And he shows everyone that he is a fool. Folly is set in dignity I have seen servants on horses: The Preacher wanted to remind us that not all is fair in this life. Whoso removes stones, to pull down a wall or building, does but pluck them upon himself; he shall be hurt therewith, and will wish that he had let them alone. New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition (4, illustrated, reprint, revised ed.). In the end, it is a strange joy only found through full consideration of the mysteries of God. Matthew Henry Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ecclesiastes 10:4-11. 3 Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith [by demonstration] to every one that he is a fool. So figure it out, man. _ruach._ App-9. of Your desires and values and such lead the path you take in life. It smells nice. And then think about dead flies. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Solomon also uses this framework to talk about the careful administration of wisdom. Oh, how much better it is to yield a point than to hang on. This is not true of the fool, whose heart is at his left. 3 Even as fools walk along the road, they lack sense. Right and left are natural symbols for the strong and good, on the one hand, and for the weak and bad, on the other hand The Latin word sinister means left. (Wright), ii. b. But even as dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary carried a stink, so does a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor. Someone MAY fall into it. manner, and, like a storm and tempest, is very blustering and Biblical Text:1 Dead flies make a perfumers oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor.2 A wise mans heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish mans heart directs him toward the left.3 Even when the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking and he demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool.4 If the rulers temper rises against you, do not abandon your position, because composure allays great offenses. 20 Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter. As an error proceeding from the ruler: Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. 15 The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city. Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a wisdom and honor (Ecclesiastes 10:1). policy of life. 17 Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles [and therefore prepared for the job], and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness [Theyre self-controlled]! (2.) see ( Ecclesiastes He maintains his composure and so gives the impression, rightly or wrongly, that his boss did not need to be angry. Jarchi interprets it of the spirit of the governor of the world, strictly inquiring into the actions of men; and healing their sins by chastisements, which cause them to leave them. So, the Preacher has addressed the speech of the fool. Oh, yeah." Its good to have rulers who are ready for the job. A small corrupting agent (dead flies) can spoil a large amount of something pleasant (make a perfumers oil stink). Answer certainly not a fool with all his words. That's where they got the phrase, "A little bird told me." They do nothing in order; turn night into day, and day into night; sleep when they should wake, and wake when they should sleep; attending more to chamberings and banquetings, than to the concerns of the state. (Clarke). The phrase () is not to be compared, for it signifies quieting by an exhausting outbreak; on the contrary, in the passage before us must signify quieting, as the preventing of an outbreak (cf. Ecclesiastes 9:17 to Eccle. [Note: Hubbard, p. a. if one is lack Ecclesiastes 10:1. This is also similar to Solomons statement at the end of Chapter 9, one sinner destroys much good.. i. But thats exactly the kind of mindset in rulers that the Preacher is warning about self-indulgent ones. The Quest Achieved. The Chief Good Is To Be Found, Not In Wisdom, Nor Leave not thy place Humble thyself before him, that is thy place and duty; for yielding to him, and not standing stoutly in thy defence, pacifieth great offenses: and then, when his anger is appeased, he will hear any thing in thy justification, if thou have any thing to offer. The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, A little foolishness can poison a lot of wisdom. Gentleness on thy part will calm both thyself and him, and Ecclesiastes 10 is the tenth chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. And so when you read about it or hear about it, you'll say, "I heard about that someplace. RISE UP. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. Now, still out of sight of land, he begins to tack his direction towards meaning and truth. kept in thy hands will make pacification for great offences._ From the D. ILLUSTRATIONS OF THOSE WHO LACK Wis. 10:1-11 And it has something to do with rulers. It appears more correct to render in both cases in the sense of , missum facere: to leave great sins is equals not to commit them, to give up the lust thereto; for hinniahh signifies to let go, to leave off, e.g., Jeremiah 14:9; and to indulge, Esther 3:8, here as at Ecclesiastes 7:18; Ecclesiastes 11:6, "to keep the hands from something." We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. He doesnt even know how to get to the city to work! Several of the fathers understood this differently, If the spirit of the ruler - the influence of Satan - hath risen up against and prevailed over thee, to bring thee into some sin; leave not thy place - do not despair of God's mercy; humble thyself before him, and seek pardon through the Son of his love, and this will be marpe, a remedy or cure even for chataim gedolim, great errors or sins. THE TEACHER SEARCHES FOR Yielding A gentle and The labor of fools wearies them, But this time he wants to tell us about wisdom and folly again but specifically as it applies to rulers. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. You see it for a moment, then it is gone. Ecclesiastes 9:4-6. 2 A wise mans heart [source of direction/guidance] is at his right hand [leads him to the right a place of protection]; but a fools heart at his [leads him to the] left [no such protection, hes vulnerable]. Unfortunately, fools often get into places of authority, but more capable people are not given a chance (4-7). Leave not thy place - i. e., Do not lose thy self-control and quit his presence. In Solomon's reign the people were very rich, and lived in prosperity, which perhaps made them proud and petulant, and when the taxes were high, though they had enough to pay them with, it is probable that many conducted themselves insolently towards the government and threatened to rebel. You can check these in your browser security settings. The rich sit in lowly positions. Now I don't know that there's any scientific. They do not even know how to go to the city: The Preacher continued to subtly back away from his previous under the sun premise. In most activities there is some danger, so people should be careful and plan ahead; otherwise, instead of enjoying success they may meet disaster (8-11).Fools talk without thinking of the consequences of their words and so get themselves into trouble. Verse Ecclesiastes 10:2. so great as to require such resentment; see ( Proverbs i. Proverbs 25:15 By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone. If youre lazy the roof-beams will sink. But I think youll see that they contribute to what weve just been told. And thats what will literally happen when you have princes and kings that are lazy and foolish they will let harmful elements into your society. behaving in a modest and humble manner; in time his wrath will There's some really nuts out there in the world. New Testament Acts A king may hear of my wrongdoing and I may suffer because of it, even though I did not know he could learn of it. Gentleness on thy part will calm both thyself and him, and prevent great wrongs being committed by either. (c) If your superior is angry with you, be discrete and not moved. _Place. (See Proverbs 15:4.) If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. what the fool is talking of; what is the drift of his discourse; or where it will end, and what he will bring it to, it is so noisy, confused, and incoherent: or no man can tell future things, or what will come to pass; nor can any man inform another of future events; Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, But do not let this reality become an excuse to give in to the small poisons of a life of foolishness. Read full chapter. ?" The command which the wise man has over his own mind, feelings, passions, c., and the prudence with which he acts. Let neither prince nor people violently attempt any changes, nor make a forcible entry upon a national settlement, for they will both find it of dangerous consequence, which he shows here by four similitudes, the scope of which is to give us a caution not to meddle to our own hurt. Some people drive themselves in their work but can never relax and enjoy it, because they are always worrying about being ahead of everyone else. Continue in a diligent and faithful discharge of thy duty, and Now, I dont think this is condemning eating breakfast. ECCLESIASTES 10:1. ), Great offences. To remain calm and not retaliate. And a lot of people have been killed by insisting on their right of ways. threatening: leave not thy place; The temper of a ruler directed toward us is dangerous. So, in chapters 10 and 11 of this book, the Preacher is going to give us wise counsel on wisdom and folly, rulers, the unpredictability of life, speech, business, and your perspective on life. the boastful self-assertion of the fool is appended as a contrast, For strength and not for drunkenness! The Targum is. B. If the spirit of the ruler rises up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding will pacify great offenses ( Ecclesiastes 10:4 ). Ecclesiastes Commentary - 10 pages; Alternative resource - Ecclesiastes Notes Chapter by Chapter; WESTON FIELDS. Required fields are marked *. We may request cookies to be set on your device. A simple story illustrates how a person may be wise and humble, but the good he does is not appreciated by those who benefit from it. I don't know what he's saying. Now, since the Preacher just spoke of the master of the tongue, he moves on in verses 12 through 15 to address speech the action thats typically associated with the tongue. You're really a man who is of reputation and everything else. In other words, who would want to listen to a fool? This explains "leave not thy place"; do not in a resisting spirit withdraw from thy post of duty (Ec 8:3). Leave not - In anger or discontent. words, which is oft called spirit, as Judges 8:3 2 Chronicles 21:16 And someone chopping wood and being endangered by the process. Even when he walks around it can be apparent that he lacks wisdom. Thats why people make it and buy it. Without a foundation of faith, life has no meaning. All work, he says, and all dexterity in work, is due to envy, to a jealous determination to outstrip our neighbours, to what Mallock calls the "desire for inequality." If the devil tempt or persuade thee to sin, repent and humble And so it's tragic that wise men can do such foolish things. Along this line, he counseled his readers to not curse the king lest they be found out. Pacifieth great offences.--Rather, probably, quieteth great offences, that is to say, not so much "puts an end to the offence felt by the ruler," as to the offences likely to be committed if he do not restrain himself. The scope of these verses is to keep subjects loyal and dutiful to the government. New Testament Pauline Epistles Fools react to the mysterious, uncontrollable nature of the world by trying to tame and grasp everything around them. So, first of all, regarding rulers and those in authority, dont lose your cool if a rulers spirit or temper rises against you. No. 16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! And one does not sharpen the edge, But, getting beyond grammar, heres the point of the Preacher. Jarchi interprets it of the spirit of the governor of the world, strictly inquiring into the actions of men; and healing their sins by chastisements, which cause them to leave them. _If the spirit of thy ruler rise up, &c., leave not thy What difference does it make? Ecclesiastes predicts the failure of human philosophy to discover purpose apart from faith, while offering a viable philosophical solution: to begin with faith. Here are a number of observations and all show that there is a practical value in wisdom a. Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible. To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. THE PURPOSE OF OUR LIVES Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better ( Ecclesiastes 10:11 ). I. On top of that I lose my mouse cursor after drawing (when toggling so I am forced to get into . i. There is no doubt that emotions would be heightened within any person toward whom the anger of a ruler is directed. Free shipping . Ecclesiastes 10:4 now concerns what to do when there is some point of offense. If princes become tyrants, or subjects become rebels, all histories will tell both what is likely to be their fate and that it is at their utmost peril, and it were better for both to be content within their own bounds. That means they were drunk all night so they eat in the morning. "The lesson is that the self-controlled person who has less rank is really more powerful than the out-of-control supposed superior." Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. Old Testament Poetry The wrath of the civil magistrate, the chief ruler of the land, the sovereign prince or king, to whom men are and should be subject: if his wrath on any occasion breaks out in a furious manner, and, like a storm and tempest, is very blustering and threatening: leave not thy place; at court; thine office under the prince, do not throw it up in a passion, and quit his service upon it; and much less forget thy duty and allegiance to him, and go into disloyalty and rebellion; see Ecclesiastes 8:3; for yielding pacifieth great offences; bearing his anger patiently, submitting to his displeasure quietly, making no returns, or at least giving soft answers, and behaving in a modest and humble manner; in time his wrath will subside, and he will be pacified, and forgive the offences committed; or be convinced that there were none, or however not so great as to require such resentment; see Proverbs 15:1. In this way they will keep out of trouble (20). ii. And its not difficult to spot a fool, is it? the Book of Proverbs. But when a ruler acts like a fool, the wise person will be patient and not panic. Thoughts on wisdom and folly (9:13-10:20). ii. He that cleaves the wood, especially if, as it follows, he has sorry tools (Ecclesiastes 10:10; Ecclesiastes 10:10), shall be endangered thereby; the chips, or his own axe-head, will fly in his face. at court; thine office under the prince, do not throw it up in a ( Ecclesiastes 10:12-14 ). That is folly without even the excuse of ignorance. (Kidner). But even at his strongest and best mankind is hopelessly at the whim of the unpredictability of life. So, foolishness is in many positions of authority. If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success: The fool will continue to use a dull ax, instead of being wise and sharpening the edge. a. remember always that it is a ruler with whom thou dealest, cont "IF THE RULER'S TEMPER RISES AGAINST YOU, DO NOT ABANDON YOUR pp. But thats not the way it works in this sin-cursed world. To such Solomon here gives some necessary cautions. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. And, of course, we are told that our President and Vice President and former President Richard Nixon, David Rockefeller, that elitist of the United States, members of this Bohemian Club, and they have a little retreat north of San Francisco where they go once a year for a retreat. Ecclesiastes 10:4 Parallel Verses [ See commentary ] Ecclesiastes 10:4, NIV: If a ruler's anger rises against you, do not leave your post; calmness can lay great offenses to rest. Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking odor: so does a little folly to him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor ( Ecclesiastes 10:1 ). It's just out of place. (. While a wise mans heart directs him toward the right, the foolish mans heart directs him toward the left. Two makes the difficult jobs easier. Now, I dont think Ive ever smelled the smell of dead flies. 5: oritur sol et occidit et ad locum suum revertitur ibique renascens. He lacks wisdom, And thus, they are exposing themselves to ridicule and to the press which will expose them. The wise man does not quit his job when his boss gets angry with him. Well, that's great when you're a little boy and living in a world of unreal fantasies. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. The mower loses no time when he is whetting his scythe. Dont even do it in your room. "The work of God," or, as Ecclesiastes 8:16-12 The babbler is no different. Ecclesiastes 4 Lessons by Rob Harbison of God Himself as over against His created universe. And if youre idle the roof will leak. At all such times let us turn to God and say, Put in more strength. A wise man's heart is at his right hand As the right hand is ordinarily the best exercised, strongest, and most ready, and the left the contrary, they show, 1. LEAVE NOT THY PLACE - i. e., Do not lose thy self-control and quit his (2) The Preacher's summary: Life is vanity, without meaning. Rather let both prince and people act towards each other with prudence, mildness, and good temper: Wisdom is profitable to direct the ruler how to manage a people that are inclined to be turbulent, so as neither, on the one hand, by a supine negligence to embolden and encourage them, nor, on the other hand, by rigour and severity to exasperate and provoke them to any seditious practices. 609-618. And sometimes verses 8 and 9 . Whereas the fools heart leads him to many vulnerable and dangerous places. He grants there is an evil often seen under the sun, and it is a king's-evil, an evil which the king only can cure, for it is an error which proceeds from the ruler (Ecclesiastes 10:5; Ecclesiastes 10:5); it is a mistake which rulers, consulting their personal affections more than the public interests, are too often guilty of, that men are not preferred according to their merit, but folly is set in great dignity, men of shattered brains, and broken fortunes, are put in places of power and trust, while the rich men of good sense and good estates, whose interest would oblige them to be true to the public, and whose abundance would be likely to set them above temptations to bribery and extortion, yet sit in low places, and can get no preferment (Ecclesiastes 10:6; Ecclesiastes 10:6), either the ruler knows not how to value them or the terms of preferment are such as they cannot in conscience comply with. It's just like flies in the ointment of the apothecary. Thus God, in his providence, punishes a wicked people; but, as far as it is the ruler's act and deed, it is certainly his error, and a great evil, a grievance to the subject and very provoking; but it is an error under the sun, which will certainly be rectified above the sun, and when it shall shine no more, for in heaven it is only wisdom and holiness that are set in great dignity. New Living Translation If your boss is angry at you, don't quit! The great sins cannot certainly be thought of as those of the ruler; for on his part only one comes into view, if indeed, according to the old legal conception, it could be called such, viz., cruel proceeding with reference to him who wilfully withdraws from him, and thus proves his opposition; much rather we are to think of the great sins into which he who is the object of the ruler's displeasure might fall, viz., treason (Ecclesiastes 8:2), insubordination, self-destruction, and at the same time, since he does not stand alone, or make common cause with others who are discontented, the drawing of others into inevitable ruin (Ecclesiastes 8:3). Everyone has an innate sense that allows them to discern the difference between wisdom and foolishness. i. But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up; . Life can be confusing and complicated. EXPERIENCE CRYSTALLISED IN "No, five." Surely more work is done by a blunt edge and divine power, than by a sharp edge and little power.. _IF THE SPIRIT OF THE RULER RISE UP AGAINST _leave not thy place_ In anger or discontent. stinking odor: so does a little folly to him that is in reputation for You dont want the very thing protecting you from the elements to be weakened so as to let through things that can make your life uncomfortable and that can harm you. It smells good. So, be so careful to not curse your king with your mouth, that you dont even do it in your mind. They live their life as if it were meaningless, directionless. The word translated composure is marpe, which is often translated health or remedy. The remedy for a great offense such as temper is composure. Proud member Who can tell him what will be after him? But the truths discovered in this book are real. Proverbs 15:1). Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby. (4.) Revised Standard Version Chapter Parallel Ecclesiastes 10:4 (RSV) If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for deference will make amends for great offenses. Hes rich in this case because hes not a fool and hes living wisely and such. A feast is made for laughter, So I think its better to think of these verbs translated as shall in the KJV to express potential actions using may. Inter-Varsity Press. The words of a wise mans mouth are gracious, At the end of chap. Ver. To make this case, Solomon talks through the cause-and-effect of bad leadership in this world. So, let me ask does the one always involve the other? 2018 David Guzik No distribution beyond personal use without permission. A serpent may bite when it is not charmed; So, the speech of the wise is gracious and by it he receives favor from others. a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him who can tell him? If a person lacks these, he is ignored or despised, even though his quiet words of wisdom may save a city from destruction (13-18).One foolish act can spoil a lot of good. There seems to be oftentimes inconsistency. This is illustrated Ecclesiastes 10:7; Ecclesiastes 10:7. 4 If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place [dont immediately leave your position]; for yielding [composure/a calm response] pacifieth great offences. These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; 5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler [rulers make]: So, whatever is to come is viewed by the Preacher as evil. What is discovered is that human reason and experience is inadequate to find purpose. duty and allegiance to him, and go into disloyalty and rebellion; Do not leave your post; Ecclesiastes: Koheleth's Quest for Life's Meaning (232 page commentary -Submitted in partial fulfillment of . So, a fool cannot hide his nature. And your princes feast in the morning! A wise man's heart is at his right hand ( Ecclesiastes 10:2 ); I only bring that up because you're going to be reading more and more about the Bohemian Club. perfumes, _to send forth a stinking savour;_ a satirical proverb, Do not curse the king, even in your thought; But it doesnt always happen. And sometimes in Scripture a nation is described as a house the house of Jacob represents Israel, for example. a. Ecclesiastes tackles the kinds of things we think about but do not often say. In Solomon's reign the people were very rich, and lived in prosperity, which perhaps made them proud and petulant, and when the taxes were high, though they had enough to pay them with, it is probable that many conducted themselves . And context is probably the most helpful in determining how to translate the verb. Life is a mystery. There are endless instances of prizes forfeited and good beginning marred in a single reckless moment not only by the irresponsible, such as Esau, but by the sorely tried, such as Moses and Aaron. (Kidner). On the other hand. However, if we begin with faith, we can effectively use our human faculties to realize wisdom and fulfillment. This concluding clause of the verse is usually translated: "It appeaseth (pacifieth) great sins" (lxx , Symm. The thought is suggestive. "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher; "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.". But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. place; for yielding pacifieth great offences. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. They waste their time with much talk about the future, even though no one can know the future. So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor. If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee If the king get incensed against thee. Wisdom requires making choices to act in ways that avoid emotional reactions. Walking (Eccl 4:11) . You don't know what's going to be out there, you don't know what the future holds. Theyre not passive events. The idea here is that the king is childish or nave or unprepared for his duties and is therefore irresponsible. No. I have seen servants on horses, And it wont be good for anyone. that of the self-effacement of the wise. Its like when both evil and good men die with no distinction. CHAPTER 10 This chapter contains a series of proverbs, expressing the wisdom and prudence of the natural man. king, to whom men are and should be subject: if his wrath o _If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; modestly and humbly submit to him. But this time at least to start with he contrasts the woe that foolish rulers brings to a land with the blessing of wise rulers. Ecclesiastes 8:16-10 Ecclesiastes 10:4 (RHE) If the spirit of him that hath power, ascend upon thee, leave not thy place: because care will make the greatest sins to cease. Sharpen it, takes less strength. This is the remedy for a volatile situation. [Note: Cf. Your desires and values and such lead the path you take in life. CONTENTS: Proverbs recommending wisdom as of great use for the right And wine makes merry;