“The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.”
The aphorism that the fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh contrasts foolish idleness with the vain striving critiqued in verse 4. Yet this does not recommend embracing the envy and competition just described; rather, it suggests that the opposite extreme—refusing all productive labor—leads to self-destruction. The image of a person consuming their own flesh suggests both starvation and self-harm; idleness proves as destructive as competitive striving, though in different ways.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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