For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor.
Parallel translations
- WEB For out of prison he came out to be king; yes, even in his kingdom he was born poor.
- BSB For the youth has come from the prison to the kingship, though he was born poor in his own kingdom.
- NKJV For he comes out of prison to be king, Although he was born poor in his kingdom.
- NASB for he has come out of prison to become king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom.
- NLT Such a youth could rise from poverty and succeed. He might even become king, though he has been in prison.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The wise youth can rise from prison or poverty to kingship, showing fortune's surprising reversals. It matters because earthly position is unstable and provides no lasting security.
Overview
Continuing the parable, the Preacher notes that the lowly can ascend even from prison to a throne, as Joseph once did (Genesis 41). The point is the changeability of human fortunes 'under the sun.' Such reversals reveal that no earthly standing is secure, directing hope away from shifting circumstances toward the unchanging God whose kingdom does not pass away.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Gen 41:14Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.
- Ps 113:7–8He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;
- Lam 4:20The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen.
- Job 5:11To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.
- 2 Kgs 24:6So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.
- Gen 41:33–44Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.
- 2 Kgs 24:12And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.
- 2 Kgs 25:7And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.
- Dan 4:31While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.
- 2 Kgs 25:27–30And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;
- 1 Kgs 14:26–27And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made.
- 2 Kgs 23:31–34Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
- 2 Kgs 24:1–2In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The search that finds everything 'under the sun' to be vapor exposes the emptiness of life without God and drives us to the one who alone gives meaning, the resurrection that makes our labor not in vain.
How Ecclesiastes 4:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.