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Text -- Ecclesiastes 10:1-19 (NET)

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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. 10:10 If an iron axhead is blunt and a workman does not sharpen its edge, he must exert a great deal of effort; so wisdom has the advantage of giving success. 10:11 If the snake should bite before it is charmed, the snake charmer is in trouble.
Words and Works of Wise Men and Fools
10:12 The words of a wise person win him favor, but the words of a fool are self-destructive. 10:13 At the beginning his words are foolish and at the end his talk is wicked madness, 10:14 yet a fool keeps on babbling. No one knows what will happen; who can tell him what will happen in the future? 10:15 The toil of a stupid fool wears him out, because he does not even know the way to the city.
The Problem with Foolish Rulers
10:16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is childish, and your princes feast in the morning! 10:17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time– with self-control and not in drunkenness. 10:18 Because of laziness the roof caves in, and because of idle hands the house leaks. 10:19 Feasts are made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics

Dictionary Themes and Topics: Instruction | Serpent | Rulers | Fool | Speaking | Wisdom | Fence | Words | BANQUETS | Meekness | Prudence | Slander | APOTHECARY | Flies | Citizenship | HANDICRAFT | FLY, FLIES | ENCHANTMENTS | MEDICINE | Loyalty | more
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Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes

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Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Ecc 10:1 The MT reads מֵחָכְמָה מִכָּבוֹד (mekhokhm...

NET Notes: Ecc 10:2 Heb “and the heart of a fool is at his left hand.” The fool lacks the protection of wisdom which is at the right-hand side of the wise man...

NET Notes: Ecc 10:3 A fool’s lack of wisdom is obvious to everyone, even when he is engaged in the simple, ordinary actions of life.

NET Notes: Ecc 10:4 The verbal root נוח means “to leave behind; to leave untouched” (HALOT 680 s.v. I נוח 2) in general, a...

NET Notes: Ecc 10:5 Heb “like an error that comes forth from the presence of a ruler.”

NET Notes: Ecc 10:6 Heb “high places.”

NET Notes: Ecc 10:7 Heb “upon the earth.”

NET Notes: Ecc 10:8 Heb “a serpent will bite him.” The clause “he who breaks through a wall” (וּפֹרֵץ &#...

NET Notes: Ecc 10:10 Heb “strength.” The term וַחֲיָלִים (vakhayalim, conjunction + plural noun fro...

NET Notes: Ecc 10:11 Heb “has no profit”; ASV, NAB, NRSV “there is no advantage.”

NET Notes: Ecc 10:12 Heb “consume him”; or “engulf him.” The verb I בלע (“to swallow”) creates a striking wordplay on...

NET Notes: Ecc 10:13 Heb “madness of evil.”

NET Notes: Ecc 10:14 Heb “after him”; or “after he [dies].”

NET Notes: Ecc 10:15 Heb “he does not know to go to the city.”

NET Notes: Ecc 10:16 Or “a child”; or “a servant.” The term נַעַר (na’ar) has a wide range of meanings (HALOT 7...

NET Notes: Ecc 10:17 Heb “for strength and not for drunkenness”; or “as heroes and not as drunkards”; or “for nourishment and not for drunken...

NET Notes: Ecc 10:18 Heb “lowering of hands.”

NET Notes: Ecc 10:19 Or “and [they think that] money is the answer for everything.”

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