Ecclesiastes 9:4

BSB · Public Domain (CC0)

“There is hope, however, for anyone who is among the living; for even a live dog is better than a dead lion.”

What this verse means

A short, plain-language explanation of Ecclesiastes 9:4 goes here — the kind of answer a reader (or an AI assistant) can quote in one breath. Original meaning coming soon.

Compare translations
BSBPD

“There is hope, however, for anyone who is among the living; for even a live dog is better than a dead lion.”

Berean Standard Bible · Public Domain (CC0)
KJVPD

“For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.”

King James Version · Public Domain
ASVPD

“For to him that is joined with all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.”

American Standard Version · Public Domain
YLTPD

“But <FI>to<Fi> him who is joined unto all the living there is confidence, for to a living dog it <FI>is<Fi> better than to the dead lion.”

Young's Literal Translation · Public Domain
Open the full comparison
Cross references

Other passages that echo Ecclesiastes 9:4 — 5 related verses from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  1. Job 14:7For there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its tender shoots will not fail.
  2. Job 27:8For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?
  3. Isaiah 38:18For Sheol cannot thank You; Death cannot praise You. Those who descend to the Pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.
  4. Lamentations 3:21Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope:
  5. Luke 16:26And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’

Cross-reference data: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain) via OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

Keep exploring