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Ecclesiastes 10

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The Weight of Folly and Wisdom 1–3

1
Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to send forth an evil odor; so doth a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor. ​
2
A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left. ​
3
Yea also, when the fool walketh by the way, his understanding faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool. ​

Prudence in Dealing with Rulers 4–7

4
If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for gentleness allayeth great offences. ​
5
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as it were an error which proceedeth from the ruler: ​
6
folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place. ​
7
I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking like servants upon the earth. ​

Practical Risks and the Value of Skill 8–11

8
He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh through a wall, a serpent shall bite him. ​
9
Whoso heweth out stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby.
10
If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. ​
11
If the serpent bite before it is charmed, then is there no advantage in the charmer. ​

The Destructive Speech of the Fool 12–15

12
The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. ​
13
The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.
14
A fool also multiplieth words: yet man knoweth not what shall be; and that which shall be after him, who can tell him?
15
The labor of fools wearieth every one of them; for he knoweth not how to go to the city. ​

Governance, Sloth, and Stability 16–20

16
Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! ​
17
Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! ​
18
By slothfulness the roof sinketh in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh. ​
19
A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh glad the life; and money answereth all things. ​
20
Revile not the king, no, not in thy thought; and revile not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the heavens shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Ecclesiastes 10

Verse 1

Dead flies — Literally 'flies of death' (zebub, found only here and in Isa 7:18). The perfumer (raqach) makes such oil as the 'oil of holy ointment… after the art of the apothecary' (Ex 30:25). 'Send forth' is naba', to gush out, the verb of Prov 15:2: 'the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.'

Verse 2

heart is at his right hand — The heart (lev) is the mind and will. The right hand (yamin) is the side of strength and honour, the place of honour: 'Sit thou at my right hand' (Ps 110:1). The wise man's judgment is ready to his hand; the fool's (kesil, the dull fool of Proverbs) is not.

Verse 3

his wisdom faileth him — 'Wisdom' here is lev, 'heart', the word of v.2, and 'faileth' is chaser, to lack. The fool (sakal) needs no speech to be known, since 'a fool layeth open his folly' (Prov 13:16); even on the road (derek) he tells every passer-by what he is.

Verse 4

leave not thy place — 'Yielding' is marpe, healing: a calm answer cures what anger has opened. 'A soft answer turneth away wrath' (Prov 15:1), and 'by long forbearing is a prince persuaded' (Prov 25:15). The same counsel stands in 8:3: 'Be not hasty to go out of his sight.'

Verse 5

an error which proceedeth from the ruler — Shegagah is a wrong done unwittingly, the word of the 'sin through ignorance' of Lev 4:2. The opening repeats 6:1, 'There is an evil which I have seen under the sun'. The evil here is who is promoted, set out in the next two verses.

Verse 6

Folly is set in great dignity — Marom is a height, a high place; sekel is folly, here the foolish themselves. Scripture records such promotions: Ahasuerus promoted Haman and 'set his seat above all the princes' (Esth 3:1), and 'the wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted' (Ps 12:8).

Verse 7

servants upon horses — The horse was an animal of state: the king's own horse and royal apparel were kept for 'the man whom the king delighteth to honour' (Esth 6:8–9). Here the order is reversed, and 'princes' (sarim) go on foot 'as servants' (avadim). Compare 'a servant when he reigneth' (Prov 30:22).

Verse 8

diggeth a pit — Prov 26:27 has the same saying, 'Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein', and Haman shows it, hanged on the gallows 'he had prepared for Mordecai' (Esth 7:10). The hedge (gader) is a fence or wall; the nachash behind it is the serpent, as in Amos 5:19: 'a serpent bit him.'

Verse 10

wisdom is profitable to direct — 'Profitable' is yithron, the advantage asked about at the book's opening: 'What profit hath a man of all his labour' (1:3). 'To direct' is kasher, to succeed, found elsewhere only in Esth 8:5 and Eccl 11:6 ('prosper'). Skill in whetting the blade saves strength.

Verse 11

a babbler — Literally 'a master of the tongue' (baal ha-lashon). 'Enchantment' (lachash) is a whispered charm, as of the 'charmers' of Ps 58:5. 'No better' is yithron, the 'profit' of v.10: the charmer's skill gains nothing if the serpent has already bitten.

Verse 12

gracious — Chen is favour or grace; the wise man's words win it for him and give it to those who hear. 'Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt' (Col 4:6). The fool's lips 'swallow up' (bala) him: 'A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul' (Prov 18:7).

Verse 15

The labour of the foolish — Amal, toil, the word of 1:3, 'all his labour'. The fool is wearied because he lacks the one thing needed, the road to the city. Against it stands the way of holiness: 'the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein' (Isa 35:8).

Verse 16

thy king is a child — Naar, a youth, the word Solomon used of himself at his accession, 'I am but a little child' (1 Kgs 3:7), when he asked for 'an understanding heart' (1 Kgs 3:9). Isa 5:11 pronounces woe on the same habit: 'Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink.'

Verse 17

in due season — Eth, the 'time' of 3:1, so the meal is fitting in its time. 'Nobles' (chorim) are the freeborn. 'Blessed' is ashre, the word that opens Ps 1:1. The warning of Prov 31:4–5 stands behind it: it is not for kings to drink, 'lest they drink, and forget the law'.

Verse 18

the building decayeth — 'Idleness' (shiphlut), literally a sinking of the hands, occurs only here; 'droppeth through' is dalaph, to drip, the roof letting rain in. Prov 24:30–34 shows the same neglect in the 'field of the slothful', and ends: 'So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth.'

Verse 19

money answereth all things — 'Feast' is literally 'bread' (lechem), a meal. Wine 'maketh merry' (samach), as in Ps 104:15, 'wine that maketh glad the heart of man'. 'Money' (kesef, silver) 'answereth' (anah) the cost of both. Eccl 7:12 sets it beside wisdom: 'money is a defence', but wisdom 'giveth life'.

Verse 20

a bird of the air — 'Curse' is qalal, to treat as light, the verb rendered 'whet' in v.10. Paul cites the command of Ex 22:28, 'Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people' (Acts 23:5). What is said in the 'bedchamber' (cheder) gets out, as Christ says of 'that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets' (Luke 12:3).