Question:
50.2—“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). Throughout these verses it’s speaking of two individuals. Can this mean a person and God…or is the thought more the companionship of two people? Also, when it mentions a threefold cord, would that be referring to two individuals having their relationship intertwined with God? 50.2—Solomon mentions “God” 36 times in Ecclesiastes, so it seems that he would have mentioned God in the verses above had he been referring to Him. Solomon is speaking in Ecclesiastes 4:7-12 of a vanity that he saw “under the sun” that blew his mind. It was the folly of “one alone.” Like some today, this person labored all alone as a miser but had no one to labor for (v. 8). He only lived for self, and Solomon thought that this was an empty, wretched way to live. He then, in verses 9-12, gives the advantages of partnership and uses five illustrations to press this home. Two workers are “better than one” because: 1) They get more reward for their labors (v. 9). 2) If there is an accident, the other can help; but one who falls alone is to be pitied (v. 10). 3) In bed on a cold night, there is heat from each other (v. 11). (We could argue this point that some have cold feet and an electric blanket is far superior, but the point is that there are benefits from companionship that are unknowable to one who lives in isolation.) 4) A thief can often overpower one victim, but two can usually resist successfully (v. 12). 5) A rope made with three cords is stronger than a rope with only one or two strands. In fact, three strands twisted together are more than three times stronger than three separate cords (v. 12).
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