Ecclesiastes 4:14 The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom.

◄ Ecclesiastes 4:14 ►

Parallel Verses

New International Version
The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom.

English Standard Version
For he went from prison to the throne, though in his own kingdom he had been born poor.

New American Standard Bible
For he has come out of prison to become king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom.

King James Bible
For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For he came from prison to be king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom.

International Standard Version
The former can come out of prison to reign, while the latter, even if born to kingship, may become poor.

American Standard Version
For out of prison he came forth to be king; yea, even in his kingdom he was born poor.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Because out of prison and chains sometimes a man cometh forth to a kingdom: and another born king is consumed with poverty.

Darby Bible Translation
For out of the prison-house he came forth to reign, although he was born poor in his kingdom.

Young's Literal Translation
For from a house of prisoners he hath come out to reign, for even in his own kingdom he hath been poor.

Commentaries

Matthew Henry's Commentary

4:13-16 People are never long easy and satisfied; they are fond of changes. This is no new thing. Princes see themselves slighted by those they have studied to oblige; this is vanity and vexation of spirit. But the willing servants of the Lord Jesus, our King, rejoice in him alone, and they will love Him more and more to all eternity.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

14. out of prison—Solomon uses this phrase of a supposed case; for example, Joseph raised from a dungeon to be lord of Egypt. His words are at the same time so framed by the Holy Ghost that they answer virtually to Jeroboam, who fled to escape a "prison" and death from Solomon, to Shishak of Egypt (1Ki 11:40). This unconscious presaging of his own doom, and that of Rehoboam, constitutes the irony. David's elevation from poverty and exile, under Saul (which may have been before Solomon's mind), had so far their counterpart in that of Jeroboam.

whereas … becometh poor—rather, "though he (the youth) was born poor in his kingdom" (in the land where afterwards he was to reign).