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Texts -- Ecclesiastes 10:1-9 (NET)

Context
10:1 One dead fly makes the perfumer’s ointment give off a rancid stench , so a little folly can outweigh much wisdom .
Wisdom Can Be Nullified By the Caprice of Rulers
10:2 A wise person’s good sense protects him, but a fool’s lack of sense leaves him vulnerable . 10:3 Even when a fool walks along the road he lacks sense , and shows everyone what a fool he is. 10:4 If the anger of the ruler flares up against you, do not resign from your position , for a calm response can undo great offenses . 10:5 I have seen another misfortune on the earth : It is an error a ruler makes . 10:6 Fools are placed in many positions of authority , while wealthy men sit in lowly positions . 10:7 I have seen slaves on horseback and princes walking on foot like slaves .
Wisdom is Needed to Avert Dangers in Everyday Life
10:8 One who digs a pit may fall into it, and one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake . 10:9 One who quarries stones may be injured by them; one who splits logs may be endangered by them.

Pericope

NET
  • Ecc 10:2-7 -- Wisdom Can Be Nullified By the Caprice of Rulers
  • Ecc 10:8-11 -- Wisdom is Needed to Avert Dangers in Everyday Life

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • I believe that the message of Ecclesiastes is essentially a positive one. This may seem strange since the vanity of various human endeavors is such a major theme of this book. Nevertheless the total statement that Solomon mad...
  • I. The introductory affirmation 1:1-11A. Title and theme 1:1-21. The title 1:12. The theme 1:2B. The futility of all human endeavor 1:3-111. The vanity of work 1:32. The illustrations from life 1:4-11II. The futility of work ...
  • Rather than saying, "All work is vanity,"Solomon made the same point by asking this rhetorical question that expects a negative response. He used this literary device often throughout the book (cf. 2:2; 3:9; 6:8, 11-12; et al...
  • Clues in the text indicate the value and purpose of 6:10-11:6. The phrases "does not know"and "cannot discover"occur frequently (6:12; 7:14, 24, 28; 8:17; 19:1, 12; 10:14; 11:2, 6). Also the recurrence of "it is good"(7:18) a...
  • The emphasis in this section (9:1-11:6) is on what man does not know because God has not revealed many things. Solomon also emphasized, however, that the remaining mystery in this subject (8:16-17) must not diminish human joy...
  • Solomon's emphasis in 9:2-10 was on the fact that a righteous person could not be more certain of his or her earthly future than the wicked. In 9:11-10:11 his point was that the wise cannot be more sure of his or her earthly ...
  • In 1:12-6:9, Solomon demonstrated that all work is ultimately futile for two reasons. It does not yield anything really permanent under the sun. Moreover we can never be sure we will enjoy the fruits of our labor before we di...
  • In conclusion Solomon repeated his original thesis (v. 8; cf. 1:2) and his counsel in view of life's realities (vv. 13-14). In between these statements he set forth his source of authority for writing what we have in Ecclesia...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • Whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.'--Eccles. 10:8.WHAT is meant here is, probably, not such a hedge as we are accustomed to see, but a dry-stone wall, or, perhaps, an earthen embankment, in the crevices of whi...
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