Ecclesiastes 4:8 Meaning and Explanation
“There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →A man utterly alone, with no family, toils endlessly and is never satisfied, yet never asks for whom he is depriving himself of joy.
What Does Ecclesiastes 4:8 Mean?
The Preacher paints a portrait of the isolated workaholic: a man with 'neither child nor brother,' laboring without end, whose eye is never 'satisfied with riches.' The piercing question is one he never stops to ask himself -- 'For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good?' He robs his own life of joy for no one at all.
This is the loneliness of a life turned inward upon gaining. Wealth without love, work without anyone to share it, leaves the soul starved in the midst of plenty. Scripture sets us in families and fellowship for a reason: we are made to give and to be known, not to hoard in solitude. The verse gently invites the reader to lift his eyes from endless getting and ask what, and whom, his labor is truly for.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ecclesiastes 4:8
What does Ecclesiastes 4:8 mean?
A man utterly alone, with no family, toils endlessly and is never satisfied, yet never asks for whom he is depriving himself of joy.