Ecclesiastes 9:4

For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

For to him that is joined to all the living. So the Keri, some manuscripts of Kennicott and Rossius; and Septuagint, Chaldaic, Syriac, and Vulgate read [ yªchubar (H2266)]. But the Kethibh reads [yªbuchar, 'Who is there that is chosen?' i:e., Who is there exempted, from the common lot of death? Thus, the "for" gives the reason for the previous words, "after that they go to the dead."

Hope. Join thus, "to all the living there is hope." For a living dog ... This and Ecclesiastes 9:5, may be the language of carnal reason, when tempted by trials to doubt God's righteousness of dealing in this world. The voice of the spiritual nature replies in Ecclesiastes 9:7. So the Psalmist was tempted by sinners' prosperity to speak as "a beast" until he went into the sanctuary. In a sense, it is true, there is hope of repentance and salvation to the living. The vilest, as long as they have life, have hope; the noblest who die unconverted have none. The state of the wicked "dead" is, in this last view, described by Solomon, Ecclesiastes 9:4 being the commentary on the last words of Ecclesiastes 9:3, "after that they (the evil) go to the dead."

Dog - metaphor for the vilest persons (1 Samuel 24:14).

Lion - the noblest of animals (Proverbs 30:30).