The Preterist View of Ecclesiastes Chapter 4

     The Preterist View of  Ecclesiastes Chapter 4 


4:1 — “Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun…” 


Solomon sees systemic oppression even within God’s chosen nation—those meant to be a light to the world. The very Law that was meant to bring life had become a ministry of death (2 Cor 3:6–7). Under the sun—in the Old Covenant world—power often crushed the powerless. But now, in Christ’s fulfilled kingdom, justice flows not from law but from love, and the oppressor's dominion has been broken (Col 2:15).


4:2–3 — “…the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living… better than both is he who has not yet been…” 


This bleak sentiment reflects the despair of a system that could not conquer death. Sheol loomed even for the righteous. But Paul proclaims that death has been swallowed up in victory (1 Cor 15:54). The final defeat of Sheol and the vindication of the saints happened at the close of the age. Now, to live is Christ.


4:4 — “All toil and skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor…” 


Under the Old Covenant, external righteousness and status often bred comparison and pride. But in the New Covenant, there is no room for boasting (Eph 2:9). We now labor not for rivalry, but from union with Christ and for the building up of others.


4:5–6 — “The fool folds his hands… Better is a handful of quietness…” 


This is a cry for balance in a system that pushed both legalistic striving and fatalistic resignation. But now, in Christ, our “quietness” comes from true rest—not idleness, but Spirit-led peace (Heb 4:10).


4:7–8 — “One person… has no end to all his toil… For whom am I toiling…?” 


Solomon saw the loneliness of self-driven labor—especially under a system where inheritance and legacy were everything. But in the New Covenant, legacy is no longer in bloodlines or physical inheritance—it’s in spiritual offspring, disciples, and kingdom fruit (1 Cor 4:15).


4:9–12 — “Two are better than one… a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” 


Even in his despair, Solomon longs for covenantal companionship. What he saw dimly, Paul sees fully in the body of Christ—the church—where each member builds the other in love (Eph 4:16). We are now united by the Spirit, not lineage or ritual, and the “threefold cord” finds its fullness in the presence among the saints.


4:13–16 — The story of the poor youth and the old foolish king. Solomon reflects on the fleeting nature of human leadership. Even the wise can become hardened. The people rejoice in a new leader, only to forget him. This cycle ends in Christ—the true King who will never be forgotten, whose kingdom has no end (Isa 9:7). What Solomon feared—being forgotten—is reversed in the eternal remembrance of those in Christ (Luke 23:42). This chapter exposes the relational, systemic, and existential failures of life under the old age. But viewed through the cross and fulfillment, it turns into a longing that is now answered in Christ and His kingdom.

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