King James Version

Ecclesiastes 4:2

Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive.

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Hebrew

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וְשַׁבֵּ֧חַveshabechaand commendשָׁבַחconjunction, verb, piel, infinitive absolute — “and commend”, the verb used for emphasisH7623properly, to address in aloud tone, i.e. (specifically) loud; figuratively, to pacify (as if by words)commend, glory, keep in, praise, still, triumph.אֲנִ֛יanimineאֲנִיpronoun, personal, 1st person, common, singular — “mine”H589II, (as for) me, mine, myself, we, [idiom] which, [idiom] who.אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).הַמֵּתִ֖יםhametimthe dieמוּתdefinite article, verb, qal, participle, absolute — “the die”, a verb used as a describing wordH4191to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill[idiom] at all, [idiom] crying, (be) dead (body, man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to, be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), [idiom] must needs, slay, [idiom] surely, [idiom] very suddenly, [idiom] in (no) w…שֶׁכְּבָ֣רshekvarwho alreadyכְּבָרparticle, relative, adverb — “who already”H3528properly, extent of time, i.e. a great while; hence, long ago, formerly, hithertoalready, (seeing that which), now.מֵ֑תוּmetvdieמוּתverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural — “die”, a completed actionH4191to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill[idiom] at all, [idiom] crying, (be) dead (body, man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to, be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), [idiom] must needs, slay, [idiom] surely, [idiom] very suddenly, [idiom] in (no) w…מִןminfromמִןpreposition — “from”H4480properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many sensesabove, after, among, at, because of, by (reason of), from (among), in, [idiom] neither, [idiom] nor, (out) of, over, since, [idiom] then, through, [idiom] whether, with.הַ֣חַיִּ֔יםhachayimthe lifeחַיdefinite article, adjective, adjective, masculine, plural, absolute — “the life”, the ordinary formH2416alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively[phrase] age, alive, appetite, (wild) beast, company, congregation, life(-time), live(-ly), living (creature, thing), maintenance, [phrase] merry, multitude, [phrase] (be) old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop.אֲשֶׁ֛רasherbecauseאֲשֶׁרparticle, relative — “because”H834who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.[idiom] after, [idiom] alike, as (soon as), because, [idiom] every, for, [phrase] forasmuch, [phrase] from whence, [phrase] how(-soever), [idiom] if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), [idiom] though, [phrase] until, [phrase] whatsoever,…הֵ֥מָּהhemahtheyהֵםpronoun, personal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “they”H1992they (only used when emphatic)it, like, [idiom] (how, so) many (soever, more as) they (be), (the) same, [idiom] so, [idiom] such, their, them, these, they, those, which, who, whom, withal, ye.חַיִּ֖יםchayimlifeחַיadjective, adjective, masculine, plural, absolute — “life”, the ordinary formH2416alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively[phrase] age, alive, appetite, (wild) beast, company, congregation, life(-time), live(-ly), living (creature, thing), maintenance, [phrase] merry, multitude, [phrase] (be) old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop.עֲדֶֽנָהadenahyetעֲדֶןadverb, paragogic he — “yet”H5728till nowyet.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Wherefore I praised the dead that are already dead more than the living that are yet alive;

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Wherefore I praised the dead that have been long dead more than the living that are yet alive;

Young’s Literal Translation

And I am praising the dead who have already died above the living who are yet alive.

World English Bible

Therefore I praised the dead who have been long dead more than the living who are yet alive.

Darby Translation

Then I praised the dead who are already dead more than the living who are yet alive;

Douay-Rheims

And I praised the dead rather than the living:

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Wherefore I praised the dead that are already dead more than the living that are yet alive;

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

and I praised all the dead that had already died more than the living, as many as are alive until now.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ ἐπῄνεσα ἐγὼ σύμπαντας τοὺς τεθνηκότας τοὺς ἤδη ἀποθανόντας ὑπὲρ τοὺς ζῶντας, ὅσοι αὐτοὶ ζῶσιν ἕως τοῦ νῦν.