complete verse (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ecclesiastes 4:12:

  • Kupsabiny: “If a person fights alone, he will surely be defeated. But when another person comes to his aid, they will have victory. A rope that is plaited three times does not easily break.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “One alone might easily be defeated,
    but if there are two they may be able to save themselves.
    A well-made triple stranded rope will not quickly be torn.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “You (sing.) can easily be defeated if you (sing.) are alone, but if you (sing.) have companion you (plur.) are hard to-be-defeated. Just like a cord; if this is threefold, it is hard to-break.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Someone who is alone can easily be attacked and defeated by another person,
    but two people can help each other and resist/defend themselves against someone who attacks them.
    Three people can defend themselves even more easily,
    like a rope that is made from three cords is harder to break than a rope made from two cords.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Ecclesiastes 4:12

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Eccl 12a

A final example, like the two previous ones, is introduced by the Hebrew conditional particle “if” (Revised Standard Version though). This clause shares the same literary features as the previous two conditional clauses, namely, the numerals “one” and “two.”

And though a man might prevail against one who is alone: the Hebrew says literally “if the one were to overcome him.” We presume that one person (Revised Standard Version a man) is in combat with a second person, someone who is alone. Qoheleth’s example now suggests that a single fighter may overcome an enemy if that enemy has nobody else to fight with him. Of course there are many conditions that may prove this incorrect, but Qoheleth is concerned only to make his point. He argues that in one-on-one combat each has more or less an equal chance to defeat the other. For translation: “Although one person may be able to defeat another ….”

Two will withstand him raises the problem of who him refers to. If the person (Revised Standard Version a man) spoken of in the first clause is the attacker, then he overcomes the other person, the one he attacks. But in this second clause, him can also refer to the person who is attacked, and two refer to those who attack him. Thus one person may attack and overcome another if that person is fighting alone, but that person plus another (= two) will be able to withstand the attacker. Alternatively, if two people attack one other person, they will probably defeat the one they attack. What Revised Standard Version renders as will withstand is probably more accurately translated as “might withstand,” this being more appropriate to the hypothetical nature of the saying. Withstand carries the sense of successfully defending against an attack. For this reason Jerusalem Bible “two will put up resistance” fails to show the full meaning.

The nouns which the pronouns in this verse refer to cannot be fixed with any certainty, so that it is not possible to determine who attacks who. For this reason a general translation is best followed, one that uses the word “opponent” to refer to those who are fighting.

Two translation models are:

• If one person fights against another, he may win, but not if he fights against two.

• One person can usually defeat a single opponent, but two opponents together will defeat him.

This second model has the advantage of preserving the theme “Two are better than one.”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Eccl 12b

Concluding not only this subdivision (verses 10-12) but also the entire subsection (verses 1-12) is this proverb that Qoheleth quotes. Its theme relates to the strength or advantage in numbers and combined effort.

A threefold cord describes a rope or cord formed of three strands twisted or plaited together. The Hebrew participle form used here (literally “of three parts”) is rare but is found in Gen 15.9, where it describes a three-year span of time. The choice of the numeral “three” may be influenced by the fact that “three” is the sum of the other two numerals in these sayings, or the next number in sequence after “one” and “two.” It is common in wisdom literature for ascending numbers to occur; see Proverbs 30, for example. The numeral “three” does not necessarily have a literal meaning but refers to a multiple or combination. If for some reason it is awkward to refer to three strands, “a plaited rope” can serve as a possible translation.

Is not quickly broken: the use of the passive not … broken or “not cut” may be preserved, or an active form as in Good News Translation “is hard to break” can be used. A potential form such as “cannot be broken” may serve even better in some languages. Quickly is the adverbial phrase that modifies the verb “break.” It reminds us that, although a plaited rope can be broken or cut through, it usually takes effort and time. Not quickly can also be rendered as “not easily” as in New American Bible (compare Good News Translation “hard”).

This ancient Israelite proverb may well have a counterpart in many cultures, in which case the spirit of the saying may be conveyed by a local proverb. The saying can be indented as suggested above to show that a proverb is being quoted. It can be given as “A three-strand rope cannot be broken easily” or “A plaited rope will not easily break.”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 4:12

4:12a And though one may be overpowered,

A ⌊strong⌋ person can overpower another person.
-or-
Someone who is alone can easily be attacked and defeated by another person. (Translation for Translators)

4:12b two can resist.

But two people are able to resist him.
-or-
But two people can help each other and resist the one who attacks them.

4:12a-b (combined)

If one person fights against another, he may win, but not if he fights against two.
-or-
One person can usually defeat another person, but two people together will defeat him.

4:12c Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

⌊Three people together are even better. They are like⌋ a three-stranded rope. It cannot be broken easily.
-or-
And three people are even stronger. They are like a rope that has three parts wrapped together—it is very hard to break. (English Easy-to-Read Version)
-or-

⌊Somebody has said,⌋ “A rope can have three parts rather than one part. If it has three parts, it is difficult to break it.”

© 2006 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

Commentaire sur la traduction de l'Ecclésiaste 4.12

Dans ce verset Qohéleth finit ses propos sur les avantages de ne pas être seul. À travers une sorte de jeu de mots, il passe du numéro un, au numéro deux, et finit par le numéro trois. Le troisième exemple a l’air d’un proverbe et une version en anglais ajoute à cet endroit « Comme le dicton dit ». En effet, le fil triple est un thème ancien dans le Proche-orient.

Et si quelqu’un vient à bout de celui qui est seul, deux lui tiendront tête : l’hébreu dit litt. « et s’il maîtrise le un, les deux tiennent devant lui ». La personne qui essaie de venir à bout de cette personne solitaire n’est pas identifiée. Le verbe תקף tqp veut dire « maîtriser (par la force) », « dominer ». Il s’agit d’une attaque physique qui a réussi.

deux lui tiendront tête : on pourrait parler des « deux personnes », « deux compagnons », etc. La racine utilisée en hébreu est עמד ʿmd, qui a le sens premier de « se tenir debout », et par extension « tenir contre ». On pourrait dire « les deux pourraient lui résister ».

un fil triple ne rompt pas vite : en hébreu cette proposition à nature proverbiale est introduite par la conjonction וְ we. Plusieurs versions françaises (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Nouvelle Bible Segond, Parole de Vie) l’omettent. Mais il est clair que cette conjonction lie cette proposition (« …trois… ») aux propositions contenant les numéros « un » et « deux ». En fait cette troisième proposition constitue le point culminant de ces propos.

Un fil triple pourra être explicité : « une corde faite de trois cordelettes tressées » (La Bible du Semeur). Une corde tressée de trois fils assure sa solidité. Mais certaines versions en français préfèrent parler plus généralement d’« une corde tressée de plusieurs fils » (Parole de Vie). La Bible en français courant est très réussi car la phrase ressemble à un proverbe : « Plus une corde a de brins, plus elle est solide ». Mais si possible, les traducteurs pourront garder le jeu de mots, un, deux, trois….

L’hébreu dit litt. « et le fils triple ne pas avec rapidité se rompt ». ne se rompt pas vite veut dire qu’une telle corde tient bon malgré la force appliquée pour la rompre. Si l’expression ne rompt pas vite ne convient pas dans la langue cible, on peut dire « est/reste plus solide ».

Si désiré, les traducteurs pourraient présenter ces propos sous forme proverbiale, c’est-à-dire, à la ligne, comme la poésie.

4.13-16

Sans transition, Qohéleth entame un nouveau sujet, celui de la gouvernance et du pouvoir politique. Est-ce la mention de la force et de la domination (Ecc 4.12) qui inspire cette prochaine réflexion ? Dans cette section il parle d’un gamin qui sort de prison pour devenir dirigeant. Ainsi plusieurs biblistes y voient une référence à Joseph, condamné et libéré pour régner sur l’Égypte. Voir Gen 39–41.

4.15 pose un problème avec l’introduction de הַיֶּלֶד הַשֵּׁנִי hayèlèd hašénî, « un deuxième enfant » dont l’identité est discutée. S’agit-il du gamin en Ecc 4.13 ou d’une autre personne ? En effet, avec la mention de « pauvre » (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible : mendiant), certains voient une allusion à un autre roi, le père de Salomon, le Roi David. Voir la discussion ci-dessous.

Source: Zogbo, Lynell. L’Ecclésiaste – Manuel de traduction – Commentaire linguistique et exégétique de la Bible. Alliance biblique universelle, 2021.