenceבִּטָּחוֹןbitachon
confidence
Confidence: that on which one leans to feel secure. In 2 Kings 18:19 the envoy of the king of Assyria asks Hezekiah what confidence he leans on. It comes from the verb "trust."
Where else “bitachon” appears- dogכֶלֶבchelev
dog
An animal that roams the city and eats what it finds, even carrion.
Where else “chelev” appears- betterטוֹבtov
better
Worth more or more profitable than something it is compared with.
Where else “tov” appears- than the deadמֵּתmet
die
To cease living; also, one who has ceased living.
Where else “met” appears- lionאַרְיֵהarye
lion
Lion.
Where else “arye” appears
Translation note
“Is joined” follows the traditional reading (qere, יְחֻבַּר); the written text (ketiv, יבחר) reads “is chosen.”
The context
3This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that one fate comes to all; and also the heart of human beings is full of evil, and madness is in their heart during their life, and afterward they go to the dead.
4 · This verse (above)
5For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything, and there are no more wages for them, for their memory is forgotten.