ecclesiastes 10:4 explanation

of A little foolishness can poison a lot of wisdom. _leave not thy place_ In anger or discontent. It can seem like we are living in a fog. Yield it. In a fine note of sarcasm, this proverb says that a person may be so involved in arguing about the universe that he misses what the ordinary person is concerned about, namely, finding the way home. (Wright), iii. To have ones heart at his left side is to have the springs of life (Proverbs 4:23) located in the realm of practical and spiritual incompetence. (Eaton). There are traps and dangers throughout society. You express it. 7 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth. This is also similar to Solomons statement at the end of Chapter 9, one sinner destroys much good.. Let thy power be magnified in my weakness. If youre lazy the roof-beams will sink. Its a possibility. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. The tears of the oppressed, But they have no comforter On the side of their oppressors there is power, But they have no comforter. prevent great wr CHAPTER 10 Get angry. And in this case, the rich would need to refer to a type of person who is the opposite of foolish. If the spirit (anger) of the ruler - (.) And thus, they are exposing themselves to ridicule and to the press which will expose them. And, (2.) But the speech of a fool destroys himself. New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition (4, illustrated, reprint, revised ed.). 12 [And speaking of the tongue] The words of a wise mans mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. The Book of Ecclesiastes is, up to a certain point, the converse of A general, CRITICAL NOTES. The advice of Ecclesiastes 8:3 is repeated. By much slothfulness the building decayeth ( Ecclesiastes 10:17-18 ); Now you that are managers of buildings and so forth, you might choose that to put above the time clocks for the maintenance men. Ecclesiastes (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms) by Bar $49.16 . Because of laziness the building decays: Lazy rulers bring down the great house of the nation, as a lazy householder lets the beams of his house collapse so that the roof sags and lets in the rain. (Wright). Some lowly men are unwisely exalted (servants on horses) while some noblemen are humbled (princes walk on the ground like servants). This chapter contains a series of proverbs, expressing the wisdom and It is ill with a people when vicious men are advanced and men of worth are kept under hatches. 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. Something that is there but cant be grasped. subside, and he will be pacified, and forgive the offences But when a ruler acts like a fool, the wise person will be patient and not panic. THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 1 THROUGH 12. The fool has no sense of direction or goal. He demonstrates it (literally says it) everywhere he goes. Its kind of a humorous picture a guy walking around telling everyone that hes a fool. 2. Evil affects industry, perspective, and personal behavior. These are just sort of proverbs. So figure it out, man. And, for a wise man, his desires and values lead him into safe places. People talk so confidently of the future and all. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. And it's amazing how that the world thinks that money is a cure-all. If the spirit of the ruler rises against you: The idea seems to be, Even in a difficult situation, dont leave your post. There's no doubt that the heart leads the body. The rulers temper stems from his spirit pouring out in the form of emotion. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. quietly, making no returns, or at least giving soft answers, and But it doesnt always happen. 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. 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. BEHAVIOUR CONNECTED WITH SUPERIORS (ECCLESIASTES 10:4). 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. The foolish worker is in trouble. Where did I hear about that? the sense of anger, see Judges 8:3. 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! We'll send you an email with steps on how to reset your password. Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, Oh, how much better it is to yield a point than to hang on. If the spirit of the ruler rises against you, 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. You break the hedge; the serpent will bite you. 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). But this time he wants to tell us about wisdom and folly again but specifically as it applies to rulers. should be kindled against thee, do not resign thy place; for power "A wise man's heart is at his right hand.". The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness. The command which the wise man has over his own mind, feelings, passions, c., and the prudence with which he acts. 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. But, getting beyond grammar, heres the point of the Preacher. (2-3) Foolishness can't be hidden. Leave not thy place - i. e., Do not lose thy self-control and quit his presence. left. Ecclesiastes : A New Translation With Introduction and Commentary, Hardcover . "If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for gentleness allayeth great offences.". If this be true as to our relation to an earthly ruler, how much more so in our relation to the King of kings! And on and on. LEAVE NOT THY PLACE - i. e., Do not lose thy self-control and quit his Free shipping . A wise mans heart is at his right hand, Verse Ecclesiastes 10:4. This is good advice to a child in reference to his parents, and to an inferior of any kind in reference to his superiors. The wise man does not quit his job when his boss gets angry with him. No. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. </p> <p>After the drawing I have to Zoom out and zoom into Live View Mode again, which is a bit confusing when presenting. The tragedy of oppression. threatening: leave not thy place; So, here are some of the most important startup terms explained with analogies that a ten year old would understand. 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]! Wesley's Notes for Ecclesiastes 10:4. The Preacher is beginning to direct his arguments in the intended direction. And yet, whether your authority is wise or foolish, the Preacher will recommend in verse 20 that you speak well of him. 373.] Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. 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. To make this case, Solomon talks through the cause-and-effect of bad leadership in this world. A little foolishness can poison a lot of wisdom. So, be so careful to not curse your king with your mouth, that you dont even do it in your mind. Rather, if you contrast this statement with the one in the verse to follow, you see that eating in the morning is associated with gluttony and overindulgence and a lack of self-control. The word for fool here is sakal, which implies a dense, confused thinker. (Deane). That is folly without even the excuse of ignorance. (Kidner). Leave not - In anger or discontent. Its the same issue here. 2. Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun: And look! And a lot of people have been killed by insisting on their right of ways. (c) If your superior is angry with you, be discrete and not moved. _Place. 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. Two makes the difficult jobs easier. 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 context is probably the most helpful in determining how to translate the verb. 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. Well, that's great when you're a little boy and living in a world of unreal fantasies. And this is what we ran into last lesson where I was asked why I interpreted the verb delivered in chapter 9 as could have delivered. This is illustrated Ecclesiastes 10:7; Ecclesiastes 10:7. wisdom and honor (Ecclesiastes 10:1). This explains "leave not thy place" - do not, in a resisting spirit, withdraw from thy post of duty. So, whats the relation between dead flies in perfume and folly in a wise man? Verse Ecclesiastes 10:2. Now, verses 18 and 19 seem to be unrelated to what weve just been talking about the curse of self-indulgent rulers. If you're trying to chop wood with a dull iron, dull hatchet or dull ax, it's going to take more strength. So then, I think what we have in verse 19 is a quotation from foolish rulers. 1-8. And the princes that attend that king eat in the morning. Trying to somehow it's amazing to me what dumb things wise men can do and leaders can do and all.When we were little kids, we would make up our clubs with our secret oaths and our initiations and our passwords, and you know, the whole thing. a. You dig a pit; you'll fall into it. As an error proceeding from the ruler: You know, you can get in the biggest arguments over some stupid thing like that. 3 Even as fools walk along the road, they lack sense. Ecclesiastes predicts the failure of human philosophy to discover purpose apart from faith, while offering a viable philosophical solution: to begin with faith. It smells good. Happiness can never be achieved by pursuing after it, since such a pursuit involves . (c-19) Or 'gentleness allayeth great sins.' Thoughts on wisdom and folly (9:13-10:20). 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. bearing his anger patiently, submitting to his displeasure Because of laziness the building decays, is not to leave o 4-10 Solomon appears to caution men not to seek redress in a hasty 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." Give more grace, so that thy work shall not suffer . You're really a man who is of reputation and everything else. 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. committed; or be convinced that there were none, or however not (2) The Preacher's summary: Life is vanity, without meaning. Psalms 78:21; 2 Samuel 11: If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee For spirit in PROVERBS. Hebrew can leave a little more uncertainty as to whether a verb ought to be indicative (shall) or what grammarians call modal (may or might). Riches, status and a show of power are the things people admire. And the end of his talk is raving madness. (4.) 10 If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. Previously the Preacher had confidently stated that there is nothing beyond this life, and that this life should be lived with an under the sun premise. There is no doubt that emotions would be heightened within any person toward whom the anger of a ruler is directed. 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. A. viii. 4. But Ive heard its a pretty awful smell. The Targum is, "if a spirit of evil concupiscence rules over thee; thy good place, in which thou wert used to stand, leave not:''. as such, they corrupt the ointment. You can also change some of your preferences. 1 Samuel 25:24 And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid. 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. It can pacify great offenses. . The problem presented: the meaninglessness of life. 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. They're exposing themselves to this. Ecclesiastes 4:1-3 First of all, he adduces the oppression of man by his fellow-man. If the ruler's temper rises against you, do not abandon your position, because composure allays great offenses. Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; If the devil tempt or persuade thee to sin, repent and humble In Hebrew, sometimes verbs can be either indicative in English or modal. And yet, flies are so small. "yielding pacifieth." remember always that it is a ruler with whom thou dealest, cont "IF THE RULER'S TEMPER RISES AGAINST YOU, DO NOT ABANDON YOUR The temper of a ruler directed toward us is dangerous. make itself conspicuous. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. The response of wisdom requires a spirit of composure. You see it for a moment, then it is gone. If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences. Instruction (10:1-4) Observation (10:5-19) Instruction (10:20-12:8) Conclusion (12:9-14) Gentleness on thy part will calm both thyself and him, and prevent great wrongs being committed by either. 2018 David Guzik No distribution beyond personal use without permission. If the iron be blunt, and he do not sharpen the edge, then must he put in more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct ( Ecclesiastes 10:9-10 ). THE TEACHER SEARCHES FOR But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up; A feast is made for laughter, 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 New Testament Epistles . This is not true of the fool, whose heart is at his left. 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. The labor of fools wearies them, Walking (Eccl 4:11) . 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. 13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness. 9 Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby. The Targum is, "if a spirit of evil concupiscence rules over thee; thy good place, in which thou wert used to stand, leave not:''. A fool also multiplies words. Wed expect that good men will live forever or at least a long time and that evil men would die early. i. And the picture is one of a house. So, if your axe head is blunt then youll need to exert more strength to cut down a tree or split wood. It's dumb to just argue over things like that. Maybe there were five. This might be another way a small amount of foolishness can pollute a large amount of common sense. A little folly goes a long way. 4 If a ruler's anger rises against you, While spoiling his neighbours property, he himself may come to greater mischief. (Clarke), ii. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Laziness and idleness will eventuate in the roof sagging and leaking. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor. A wise mans heart is at his right hand, but a fools heart at his left: Since the right hand was regarded as the side of strength, skill, and favor, the wise mans heart is known and a strength to him. CHAPTER 10 This chapter contains a series of proverbs, expressing the wisdom and prudence of the natural man. 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. For conciliation pacifies great offenses. LEAVE NOT THY PLACE, that is, forget not thy position as subject, Proverbs 25:15 By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone. It's amazing how you say something about someone to a person in confidence thinking that that won't go any further, but it's amazing how many times it will get right back to the person. Now my wife believes that this is a scriptural truth.