---
title: Ecclesiastes 4:8 (JPS 1917) — There is one that is alone, and he hath not a second; yea, he hath n… · tree and pragmatics
description: There is one that is alone, and he hath not a second; yea, he hath neither son nor brother; yet is there no end of all his labour, neither is his eye satisfied with riches: 'for whom then do I labour, and bereave my soul of pleasure?' This also is vanity, yea, it is a grievous business. Who acts: on
---

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# Ecclesiastes 4:8 · JPS 1917

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
There is one that is alone, and he hath not a second; yea, he hath neither son nor brother; yet is there no end of all his labour, neither is his eye satisfied with riches: 'for whom then do I labour, and bereave my soul of pleasure?' This also is vanity, yea, it is a grievous business.

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**Who acts:** one, fool, end, eye, I, This · **What happens:** be, not have, have, labour, bereave · **To what, where:** son, soul, vanity, grievous business

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This is Ecclesiastes 4:8 · JPS 1917 in the English of the Jewish Publication Society's 1917 translation, from Mova's open Bible corpus. The page gives the sentence's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, parsed by Mova and checked by a teacher model — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (one, fool, end, eye), what happens, when and where, as Mova's frames read it. The original of the verse links back to its own tree and to the Targum.

## The tree {#tree}

```conllu
# sent_id = jps:ECC:81
# text = There is one that is alone, and he hath not a second; yea, he hath neither son nor brother; yet is there no end of all his labour, neither is his eye satisfied with riches: 'for whom then do I labour, and bereave my soul of pleasure?' This also is vanity, yea, it is a grievous business.
1	There	there	PRON	EX	PronType=Dem	2	expl	_	_
2	is	be	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	one	one	NUM	CD	NumForm=Word|NumType=Card	2	nsubj	_	_
4	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	6	nsubj	_	_
5	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	6	cop	_	_
6	alone	alone	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	acl:relcl	_	_
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	10	punct	_	_
8	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
9	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
10	hath	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Style=Arch|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
11	not	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	10	advmod	_	_
12	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	second	second	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obj	_	_
14	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	18	punct	_	_
15	yea	yea	INTJ	UH	_	18	discourse	_	_
16	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	15	punct	_	_
17	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	18	nsubj	_	_
18	hath	have	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Style=Arch|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
19	neither	neither	CCONJ	CC	Polarity=Neg	20	cc:preconj	_	_
20	son	son	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	18	obj	_	_
21	nor	nor	CCONJ	CC	Polarity=Neg	22	cc	_	_
22	brother	brother	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	20	conj	_	_
23	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	25	punct	_	_
24	yet	yet	CCONJ	CC	_	25	cc	_	_
25	is	be	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
26	there	there	PRON	EX	PronType=Dem	25	expl	_	_
27	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	28	det	_	_
28	end	end	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	25	nsubj	_	_
29	of	of	ADP	IN	_	32	case	_	_
30	all	all	DET	PDT	PronType=Tot	32	det:predet	_	_
31	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	32	nmod:poss	_	_
32	labour	labour	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	28	nmod	_	_
33	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	38	punct	_	_
34	neither	neither	CCONJ	CC	Polarity=Neg	38	cc	_	_
35	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	38	cop	_	_
36	his	his	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	37	nmod:poss	_	_
37	eye	eye	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	38	nsubj	_	_
38	satisfied	satisfied	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	conj	_	_
39	with	with	ADP	IN	_	40	case	_	_
40	riches	riches	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	38	obl	_	_
41	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	48	punct	_	_
42	'	'	PUNCT	``	_	48	punct	_	_
43	for	for	ADP	IN	_	44	case	_	_
44	whom	whom	PRON	WP	PronType=Int	48	obl	_	_
45	then	then	ADV	RB	PronType=Dem	48	advmod	_	_
46	do	do	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	48	aux	_	_
47	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	48	nsubj	_	_
48	labour	labour	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	2	parataxis	_	_
49	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	51	punct	_	_
50	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	51	cc	_	_
51	bereave	bereave	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	48	conj	_	_
52	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	53	nmod:poss	_	_
53	soul	soul	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	51	obj	_	_
54	of	of	ADP	IN	_	55	case	_	_
55	pleasure	pleasure	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	53	nmod	_	_
56	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	48	punct	_	_
57	'	'	PUNCT	''	_	2	punct	_	_
58	This	this	PRON	DT	Number=Sing|PronType=Dem	61	nsubj	_	_
59	also	also	ADV	RB	_	61	advmod	_	_
60	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	61	cop	_	_
61	vanity	vanity	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	parataxis	_	_
62	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	63	punct	_	_
63	yea	yea	INTJ	UH	_	69	discourse	_	_
64	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	69	punct	_	_
65	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	69	nsubj	_	_
66	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	69	cop	_	_
67	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	69	det	_	_
68	grievous	grievous	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	69	amod	_	_
69	business	business	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	61	conj	_	_
70	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

## Pragmatics {#pragmatics}

<!-- sa -->
- form: wh-question
- act: ask
- voice: character
- polarity: neg
- teacher: changed polarity=neg

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **be** | present | one |  |  | there |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **is** | present |  |  |  |  |  | alone *property* | tree rules |
| 3 | **not** **have** | present | fool |  |  |  | second |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |
| 4 | **have** | present | fool | son nor brother |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent son=Patient |
| 5 | **be** | present | no end of fool's labour |  |  | there |  |  | vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 6 | **is** | present | fool's eye |  |  |  |  | with riches; satisfied *property* | tree rules |
| 7 | **labour** | present · do-support | I |  |  |  | then |  | vn work-73.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 8 | **bereave** | infinitive | I *not said here* | my soul of pleasure |  |  |  |  | vn deprive-10.6.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent soul=Source |
| 9 | **is a** | present | This | vanity and a grievous business |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 10 | **is a** | present | eye | a grievous business |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## The Hebrew of this verse {#hebrew}

<!-- .vhe dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
יֵ֣שׁ אֶחָד֩ וְאֵ֨ין שֵׁנִ֜י גַּ֣ם בֵּ֧ן וָאָ֣ח אֵֽין־ל֗וֹ וְאֵ֥ין קֵץ֙ לְכָל־עֲמָל֔וֹ גַּם־עֵינ֖וֹ לֹא־תִשְׂבַּ֣ע עֹ֑שֶׁר וּלְמִ֣י ׀ אֲנִ֣י עָמֵ֗ל וּמְחַסֵּ֤ר אֶת־נַפְשִׁי֙ מִטּוֹבָ֔ה גַּם־זֶ֥ה הֶ֛בֶל וְעִנְיַ֥ן רָ֖ע הֽוּא׃

[Ecclesiastes 4:8: the Hebrew tree, its pragmatics and the Targum →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC.4.8/)

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**Source.** The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic Text, Jewish Publication Society, 1917, from eBible.org: public domain. Sentence `jps:ECC:81` of Mova's parse database.

**The tree and the speech act** come from Mova's cycle: the small model's draft, read by a large model as teacher, passed by Mova's gates (Elamur Cosmic License). **The frames** are read from the tree by Mova's frames reader (`prag`) when this page is built, the chapter read in order, so a pronoun may be resolved from an earlier sentence of the chapter.

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- ← previous: [Ecclesiastes 4:7 (JPS)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/ECC.80/)
- next →: [Ecclesiastes 4:9 (JPS)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/ECC.82/)
- ↑ back to [Ecclesiastes 4:8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC.4.8/)

