“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:2, KJV “There is strength in numbers” is a sentiment repeated often, and for good reason. Ecclesiastes 4:2 in the King James Version of the Bible demonstrates and expands upon this idea’s imperative nature. With close reading, one can take even more substance from the underlying meaning. The need for connection and fellowship is the essence of what it means to be human; and the idea echoes throughout, but is not limited to, religious texts. The surface meaning is important to the comprehension of the underlying meaning later in the passage. “Two are better than one” is point-blank to assist the reader in grasping the most important takeaway from the passage: do not abandon or turn on one’s fellow man, for his fellowship is the key to success. With this idea in mind, “And if…not quickly broken” becomes easier to understand. When a bond between two or more people is strong enough, the group can often overcome struggles that would be overwhelming to a single person. Upon further inspection, the reason why community is so important reveals itself in a metaphor. The threefold cord represents the relationship between two individuals, with the third being God. Whether the “third” aspect of a relationship is God or some other inexplicable link is up to the person involved. The metaphor can expands to subjects beyond religion. Regardless of one’s religious status, the message and importance of community applies to any facet of life. When alone, it can be easy to falter and fail because of a lack of support; however, with support and unconditional love, the impossible becomes achievable. This passage may be secular, but the message is for everyone. Although the excerpt appears matter-of-fact, the deeper meaning is about the essential nature of community. Human beings are a social species, and this idea repeats itself in many pieces of media, ancient or modern. The sentiment “For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow…not another to help him up” is universal. Despite the Bible being over two-thousand years old, the basics of the human condition have not changed. People have and will continue to need each other; there is nothing more human than asking for and providing guidance to one another. The question, “how can one be warm alone?” and the way it is formatted in the Bible raises a question for the reader to answer on his or her own. The rhetorical nature of the question forces the audience to come to their own conclusion and to think deeper about the issue at hand, rather than rely on the text to answer. The emphasis on the word “alone” indirectly hammers in the consequences of rejecting community. Warmness in this context can be a multitude of bounties: success, happiness, etc. In actuality, the question is asking, “How can one be complete alone?” While yes, everyone is an individual, fulfillment is often hard to obtain completely alone, whether that be emotionally, spiritually, or physically. The point of this question and the passage as a whole is to encourage people to extend their hand to their neighbors and love each other unconditionally. Without each other, humanity is nothing. There is a reason the Bible has never fallen out of relevancy in the last two thousand years. Religious preference does not take away from the applicability of the messages within the text, and the necessity of community was as important thousands of years ago as it is today. Strength in numbers is just as integral to surviving a dry season as it is to overcoming a financial issue as a corporate team.