Bible Strands
Ecclesiastes 4:15
I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed this second one, the youth who succeeded the king.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Teacher addresses a general audience while observing the political climate of his time. He records his observation at a moment when a new ruler has just taken power and the populace is already shifting its allegiance to him.
The words — The phrase תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ (taḥat haššāmeš) literally means "under the sun" and confines the observation to the earthly, temporal realm. The participle מְהַלְּכִים (məhalləḵîm) translates to "are walking about," describing the restless, unanchored movement of the people.
The thread — The text states that crowds routinely follow whichever leader currently holds power, a pattern the Teacher notes again in Ecclesiastes 4:16 where later generations will eventually abandon the current successor. This mirrors the recorded behavior in 2 Samuel 15:6, where Absalom systematically won over the people who came to the king for justice.
Why it lands — The text reports that popular loyalty shifts with political change rather than remaining fixed on principle or the ruler himself. It asks the reader to acknowledge that seeking lasting significance in earthly authority is inherently unstable.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
I considered all the living which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his stead.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 15:6 Absalom did this to all the Israelites who came to the king for justice. In this way he stole the hearts of the men of Israel.