Discovery BoxEcclesiastes 4:3 
Context4:3 But better than both is the one who has not been born 1
and has not seen the evil things that are done on earth. 2
Ecclesiastes 8:3
Context8:3 Do not rush out of the king’s presence in haste – do not delay when the matter is unpleasant, 3
for he can do whatever he pleases.
Ecclesiastes 8:13
Context8:13 But it will not go well with the wicked,
1 tn The word “born” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Heb “under the sun.”
3 tn Or “do not stand up for a bad cause.”
4 tn Heb “he.”
5 tn The word “their” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
6 tn The phrase “like a shadow” (כַּצֵּל, katsel) modifies the verb (“prolong”) rather than the noun (“days”). Several English versions misconstrue the line: “he will not prolong his days, [which are] like a shadow” (KJV, ASV); “the man who does not fear God is like a shadow” (NEB); and “he will not prolong his shadowy days” (NAB). It should be rendered “he will not prolong his days like a shadow” (RSV, NRSV, NASB, MLB, NIV). Unlike a shadow that lengthens at sunset, the wicked do not normally live long.
7 tn Heb “he.”
8 tn Heb “they do not fear.”
