Tag Archives: Ecclesiastes 4:2

Introduction to Ecclesiastes 4:2 Ecclesiastes 4:2 presents a comparison between the dead and the living, asserting that the dead are better off. The verse is marked by layered comparative and temporal clauses, joined by particles such as מִן (“than”) and עֲדֶנָה (“still”). The grammatical structure illustrates how Qohelet constructs philosophical comparisons through concise and ambiguous Hebrew syntax. This lesson explores the role of comparative particles and temporal subordination, particularly how מִן and עֲדֶנָה shape the logic of existential reflection. וְשַׁבֵּ֧חַ אֲנִ֛י אֶת־הַמֵּתִ֖ים שֶׁכְּבָ֣ר מֵ֑תוּ מִן־הַ֣חַיִּ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֛ר הֵ֥מָּה חַיִּ֖ים עֲדֶֽנָה׃ Analysis of Key Words and Structures וְשַׁבֵּ֧חַ (veshabbeaḥ) – Conjunctive verb, Piel participle from שׁבח (“to praise, commend”).… Learn Hebrew