TRV
Translation
King James Version
I considered all the living which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his stead.
Complete Jewish Bible
I observed that all who live and walk under the sun took the side of the youth mentioned first who would rule in place of the king,
Berean Standard Bible
I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed this second one, the youth who succeeded the king.
American Standard Version
I saw all the living that walk under the sun, that they were with the youth, the second, that stood up in his stead.
World English Bible Messianic
I saw all the living who walk under the sun, that they were with the youth, the other, who succeeded him.
Geneva Bible (1599)
I behelde all the liuing, which walke vnder the sunne, with the second childe, which shall stand vp in his place.
Young's Literal Translation
I have seen all the living, who are walking under the sun, with the second youth who doth stand in his place;
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Commentary on Ecclesiastes 4 verses 13–16
13 ¶ Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.
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.
16 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.
Solomon was himself a king, and therefore may be allowed to speak more freely than another concerning the vanity of kingly state and dignity, which he shows here to be an uncertain thing; he had before said so (Pro 27:24, The crown doth not endure to every generation), and his son found it so. Nothing is more slippery than the highest post of honour without wisdom and the people's love.
I. A king is not happy unless he have wisdom, Ecc 4:13, Ecc 4:14. He that is truly wise, prudent, and pious, though he be poor in the world, and very young, and upon both accounts despised and little taken notice of, is better, more truly valuable and worthy of respect, is likely to do better for himself and to be a greater blessing to his generation, than a king, than an old king, and therefore venerable both for his gravity and for his dignity, if he be foolish, and knows not how to manage public affairs himself nor will be admonished and advised by others - who knows not to be admonished, that is, will not suffer any counsel or admonition to be given him (no one about him dares contradict him) or will not hearken to the counsel and admonition that are given him. It is so far from being any part of the honour of kings that it is the greatest dishonour to them that can be not to be admonished. Folly and wilfulness commonly go together, and those that most need admonition can worst bear it; but neither age nor titles will secure men respect if they have not true wisdom and virtue to recommend them; while wisdom and virtue will gain men honour even under the disadvantages of youth and poverty. To prove the wise child better than the foolish king he shows what each of them comes to, Ecc 4:14. 1. A poor man by his wisdom comes to be preferred, as Joseph, who, when he was but young, was brought out of prison to be the second man in the kingdom, to which story Solomon seems here to refer. Providence sometimes raises the poor out of the dust, to set them among princes, Psa 113:7, Psa 113:8. Wisdom has wrought not only the liberty of men, but their dignity, raised them from the dunghill, from the dungeon, to the throne. 2. A king by his folly and wilfulness comes to be impoverished. Though he was born in his kingdom, came to it by inheritance, though he has lived to be old in it and has had time to fill his treasures, yet if he take ill courses, and will no more be admonished as he has been, thinking, because he is old, he is past it, he becomes poor; his treasure is exhausted, and perhaps he is forced to resign his crown and retire into privacy.
II. A king is not likely to continue if he have not a confirmed interest in the affections of the people; this is intimated, but somewhat obscurely, in the last two verses. 1. He that is king must have a successor, a second, a child that shall stand up in his stead, his own, suppose, or perhaps that poor and wise child spoken of, Ecc 4:13. Kings, when they grow old, must have the mortification of seeing those that are to jostle them out and stand up in their stead. 2. It is common with the people to adore the rising sun: All the living who walk under the sun are with the second child, are in his interests, are conversant with him, and make their court to him more than to the father, whom they look upon as going off, and despise because his best days are past. Solomon considered this; he saw this to be the disposition of his own people, which appeared immediately after his death, in their complaints of his government and their affectation of a change. 3. People are never long easy and satisfied: There is no end, no rest, of all the people; they are continually fond of changes, and know not what they would have. 4. This is no new thing, but it has been the way of all that have been before them; there have been instances of this in every age: even Samuel and David could not always please. 5. As it has been, so it is likely to be still: Those that come after will be of the same spirit, and shall not long rejoice in him whom at first they seemed extremely fond of. Today, Hosanna - tomorrow, Crucify. 6. It cannot but be a great grief to princes to see themselves thus slighted by those they have studied to oblige and have depended upon; there is no faith in man, no stedfastness. This is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 13–16. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ecclesiastes
"Better
is a poor but wise youth, than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how
to take care of himself; because from the prison-house he emerged to reign,
while even in his reign he was born poor.
I saw all the living that wander beneath the sun throng to the
succeeding youth that steps into his place.
There is no end to the entire nation, to all that was before them;
similarly the ones that come later will not rejoice in him. For this too is futility and a vexation of
the spirit." Symmachus translates this passage in this
way: "better a poor man who has wisdom, than an old and foolish king who
does not know to beware of change".
For the one leaves the body to reign in heaven, and the other indeed,
although he had been born a king, is restricted by poverty. I saw all men living, who grow up under the
sun in propitious adolescence, which increases in them. Each and every nation that was before is
unending, and those that come after do not rejoice in the previous. But this too is empty and a vexation of the
spirit. My Hebrew tutor, whose teachings
I often refer to, bore witness while he was reading Ecclesiastes with me, that
Bar Akiba wrote these things above the present passage, and he is greatly
admired by other scholars: better is the inner part of man, which arises in us
after the fourteenth year of puberty, than the outer, physical man, who is born
from his mother's womb, and he does not know how to abstain from vice because
it comes to this that he rules over his vices from the house of chains, that is
from his mother's womb. For he is made
poor because of his power and by carrying out all wicked deeds. I saw those men, who lived as those former
men, and were changed afterwards into that second man, in him that has been
born in place of the former. And I
understood that all men sinned in that prior manhood, before the second is
born, when they become two men. But once
these men have changed for the better, and after the learning of philosophers,
they leave the left path and hurry towards the right, and they follow the
second man, that is the newest man, and do not rejoice in him that is the
former. The apostle agrees with these
two types of men [Cfr Rom, 7, 15.]
and Leviticus also mentioned them: "Man, man" [Cfr Lev. 17, 13; 19, 20; 21, 17. etc.]
who desired this or that. That saintly
man Gregorius Pontus the bishop, to whom Origen preached, understands the
passage in the following way in his"
Metaphrasis of Ecclesiastes:" "I however prefer a youth who is poor yet
is growing wise, to an old king who is foolish, to whom it never occurs that it
is possible for someone from those whom he has conquered, will leave the body
to reign in heaven; and then he destroys himself from his unjust power. For it happens though that those who were
growing wise at the time of youth are without sadness; but that they changed
before the time of becoming an old king.
For those that have been born afterwards, since they do not know the
wickedness that has gone before, they are not able to praise youth, which
arises afterwards, and are led astray by perverse ideas and by the force of the
opposing arguments." [Grego. Neocaesar. Metaphr. In Eccl. -PG 10, 1000 A] Laodicenus has asserted that great matters
are expressed in this short passage, and he wrote here in his accustomed
fashion: "Ecclesiastes now speaks about the change of good men into
wicked, expressing the foolish man as he who tries, and who not thinking of the
future, enjoys the transient and failing things as if they are great and
perpetual. And after the many things
which usually happen (or change) to men in their life, he asserts something of
a general opinion of death, since the great number perishes and little by
little is consumed and pass across, with each one leaving the other in his
place, and another's successor dying." [Apollinarius Laodic.]
Origines and Victorinus [Origenes. Victorinus Poetouion]
did not think very differently on this matter.
After the general statement that reveals to all that the poor yet wise
youth is better than an old king who is foolish, and that it often happens that
the lad leaves the prison of the king because of his wisdom, and commands in
place of a cruel dictator, and as a foolish king loses all his power, which he
had obtained. They saw this passage in
relation to Christ and the devil, because they wished to view the poor and wise
boy as Christ. The poor boy is the same
as that one in "it is great for you to be called my boy" [Is. 49, 6. According to LXX],
but the poor man, since he has been made poor [cfr II Cor. 8, 9.],
when once he was rich and wise, because "he was proficient in age and
wisdom and thankful to God and men." [Luc. 2, 52.] That man is born in the reign of an old man
and therefore he says, "if this was my rule in the world, that my servants
struggle on my behalf so that I am not handed over to the Jews. But now it is not my rule." [Ioh. 18, 36.] So in the reign of that foolish old man who
displays all the rule of the whole world and his glory, the most excellent boy
comes from the house of chains, about which Jeremiah speaks in Lamentations,
saying, "so that he lowers to the feet of that man all those who have been
conquered in the world." [Thren. 3, 34.] And that boy goes on to rule and goes away to
a far off region, and as king after some time is turned against those, who do
not want to rule. So with some insight
Ecclesiastes saw that all men who are alive and who are able to be part of
youth, say, "I am life" [Ioh. 14, 6.],
having left behind them that old foolish king, to follow Christ. At the same time the two nations of Israel
are to be understood here. The first,
which was before the arrival of the Lord, and the next, which will support the
Antichrist in place of Christ, for the first is not deep down despondent, since
the first church was formed from Jews and the apostles; and in the end the
Jews, who will support the Antichrist, will not rejoice in Christ.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Ecclesiastes 4:15 captures Qoheleth's profound observation on the ephemeral nature of human popularity and the relentless cycle of leadership. Following his contemplation of a wise but impoverished youth's ascent to power, the Preacher surveys "all the living" who inevitably shift their allegiance to the "second child" or subsequent successor. This verse poignantly underscores the ceaseless ebb and flow of human ambition and the fleeting, often capricious, character of public admiration, revealing that even the most celebrated leaders are ultimately replaced, and their acclaim proves to be a temporary phenomenon in the grand scheme of life "under the sun."
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Ecclesiastes 4:15 is an integral part of a larger pericope (Ecclesiastes 4:13-16) that delves into the dynamics of power, the fragility of leadership, and the transient nature of public acclaim. It directly follows the narrative of a "poor and wise child" who, despite humble beginnings, rises to prominence, effectively replacing an "old and foolish king" who could no longer receive counsel (see Ecclesiastes 4:13-14). Verse 15 then extends this insightful observation, looking beyond the initial, popular new ruler to anticipate the next successor, referred to as the "second child." This forward-looking perspective sets the stage for the Preacher's concluding lament in Ecclesiastes 4:16, where he declares that even the widespread admiration for the newly ascended leader is ultimately "vanity and vexation of spirit," thereby reinforcing the book's overarching theme of the futility of earthly pursuits.
Historical & Cultural Context: The book of Ecclesiastes, attributed to "Qoheleth" (the Preacher or Teacher), emerges from a rich wisdom tradition that critically examines the realities of life in the ancient Near East, often from a perspective informed by royal observation or philosophical inquiry. The phenomenon of shifting allegiances and the rise and fall of leaders would have been a common and observable reality in monarchical societies, where succession was frequently fraught with contention and public opinion could be notoriously volatile. While not tied to a specific historical event or dynasty, the verse encapsulates a timeless human truth: the inherent desire for novelty and the fleeting nature of human loyalty. The distinctive phrase "under the sun" is a recurring motif in Ecclesiastes, signifying observations made from a purely human, earthly perspective, often highlighting the inherent limitations and ultimate vanity of life when divorced from a divine, eternal framework.
Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several core themes prevalent throughout the book of Ecclesiastes. It highlights the transience of human achievement and popularity, demonstrating with stark clarity how quickly public favor can shift from one leader to the next, rendering all human effort to gain lasting renown ultimately futile. It underscores the cyclical nature of leadership and succession, where new figures constantly emerge to replace the old, yet paradoxically face the same ultimate fate of being succeeded themselves. This relentless, seemingly endless cycle reinforces the pervasive theme of vanity (Hebrew: hebel), a central concept in the book, emphasizing the emptiness, futility, and fleetingness of earthly pursuits when viewed from an eternal perspective, as powerfully articulated in Ecclesiastes 1:2. The Preacher's "consideration" (or deep observation) of these patterns is a hallmark of the book's empirical wisdom, which, when confined to the earthly realm, often leads to conclusions of disillusionment and existential questioning.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ecclesiastes 4:15 employs several literary devices to convey its profound and often sobering message. The most prominent is Observation/Empirical Wisdom, which is characteristic of Qoheleth's entire discourse. He presents his findings as direct, detached observations of life "under the sun," lending an air of almost scientific analysis to his conclusions about human behavior and the world's cycles. Repetition is evident in the recurring phrase "under the sun," which functions as a powerful motif throughout Ecclesiastes, constantly reminding the reader of the limited, earthly perspective from which Qoheleth's observations are made, and implicitly, the futility of seeking ultimate meaning within that confined sphere. Furthermore, there is a strong element of Irony in the verse: despite the immense effort and aspiration involved in gaining power and popularity, the Preacher reveals that these earthly pursuits are ultimately empty and transient, as the very crowds who elevate a leader will inevitably turn their attention to the next "new thing," rendering the initial adulation meaningless in the long run. This cyclical nature of human favor underscores the vanity of human striving for lasting renown.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ecclesiastes 4:15 offers a sobering theological insight into the human condition, particularly concerning our relentless pursuit of significance and the inherent limitations of earthly power and popularity. It challenges the deeply ingrained notion that lasting fulfillment or ultimate security can be found in human acclaim, political position, or social influence, revealing such pursuits as ultimately fleeting and unsatisfying. From a theological standpoint, this verse implicitly points to the vanity of placing ultimate trust in human leaders or institutions, as all human endeavors are subject to decay, replacement, and the fickle whims of the populace. It subtly directs the reader to look beyond the temporal and the "under the sun" observations for true, enduring meaning and stability, which can only be found in God's eternal purposes and unwavering sovereignty. The Preacher's lament over the transience of human glory serves as a profound call to reorient our values towards what truly lasts, urging a divine perspective on human ambition.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ecclesiastes 4:15 serves as a timeless mirror reflecting the pervasive human tendency to chase after fleeting recognition and temporal power. In a contemporary world obsessed with social media metrics, political polls, and celebrity status, Qoheleth's ancient observation remains profoundly relevant. It reminds us that no matter how high one climbs, how much adoration one garners, or how influential one becomes, the tide of public opinion is inherently fickle, and the cycle of succession is relentlessly inevitable. True wisdom, therefore, lies not in striving for temporary applause or earthly dominion, but in recognizing their ephemeral nature and intentionally investing in what possesses eternal value. This verse calls us to cultivate a profound humility, to find our identity and intrinsic worth not in the shifting sands of human approval, but in the unchanging character and unwavering love of God. It encourages a healthy detachment from the fleeting accolades of this world, fostering a deep focus on integrity, selfless service, and a life lived in accordance with divine principles, which alone can provide lasting satisfaction and enduring significance beyond the reach of time and human caprice.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who is the "second child" mentioned in Ecclesiastes 4:15?
Answer: The "second child" refers to the next successor in a line of leadership, not the initial "poor and wise child" who replaced the "old and foolish king" in Ecclesiastes 4:13-14. Qoheleth observes the masses' inherent tendency to shift their admiration from one popular leader to the very next one who emerges, highlighting the unending cycle of human ambition and the fleeting nature of public adulation. It underscores that even the most celebrated new leader will eventually be replaced, and the crowd's favor will inevitably move on to yet another, demonstrating the transient nature of earthly fame.
What is the significance of "under the sun" in Ecclesiastes?
Answer: The phrase "under the sun" (Hebrew: tachat ha-shemesh) is a signature and pervasive motif in the book of Ecclesiastes, appearing nearly 30 times. It precisely defines the Preacher's scope of observation, focusing exclusively on what can be seen, experienced, and achieved in the earthly realm, apart from divine revelation or an eternal perspective. This limited viewpoint often leads Qoheleth to conclude that human endeavors, including the pursuit of wealth, wisdom, and power, are ultimately "vanity" (hebel), meaning futile, meaningless, or fleeting. The phrase serves to highlight the inherent limitations, frustrations, and ultimate dissatisfaction of seeking ultimate meaning and satisfaction solely within the confines of the temporal world, implicitly contrasting it with a perspective that acknowledges God's sovereignty and eternal plan, as hinted at in the book's conclusion in Ecclesiastes 12:13.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ecclesiastes 4:15, with its poignant observation of the fleeting nature of human popularity and the endless cycle of succession, finds its ultimate fulfillment and profound counterpoint in the person and eternal reign of Jesus Christ. While earthly leaders rise and fall, and human acclaim proves to be but a passing breath, Christ's kingdom is eternal and His reign is unshakeable. Unlike the "second child" who replaces a predecessor only to be replaced himself, Jesus is the King whose throne is forever (see Hebrews 1:8). The very crowds who once hailed Him with "Hosanna!" during His triumphal entry (as in Matthew 21:9) quickly turned to cry "Crucify him!" just days later (as in Matthew 27:22), demonstrating the very fickle nature of human admiration that Qoheleth observed. Yet, Christ's authority does not depend on human approval or the shifting tides of public opinion; it is rooted in His divine nature and His finished, perfect work on the cross. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (as powerfully proclaimed in John 1:29), and His sacrifice secured a kingdom that will never pass away. In Christ, we find true, lasting significance and a leadership that is not subject to the "under the sun" cycles of vanity, but offers eternal life and a steadfast, living hope (as in John 3:16). He is the ultimate "successor" not because He replaces a flawed human king, but because He establishes a perfect, divine kingdom that transcends all earthly limitations and offers enduring purpose beyond the fleeting pursuits of this world.