Ecclesiastes 4:16

Discouragement and depression Authority and leadership

¹⁴ For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor.

¹⁵ I considered all the living which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his stead.

There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: There is no limit to all the people who were before them. Yet the successor will not be celebrated by those who come even later. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
KJV: There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
WEB: There was no end of all the people, even of all them over whom he was—yet those who come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a chasing after wind.
ASV: There was no end of all the people, even of all them over whom he was: yet they that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind.
DARBY: [There is] no end of all the people, of all that stood before them; those however that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after the wind.
BLB: [There is] no end to all the people, to all who were before their faces, yet those coming after will not rejoice in him. Surely this also [is] vapor and a striving after the wind.

ÅB: Det var ingen ende på alt det folk han var fører for. Allikevel har etterkommerne ingen glede av ham, for også dette er tomhet og jag etter vind.
OTB: Det er ingen ende på alle de folk som var før dem, men de som kommer senere vil ikke være fornøyde med ham. Også dette er tomhet, en jag etter vinden.
B1930: Det var ingen ende på alt det folk han var fører for. Allikevel har efterkommerne ingen glede av ham, for også dette er tomhet og jag efter vind.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Ecclesiastes 1:14
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Read in context
1 Kings 1:40
And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.
Read in context
Ecclesiastes 2:17
Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Read in context
2 Samuel 15:12–13
And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counsellor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.
Read in context
1 Kings 1:5–7
Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
Read in context
2 Samuel 18:7–8
Where the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men.
Read in context
Ecclesiastes 2:11
Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
Read in context
2 Samuel 19:9
And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land for Absalom.
Read in context