Advanced Commentary
Texts -- Ecclesiastes 10:8-20 (NET)
Pericope
NET
- Ecc 10:8-11 -- Wisdom is Needed to Avert Dangers in Everyday Life
- Ecc 10:12-15 -- Words and Works of Wise Men and Fools
- Ecc 10:16-20 -- The Problem with Foolish Rulers
Bible Dictionary
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WINE; WINE PRESS
[isbe] WINE; WINE PRESS - win, win'-pres: I. Terms. 1. Wine: (1) (~yayin), apparently from a non-Tsere root allied to Greek oinos, Latin vinum, etc. This is the usual word for "wine" and is found 141 times in Massoretic Text. (2) c...
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SERPENT-CHARMING
[isbe] SERPENT-CHARMING - -charm'-ing: Allusion to this art, widely practiced by the ancients (see references in DB, under the word; especially Bothart, Hieron., III, 161, 164, etc.), as by modern Orientals, is found in Ps 58:5; Ec...
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MEALS, MEAL-TIME
[isbe] MEALS, MEAL-TIME - melz: Bread materials, bread-making and baking in the Orient are dealt with under BREAD (which see). For food-stuffs in use among the Hebrews in Bible times more specifically see FOOD. This article aims to...
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MAGIC; MAGICIAN
[isbe] MAGIC; MAGICIAN - maj'-ik, ma-jish'-an: I. DEFINITION II. DIVISION OF THE SUBJECT 1. Magic as Impersonal 2. Margic as Personal III. MAGIC AND RELIGION IV. MAGIC IN THE BIBLE 1. Hostility to Magic 2. Potency of Magical Words ...
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Instruction
[nave] INSTRUCTION From nature, Prov. 24:30-34; Eccl. 1:13-18; 3; 4:1; Matt. 6:25-30. See: Parables. From the study of human nature, Eccl. 3-12. By Object Lessons: The pot of maa, Ex. 16:32. The pillar of twelve stones at the f...
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IDLE; IDLENESS
[isbe] IDLE; IDLENESS - i'-d'-l, i'-d'-l-nes: Both words, adjective and noun, render different Hebrew words (from `atsel, "to be lazy," raphah, "to relax," and shaqaT, "to be quiet"). According to the Yahwistic narrative Pharaoh's ...
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GRACIOUS
[isbe] GRACIOUS - gra'-shus (chanan; charis): In general, the word means "to favor," "to show kindness" to an inferior and "to be compassionate." All Old Testament passages are derived from the same root, and yet there are two evid...
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Fool
[nave] FOOL: Psa. 5:5; Psa. 14:1 Psa. 53:1. Psa. 74:18, 22; Psa. 107:17; Prov. 1:7, 22; Prov. 3:35; Prov. 9:6-8, 13-17; Prov. 10:1, 8 v. 10.13,14,18,23Prov. 14:1, 7-9, 15; Prov. 15:7, 20, 21; Prov. 17:24, 25; Prov. 18:2, 6, 7; Pro...
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FOOL; FOLLY
[isbe] FOOL; FOLLY - fool nabhal, 'ewil, kecil, cakhal and forms; aphron, aphrosune, moros): I. In the Old Testament. 1. General: Taking the words generally, apart from the Wisdom literature, we find nabhal frequently translated "f...
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ENCHANTMENTS
[smith] The words so translated have several signification: the practice of secret arts, (Exodus 7:11,22; 8:7); "muttered spells," (2Â Kings 9:22; Micah 5:12) the charming of serpents, (Ecclesiastes 10:11) the enchantments sought b...
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ENCHANTMENT
[isbe] ENCHANTMENT - en-chant'-ment: The occult arts, either supposedly or pretentiously supernatural, were common to all oriental races. They included enchantment, sorcery, witchcraft, sooth-saying, augury, necromancy, divination ...
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DROP, DROPPING
[isbe] DROP, DROPPING - "To drop" expresses a "distilling" or "dripping" of a fluid (Jdg 5:4; Prov 3:20; Song 5:5,13; Joel 3:18; Am 9:13; compare 1 Sam 14:26, "the honey dropped" (margin "a stream of honey")); Job 29:22 and Isa 45:...
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DINNER
[isbe] DINNER - din'-er (ariston; Mt 22:4; Lk 11:38 (the Revised Version, margin "breakfast"); 14:12; compare Ruth 2:14; Jn 21:13): In oriental as in classical lands it was customary, in ancient times, as now, to have but two meals...
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DECAY
[isbe] DECAY - de-ka': Although this word is still in good use in both its literal sense, of the putrefaction of either animal or vegetable matter, and its derived sense, denoting any deterioration, decline or gradual failure, the ...
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Charmer
[ebd] one who practises serpent-charming (Ps. 58:5; Jer. 8:17; Eccl. 10:11). It was an early and universal opinion that the most venomous reptiles could be made harmless by certain charms or by sweet sounds. It is well known that ...
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CLEAVE
[isbe] CLEAVE - klev: Is used in the Bible in two different senses: (1) baqa` "to split," or "to rend." We are told that Abraham "clave the wood for the burnt-offering" (Gen 22:3), and that "they clave the wood of the cart" (1 Sam ...
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BIRDS
[isbe] BIRDS - burds (`ayiT; Greek variously ta peteina (Mt 13:4) ta ornea tou ouranou (Rev 19:17) ornis (Mt 23:37; Lk 13:34) Latin, avis; Old English "brid"): I. Meaning of the Word. All authorities agree that the exact origin of ...
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BANQUETS
[smith] among the Hebrews, were not only a means of social enjoyment, but were a part of the observance of religious festivity. At the three solemn festivals the family also had its domestic feast. (16:11) Sacrifices, both ordinary a...
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BABBLER
[isbe] BABBLER - bab'-ler ba`al ha-lashon; the King James Version of Eccl 10:11 literally, "master of the tongue"; the Revised Version (British and American) CHARMER; lapistes, the King James Version of Ecclesiasticus 20:7; the Rev...
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AMULET
[isbe] AMULET - am'-u-let (qemia, lechashim, mezuzah, tephillin, tsitsith; phulakterion): Modern scholars are of opinion that our English word amulet comes from the Latin amuletum, used by Pliny (Naturalis Historia, xxviii, 28; xxx...
Arts
Resources/Books
Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)
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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...
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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 ...
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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...
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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...
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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 ...
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Since we do not know what our earthly future holds (vv. 12-15), even though governmental officials may prove reprehensible (vv. 16-19) it is not wise to criticize them (v. 20).10:12-15 Generally wise people speak graciously, ...
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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...
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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)
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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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The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.'--Eccles. 10:15.Ox the surface this seems to be merely a piece of homely, practical sagacity, conjoined with one of the bitte...
