Ecclesiastes 10:20

Context

10:20 Do not curse a king even in your thoughts,

and do not curse the rich¹ while in your bedroom;²

for a bird³ might report what you are thinking,⁴

or some winged creature⁵ might repeat your⁶ words.⁷

[10:20] ¹tn Perhaps the referent is people who are in authority because of their wealth.

[10:20] ²tn Heb “in chambers of your bedroom.”

[10:20] ³tn Heb “a bird of the air.”

[10:20] ⁴tn Heb “might carry the voice.” The article is used here with the force of a possessive pronoun.

[10:20] ⁵tn The Hebrew phrase בַּעַל הַכְּנָפַיִם (ba’al hakkÿnafayim, “possessor of wings”) is an idiom for a winged creature, that is, a bird (e.g., Prov 1:17; see HALOT 143 s.v. בַּעַל A.6; BDB 127 s.v. בַּעַל 5.a). The term בַּעַל (“master; possessor”) is the construct governing the attributive genitive הַכְּנָפַיִם (“wings”); see IBHS 149-51 §9.5.3b.

[10:20] ⁶tn The term “your” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.

[10:20] ⁷tn Heb “tell the matter.”