Ecclesiastes 4:5

The fool folds his hands and does no work, ¹  so he has nothing to eat but his own flesh. ² 

Job 13:14; Pr 6:10,11; Pr 11:17; Pr 12:27; Pr 13:4; Pr 20:4; Pr 24:33,34; Isa 9:20

¹ tn Heb “the fool folds his hands.” The Hebrew idiom means that he does not work (e.g., Prov 6:10; 24:33). In the translation the words “and does no work” (which do not appear in the Hebrew text) have been supplied following the idiom to clarify what is meant.

² tn Heb “and eats his own flesh.” Most English versions render the idiom literally: “and eats/consumes his flesh” (KJV, AS, NASB, NAB, RSV, NRSV, NJPS). However, a few versions attempt to explain the idiom: “and lets life go to ruin” (Moffatt), “and wastes away” (NEB), “and ruins himself” (NIV).