Ecclesiastes 4:12
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. | And though one may be overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. | And if a man prevail against him that is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. |
In context
Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.
Original Hebrew words
| English | Hebrew | Say it | Strong's | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| and though | וְאִֽם־ | ve-'im- | H0518A | ifאִם (im) : if/whether_or/though 1) if 1a) conditional clauses 1a1) of possible situations 1a2) of impossible situations 1b) oath contexts 1b1) no, not 1c) if...if, whether...or, whether...or...or 1d) when, whenever 1e) since 1f) interrogative particle 1g) but rather |
| someone will overpower him | יִתְקְפוֹ֙ | yit-ke-FO | H8630 | to prevailתָּקֵף (ta.qaph) (Qal) to prevail over or against, overcome, overpower |
| the one [person] | הָאֶחָ֔ד | ha-'e-CHAD | H0259 | oneאֶחָד (e.chad) 1) one (number) 1a) one (number) 1b) each, every 1c) a certain 1d) an (indefinite article) 1e) only, once, once for all 1f) one...another, the one...the other, one after another, one by one 1g) first 1h) eleven (in combination), eleventh (ordinal) |
| the two [people] | הַשְּׁנַ֖יִם | ha-she-NA-yim | H8147 | twoשְׁנַ֫יִם (she.na.yim) 1) two 1a) two (the cardinal number) 1a1) two, both, double, twice 1b) second (the ordinal number) 1c) in combination with other numbers 1d) both (a dual number) |
| they will stand | יַעַמְד֣וּ | ya-'am-DU | H5975G | to stand: standעָמַד (a.mad) : stand/stop/establish 1) to stand, remain, endure, take one's stand 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to stand, take one's stand, be in a standing attitude, stand forth, take a stand, present oneself, attend upon, be or become servant of 1a2) to stand still, stop (moving or doing), cease 1a3) to tarry, delay, remain, continue, abide, endure, persist, be steadfast 1a4) to make a stand, hold one's ground 1a5) to stand upright, remain standing, stand up, rise, be erect, be upright 1a6) to arise, appear, come on the scene, stand forth, appear, rise up or against … |
| before him | נֶגְדּ֑וֹ | neg-DO | H5048 | beforeנֶ֫גֶד (ne.ged) subst 1) what is conspicuous, what is in front of adv 2) in front of, straight forward, before, in sight of 3) in front of oneself, straightforward 4) before your face, in your view or purpose with prep 5) what is in front of, corresponding to 6) in front of, before 7) in the sight or presence of 8) parallel to 9) over, for 10) in front, opposite 11) at a distance prep 12) from the front of, away from 13) from before the eyes of, opposite to, at a distance from 14) from before, in front of 15) as far as the front of Aramaic equivalent: ne.ged (נֶ֫גֶד "before" H5049) |
| and the thread | וְהַחוּט֙ | ve-ha-CHUT | H2339 | threadחוּט (chut) a thread, cord, line, string |
| the threefold | הַֽמְשֻׁלָּ֔שׁ | ham-shu-LASH | H8027 | to do threeשָׁלַשׁ (sha.lash) 1) to do a third time, do three times, divide in three parts 1a) (Piel) to do a third time, divide into three parts 1b) (Pual) to be three years of age, be threefold |
| not | לֹ֥א | lo' | H3808 | notלֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809) |
| in quickly | בִמְהֵרָ֖ה | vim-he-RAH | H4120 | hasteמְהֵרָה (me.he.rah) 1) haste, speed 1a) hastily, speedily (as adverb) 1b) in haste (with prep) |
| it will be torn apart | יִנָּתֵֽק׃ | yi-na-TEK | H5423 | to tearנָתַק (na.taq) 1) to pull or tear or draw off or away or apart, draw out, pluck up, break, lift, root out 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to draw away 1a2) to draw or pull off 1a3) to pull or tear away 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be drawn away, be drawn out 1b2) to be torn apart or in two, be snapped 1b3) to be separated 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to tear apart, snap 1c2) to tear out, tear up, tear away 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to draw away 1d2) to drag away 1e) (Hophal) to be drawn away |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.