12 Words of the mouth of the wise `are' gracious, And the lips of a fool swallow him up.
and all were bearing testimony to him, and were wondering at the gracious words that are coming forth out of his mouth, and they said, `Is not this the son of Joseph?'
The tongue of the wise maketh knowledge good, And the mouth of fools uttereth folly.
Let no corrupt word out of your mouth go forth, but what is good unto the needful building up, that it may give grace to the hearers;
A rash speaker is like piercings of a sword, And the tongue of the wise is healing.
The good man out of the good treasure of the heart doth put forth the good things, and the evil man out of the evil treasure doth put forth evil things.
Her mouth she hath opened in wisdom, And the law of kindness `is' on her tongue.
Apples of gold in imagery of silver, `Is' the word spoken at its fit times. A ring of gold, and an ornament of pure gold, `Is' the wise reprover to an attentive ear.
Incline thine ear, and hear words of the wise, And thy heart set to my knowledge, For they are pleasant when thou dost keep them in thy heart, They are prepared together for thy lips.
A false witness is not acquitted, Whoso breatheth out lies is not delivered.
The lips of a fool enter into strife, And his mouth for stripes calleth. The mouth of a fool `is' ruin to him, And his lips `are' the snare of his soul. The words of a tale-bearer `are' as self-inflicted wounds, And they have gone down `to' the inner parts of the heart.
To the wise in heart is called, `Intelligent,' And sweetness of lips increaseth learning. A fountain of life `is' understanding to its possessors, The instruction of fools is folly. The heart of the wise causeth his mouth to act wisely, And by his lips he increaseth learning, Sayings of pleasantness `are' a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul, and healing to the bone.
Joy `is' to a man in the answer of his mouth, And a word in its season -- how good!
and David saith unto him, `Thy blood `is' on thine own head, for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I -- I put to death the anointed of Jehovah.'
The mouth of the righteous uttereth wisdom, And the tongue of frowardness is cut out. The lips of the righteous know a pleasing thing, And the mouth of the wicked perverseness!
The tongue of the righteous `is' chosen silver, The heart of the wicked -- as a little thing. The lips of the righteous delight many, And fools for lack of heart die.
Whoso is winking the eye giveth grief, And a talkative fool kicketh.
The wise in heart accepteth commands, And a talkative fool kicketh.
My mouth recounteth Thy righteousness, All the day Thy salvation, For I have not known the numbers. I come in the might of the Lord Jehovah, I mention Thy righteousness -- Thine only. God, Thou hast taught me from my youth, And hitherto I declare Thy wonders. And also unto old age and grey hairs, O God, forsake me not, Till I declare Thy strength to a generation, To every one that cometh Thy might.
And they cause him to stumble, Against them `is' their own tongue, Every looker on them fleeth away.
I have proclaimed tidings of righteousness In the great assembly, lo, my lips I restrain not, O Jehovah, Thou hast known. Thy righteousness I have not concealed In the midst of my heart, Thy faithfulness and Thy salvation I have told, I have not hidden Thy kindness and Thy truth, To the great assembly.
The mouth of the righteous uttereth wisdom, And his tongue speaketh judgment.
I might harden you with my mouth, And the moving of my lips might be sparing.
and it cometh to pass, thy servant is working hither and thither, and he is not!' and the king of Israel saith unto him, Right `is' thy judgment; thou hast determined `it'.' And he hasteth and turneth aside the ashes from off his eyes, and the king of Israel discerneth him, that he `is' of the prophets, and he saith unto him, `Thus said Jehovah, Because thou hast sent away the man I devoted, out of `thy' hand, even thy life hath been for his life, and thy people for his people;'
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10
Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 10
Ec 10:1-20.
1. Following up Ec 9:18.
him that is in reputation—for example, David (2Sa 12:14); Solomon (1Ki 11:1-43); Jehoshaphat (2Ch 18:1-34; 19:2); Josiah (2Ch 35:22). The more delicate the perfume, the more easily spoiled is the ointment. Common oil is not so liable to injury. So the higher a man's religious character is, the more hurt is caused by a sinful folly in him. Bad savor is endurable in oil, but not in what professes to be, and is compounded by the perfumer ("apothecary") for, fragrance. "Flies" answer to "a little folly" (sin), appropriately, being small (1Co 5:6); also, "Beelzebub" means prince of flies. "Ointment" answers to "reputation" (Ec 7:1; Ge 34:30). The verbs are singular, the noun plural, implying that each of the flies causes the stinking savor.
2. (Ec 2:14).
right—The right hand is more expert than the left. The godly wise is more on his guard than the foolish sinner, though at times he slip. Better a diamond with a flaw, than a pebble without one.
3. by the way—in his ordinary course; in his simplest acts (Pr 6:12-14). That he "saith," virtually, "that he" himself, &c. [Septuagint]. But Vulgate, "He thinks that every one (else whom he meets) is a fool."
4. spirit—anger.
yielding pacifieth—(Pr 15:1). This explains "leave not thy place"; do not in a resisting spirit withdraw from thy post of duty (Ec 8:3).
5. as—rather, "by reason of an error" [Maurer and Holden].
6. rich—not in mere wealth, but in wisdom, as the antithesis to "folly" (for "foolish men") shows. So Hebrew, rich, equivalent to "liberal," in a good sense (Isa 32:5). Mordecai and Haman (Es 3:1, 2; 6:6-11).
7. servants upon horses—the worthless exalted to dignity (Jer 17:25); and vice versa (2Sa 15:30).
8. The fatal results to kings of such an unwise policy; the wrong done to others recoils on themselves (Ec 8:9); they fall into the pit which they dug for others (Es 7:10; Ps 7:15; Pr 26:27). Breaking through the wise fences of their throne, they suffer unexpectedly themselves; as when one is stung by a serpent lurking in the stones of his neighbor's garden wall (Ps 80:12), which he maliciously pulls down (Am 5:19).
9. removeth stones—namely, of an ancient building [Weiss]. His neighbor's landmarks [Holden]. Cuts out from the quarry [Maurer].
endangered—by the splinters, or by the head of the hatchet, flying back on himself. Pithy aphorisms are common in the East. The sense is: Violations of true wisdom recoil on the perpetrators.
10. iron … blunt—in "cleaving wood" (Ec 10:9), answering to the "fool set in dignity" (Ec 10:6), who wants sharpness. More force has then to be used in both cases; but "force" without judgment "endangers" one's self. Translate, "If one hath blunted his iron" [Maurer]. The preference of rash to judicious counsellors, which entailed the pushing of matters by force, proved to be the "hurt" of Rehoboam (1Ki 12:1-33).
wisdom is profitable to direct—to a prosperous issue. Instead of forcing matters by main "strength" to one's own hurt (Ec 9:16, 18).
11. A "serpent will bite" if "enchantment" is not used; "and a babbling calumniator is no better." Therefore, as one may escape a serpent by charms (Ps 58:4, 5), so one may escape the sting of a calumniator by discretion (Ec 10:12), [Holden]. Thus, "without enchantment" answers to "not whet the edge" (Ec 10:10), both expressing, figuratively, want of judgment. Maurer translates, "There is no gain to the enchanter" (Margin, "master of the tongue") from his enchantments, because the serpent bites before he can use them; hence the need of continual caution. Ec 10:8-10, caution in acting; Ec 10:11 and following verses, caution in speaking.
12. gracious—Thereby he takes precaution against sudden injury (Ec 10:11).
swallow up himself—(Pr 10:8, 14, 21, 32; 12:13; 15:2; 22:11).
13. Illustrating the folly and injuriousness of the fool's words; last clause of Ec 10:12.
14. full of words—(Ec 5:2).
a man cannot tell what shall be—(Ec 3:22; 6:12; 8:7; 11:2; Pr 27:1). If man, universally (including the wise man), cannot foresee the future, much less can the fool; his "many words" are therefore futile.
15. labour … wearieth—(Isa 55:2; Hab 2:13).
knoweth not how to go to the city—proverb for ignorance of the most ordinary matters (Ec 10:3); spiritually, the heavenly city (Ps 107:7; Mt 7:13, 14). Maurer connects Ec 10:15 with the following verses. The labor (vexation) caused by the foolish (injurious princes, Ec 10:4-7) harasses him who "knows not how to go to the city," to ingratiate himself with them there. English Version is simpler.
16. a child—given to pleasures; behaves with childish levity. Not in years; for a nation may be happy under a young prince, as Josiah.
eat in the morning—the usual time for dispensing justice in the East (Jer 21:12); here, given to feasting (Isa 5:11; Ac 2:15).
17. son of nobles—not merely in blood, but in virtue, the true nobility (So 7:1; Isa 32:5, 8).
in due season—(Ec 3:1), not until duty has first been attended to.
for strength—to refresh the body, not for revelry (included in "drunkenness").
18. building—literally, "the joining of the rafters," namely, the kingdom (Ec 10:16; Isa 3:6; Am 9:11).
hands—(Ec 4:5; Pr 6:10).
droppeth—By neglecting to repair the roof in time, the rain gets through.
19. Referring to Ec 10:18. Instead of repairing the breaches in the commonwealth (equivalent to "building"), the princes "make a feast for laughter (Ec 10:16), and wine maketh their life glad (Ps 104:15), and (but) money supplieth (answereth their wishes by supplying) all things," that is, they take bribes to support their extravagance; and hence arise the wrongs that are perpetrated (Ec 10:5, 6; 3:16; Isa 1:23; 5:23). Maurer takes "all things" of the wrongs to which princes are instigated by "money"; for example, the heavy taxes, which were the occasion of Rehoboam losing ten tribes (1Ki 12:4, &c.).
20. thought—literally, "consciousness."
rich—the great. The language, as applied to earthly princes knowing the "thought," is figurative. But it literally holds good of the King of kings (Ps 139:1-24), whose consciousness of every evil thought we should ever realize.
bed-chamber—the most secret place (2Ki 6:12).
bird of the air, &c.—proverbial (compare Hab 2:11; Lu 19:40); in a way as marvellous and rapid, as if birds or some winged messenger carried to the king information of the curse so uttered. In the East superhuman sagacity was attributed to birds (see on Job 28:21; hence the proverb).