Tag Archives: Ecclesiastes 4:11

Introduction: Companionship, Survival, and the Poetics of Two Ecclesiastes 4:11 sits within a poetic unit (vv. 9–12) extolling the benefits of companionship over isolation. The passage uses practical imagery to promote shared life and mutual aid. This verse, in particular, draws from everyday physical experience to make a larger existential point: גַּ֛ם אִם־יִשְׁכְּב֥וּ שְׁנַ֖יִם וְחַ֣ם לָהֶ֑ם וּלְאֶחָ֖ד אֵ֥יךְ יֵחָֽם׃ Also, if two lie down together, they will be warm; but how can one be warm alone? In this concise and elegant verse, Hebrew grammar underscores the poet’s argument for partnership through conditional syntax, pragmatic emphasis using rhetorical question, and juxtaposition of verbs in complementary clauses.… Learn Hebrew