But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. And then verse 19 I think is the way that these rulers tend to think and then express whats on their mind, 19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. A little folly goes a long way. Where did I hear about that? 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. modestly and humbly submit to him. Section 11. It smells good. 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. His unsurpassed wisdom allowed him the faculties to design a vast array of activities, as well as assess their results, and determine their meaning. BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES Maybe there were five. a. Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child: Solomon himself felt that he was but a child when he came to the throne of Israel; therefore, he wisely asked God for the wisdom to lead a great people (1 Kings 3:7-9). 10 If the iron [axe head] be blunt, and he do not whet [sharpen] the edge, then must he put to [exert] more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct [give success]. And sometimes verses 8 and 9 . Does digging a pit always eventuate in falling into it? But, if the prince be guilty of his error, yet let not the subjects leave their place, nor rise up against the government, nor form any project for the alteration of it; nor let the prince carry on the humour too far, nor set such servants, such beggars, on horseback, as will ride furiously over the ancient land-marks of the constitution, and threaten the subversion of it. (2.) This concluding clause of the verse is usually translated: "It appeaseth (pacifieth) great sins" (lxx , Symm. No, wait awhile, and thou wilt find he is not implacable, but that yielding pacifies great offences." The tears of the oppressed, But they have no comforter On the side of their oppressors there is power, But they have no comforter. His reputation may be impeccable. If this be true as to our relation to an earthly ruler, how much more so in our relation to the King of kings! Youre going to listen to him advise you on whats to come after you in the future? But unfortunately, life with its unpredictability sometimes nullifies the benefits of wisdom. The scope of these verses is to keep subjects loyal and dutiful to the government. 8 He that diggeth a pit shall [or may] fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge [a wall], a serpent shall [or, may] bite him. For spirit in The problem presented: the meaninglessness of life. FOURTH SECTION (c) If your superior is angry with you, be discrete and not moved. _Place. THE WAY THAT A FOOLISH PERSON BEHAVES ECCLESIASTES 10:1-3 When fools are exalted and wise men are humiliated this is an evil error in the Preachers mind. 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. CHARACTERS: Solomon. threatening: leave not thy place; It is obvious. In the end, it is a strange joy only found through full consideration of the mysteries of God. Dont even do it in your room. Foolish men are promoted or accepted to positions of great leadership. A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him? This is equivalent to, "again I saw," as Ecclesiastes 4:7, with a reference to the wickedness in the place of judgment which he had noticed in Ecclesiastes 3:16. 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; Thoughts on wisdom and folly (9:13-10:20). POSITION, BECAUSE COMPOSURE ALLAYS GREAT OFFENSES." PROVERBS. And its not difficult to spot a fool, is it? And it has something to do with rulers. </p> <p>After the drawing I have to Zoom out and zoom into Live View Mode again, which is a bit confusing when presenting. You dig a pit; you'll fall into it. And wine makes merry; If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, in an angry outburst, If anyone could use reason to discover meaning through life experiences, it would be Solomon. We don't know the future. I. "Yielding (literally, soundness) pacifieth" the irritated ruler, so as to prevent his committing "great offences." 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." 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. And as he drifts further to the left (away from the right), the more evident it becomes, even leading to the madness and evil outlined throughout Ecclesiastes. Delitzsch, p. Theyre not passive events. Now, still out of sight of land, he begins to tack his direction towards meaning and truth. Chapter 4 deals mainly with the inequalities of life and Solomon bemoans the terrible acts of oppression, the shocking discrimination, and the lust to control the minds of others, by certain individuals that seemed to characterise the days of Solomon and is so prevalent in today's society. Be faithful to your position and you will find that conciliation pacifies great offenses.. Its a possibility. (3) Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his The tragedy of oppression. stinking odor: so does a little folly to him that is in reputation for It is safer and better to yield to an angry prince than to contend with him. And context is probably the most helpful in determining how to translate the verb. There are traps and dangers throughout society. verba Ecclesiastes filii David regis Hierusalem. So, its bad for a land to have foolish and self-indulgent rulers. And the Preacher finishes the contrast between the speech of the wise and the fool in verse 15. On top of that I lose my mouse cursor after drawing (when toggling so I am forced to get into . Required fields are marked *. The fool cannot escape his foolishness. And one does not sharpen the edge, Fleeing is the only other option and the Preacher does not advise you to do that. And sometimes in Scripture a nation is described as a house the house of Jacob represents Israel, for example. The spirit The passion. Home / Commentary / Ecclesiastes / Ecclesiastes Chapter 10 / Ecclesiastes 10:1-4. Now my wife believes that this is a scriptural truth. I think I'm getting a heartbeat. And through idleness of hands the house leaks. Both extremes should be avoided. Others do not work at all and so ruin themselves. Solomon also uses this framework to talk about the careful administration of wisdom. If the spirit - i. e., If he is angry. They have no idea where they are going (12-15).Immature rulers, who think only of their own comforts and ignore the needs of the people, bring hardship and discontent to the country they rule (16-17). Thats why people make it and buy it. The wisest course of action when confronted with. And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent. 3 Even as fools walk along the road, they lack sense. Solomon concludes with an exhortation that lifes fulfillment is found in following Gods ways, for it is He who will determine the meaning of all deeds in His final judgement. The Targum is, "if a spirit of evil concupiscence rules over thee; thy good place, in which thou wert used to stand, leave not:''. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. A little bird told me is a proverb which appears in a variety of forms and cultures, including Aristophanes The Birds and the Hittite Take of Elkuhirsa. (Eaton). Their heart leads each man in opposite directions. Verse Ecclesiastes 10:4. If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences. thyself; or if thou hast offended the great, shew submission._ A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his i. Along this line, he counseled his readers to not curse the king lest they be found out. THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 1 THROUGH 12. Sponsored . B. spices. Why argue? 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. Ecclesiastes 10:4 in all English translations. And, for a wise man, his desires and values lead him into safe places. pp. Those that go about to alter a well-modelled well-settled government, under colour of redressing some grievances and correcting some faults in it, will quickly perceive not only that it is easier to find fault than to mend, to demolish that which is good than to build up that which is better, but that they thrust their own fingers into the fire and overwhelm themselves in the ruin they occasion. Ecclesiastes 4:1 So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun. Happiness can never be achieved by pursuing after it, since such a pursuit involves . Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. Get angry. 10:4-10 Solomon appears to caution men not to seek redress in a hasty manner, nor to yield to pride and revenge. Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, Copyright - Enduring Word       |      . But some people just don't grow up. But In A Wise Use And A Wise Enjoyment Of The Present Li How, then, does worldly wisdom work? Instruction (10:1-4) Observation (10:5-19) Instruction (10:20-12:8) Conclusion (12:9-14) (See Proverbs 15:4.) Ecclesiastes predicts the failure of human philosophy to discover purpose apart from faith, while offering a viable philosophical solution: to begin with faith. The uselessness of achievement (4:4-16) Several examples illustrate how useless much human activity is. Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, a. SPIRIT. God, by his ordinance, as by a hedge, has inclosed the prerogatives and powers of princes; their persons are under his special protection; those therefore that form any treasonable designs against their peace, their crown, and dignity, are but twisting halters for themselves. Ecclesiastes 10:1 reminds us that even small things have consequences. Product-Market Fit. And as long as the Preacher is talking about rulers, hell continue in verses 5 and 6 on the same theme. 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. Where they entertain themselves by putting on foolish costumes and dancing around, and going through different types of rites and so forth in this Bohemian Club. Solomon shares with us his experiments to find meaning through reason and experience. subject: if his wrath on any occasion breaks out in a furious The temper of a ruler directed toward us is dangerous. duty and allegiance to him, and go into disloyalty and rebellion; Old Testament Poetry i. and show everyone how stupid they are. submissive carri Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, College Press Bible Study Textbook Series, G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible, George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible, Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible, Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible, Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible, Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary, Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith. 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). ECCLESIASTES 10:1. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. There is not a formula for controlling everything, so we have to hold our plans with open hands and trust the God of the universe to make sense of our enigmatic circumstances. And verse 9 speaks of the advantages of fellowship . Ecclesiastes 9:17 to Eccle. When a rulers temper rises against us, Solomon advises that we not abandon our position, because composure allays great offenses. Blessed 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! But a part of wisdom is to listen to emotions and yet not allow them to direct our choices. ordering of our lives. ii. A serpent may bite when it is not charmed; the babbler is no different: As dangerous as a biting serpent is the one who talks babbles like a fool. show that there is a practical value in wisdom a ECCLESIASTES 9:17 TO ECCLESIASTES 10:15. prevent great wr CHAPTER 10 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. Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceeds from the ruler: Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place. Digging pits, breaking down walls, quarrying stones, and chopping down trees all of these things take a lot of effort. Laziness leads to decay. Ecclesiastes tackles the kinds of things we think about but do not often say. Ecclesiastes 10 New International Version 10 As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. but a fool's heart at his left ( Ecclesiastes 10:2 ). Paul said, "When I was a child, I thought as a child, I spoke as a child, and acted as a child. THE SPIRIT; the passion or wrath, as is manifest from the following To those that may say any thing it is wisdom to say nothing that is provoking. Folly is set in great dignity, The same is true of my wrongdoing before God. The mower loses no time when he is whetting his scythe. 1. You don't know what's going to be out there, you don't know what the future holds. words, which is oft called spirit, as Judges 8:3 2 Chronicles 21:16 Wisdom will teach us to whet the tool we are to make use of, rather than, by leaving it blunt, oblige ourselves to exert so much the more strength,Ecclesiastes 10:10; Ecclesiastes 10:10. But considering the dangers of foolishness, it really is tragic. 1. They're exposing themselves to this. Give more grace, so that thy work shall not suffer . Let me just point out that we have four verbs in these two verses, and the KJV translates them as shall. And the Preacher says that this kind of reversal of the way things ought to be is evil. You can also change some of your preferences. And if we take verse 7 to be parallel to verse 6 then we have to assume that the servants here are the fools and the princes are the wise rich men. Foolishness is the opposite of wisdom. and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through. Ecclesiastes 4 Lessons by Rob Harbison of God Himself as over against His created universe. So, let me ask does the one always involve the other? Do not curse the king, even in your thought; 1. 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. . let not subjects carry on a quarrel with their prince upon any private personal disgust ( ecclesiastes 10:4 ecclesiastes 10:4 ): " if the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, if upon some misinformation given him, or some mismanagement of thine, he is displeased at thee, and threaten thee, yet leave not thy place, forget not the duty of a Salem Media Group. So, what is it?. The wrath of the civil magistrate, the chief ruler of the land, Walking (Eccl 4:11) . Something that is there but cant be grasped. If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences. Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun: And look! Whether there were five or six fish in that basket.
Joseph J Jones And April Parker Jones, Articles E