Ecclesiastes 4:1

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Summary

So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.

I returned

Job 6:29

Malachi 3:18

And considered

The tears

James 5:4

They had

General references

Bible References

I returned

Return, I pray you, let there be no wrong; yea, return again, my righteousness shall be in it.

And ye shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

And considered

And moreover I saw under the sun, that in the place of judgment, wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, wickedness was there.

If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter; for a higher than the high is watching, and there are higher than they.

Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad, and a gift destroyeth the heart.

And the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with harshness;

And it came to pass during those many days, that the king of Egypt died. And the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and cried; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage;

There is no straw given to thy bondmen, and they say to us, Make brick; and behold, thy bondmen are beaten, but it is the fault of thy people.

The fruit of thy ground and all thy labour, shall a people that thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed continually.

Then the people of Israel cried to the LORD for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years.

And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites,

And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.

They pass the night naked without clothing, and have no covering in the cold;

He lieth in wait secretly, like a lion in his thicket; he lieth in wait to catch the afflicted: he doth catch the afflicted, drawing him into his net.

A poor man who oppresseth the helpless is a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.

For the vineyard of Jehovah of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah the plant of his delight: and he looked for justice, and behold, blood-shedding; for righteousness, and behold, a cry.

and I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; who have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over; and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street to them that went over.

Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths;

And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hired servant in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith Jehovah of hosts.

The tears

My tears have been my bread day and night, while they say unto me all the day, Where is thy God?

Thou hast fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in large measure:

Mine enemies reproach me all the day; they that are mad against me swear by me.

And further ye do this: ye cover the altar of Jehovah with tears, with weeping, and with sighing, insomuch that he regardeth not the oblation any more, nor receiveth it with satisfaction at your hand.

Behold, the wages of your labourers, who have harvested your fields, wrongfully kept back by you, cry, and the cries of those that have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

They had

I also could speak as ye: if your soul were in my soul's stead, I could join together words against you, and shake my head at you;

Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, ye my friends; for the hand of +God hath touched me.

Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am overwhelmed: and I looked for sympathy, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.

Look on the right hand and see; there is no man that knoweth me: refuge hath failed me; no man careth for my soul.

All the brethren of a poor man hate him; how much more do his friends go far from him: he pursueth them with words, they are not to be found.

She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks; among all her lovers she hath no comforter; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.

But all this is come to pass that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled. Then all the disciples left him and fled.

At my first defence no man stood with me, but all deserted me. May it not be imputed to them.

General references

And moreover I saw under the sun, that in the place of judgment, wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, wickedness was there.

And I returned and saw vanity under the sun.

For there are many things that increase vanity: what is man advantaged?

Why dost thou cause me to see iniquity, and lookest thou upon grievance? For spoiling and violence are before me; and there is strife, and contention riseth up.