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Ecclesiastes 4:1 – The Problems of Power
It is possible that the phrase “they had no one to comfort them” is stated twice, with the second being a poetic repetition reemphasizing that the poor had no comfort against the powerful. That, however, is not how I understand the verse.
In my opinion, be careful when reading a paraphrase on this verse, such as The Message, for I believe it misses the whole point. Here is how The Message reads:
1Next I turned my attention to all the outrageous violence that takes place on this planet–the tears of the victims, no one to comfort them; the iron grip of oppressors, no one to rescue the victims from them.
Notice that this paraphrase does not show, as does a literal translation, that both the oppressed and oppressors both have something in common – no one to comfort them. Why is this important and an insightful distinction? Many use power to soothe their souls, when in fact the power is oppressive even to those who possess it!
Here is the Amplified version:
1THEN I returned and considered all the oppressions that are practiced under the sun: And I beheld the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they [too] had no comforter.
Power brings it own problems.
Many of us will never experience the type of far reaching power discussed in this verse, yet nevertheless many exercise great power over individuals. When we try to control others to fill our own self-emptiness, we are not only hurting another, we are truly hurting ourselves. Instead of comfort, we receive only momentary satisfaction followed by a longer lasting emptiness.
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