WebEcclesiastes 10:4. Yield it. Oh, how much better it is to yield a point than to hang on. If its modal, then its less certain and more conditional. Those who make a great profession of religion have need to walk very circumspectly, to abstain from all appearances of evil, and approaches towards it, because many eyes are upon them, that watch for their halting; their character is soon sullied, and they have a great deal of reputation to lose. Read full chapter Ecclesiastes 10:4 in Pecuni obediunt omniaMoney commands all things. a. Verse Ecclesiastes 10:4. And so it's tragic that wise men can do such foolish things. They assist each other by encouragement, or friendly reproof. Now, he wants to return to the matter of rulers and authorities once again. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. WebEcclesiastes 10:2King James Version. To govern our tongues well, ver 12-15. While the rich sit in a lowly place. Ecclesiastes is one of the few books of the OT, which is not once referred to in the NT, although there might be many parallel thoughts (e. g. Ecclesiastes 5:1 and Matthew 6:7; Ecclesiastes 12:14 and 2 Corinthians 5:10; Ecclesiastes 7:9 and James 1:19 ). 3. Peculiarities Remaining calm solves great problems. i. WebMESSAGE OF ECCLESIASTES Life apart from God is meaningless. And on and on. By long forbearing is a prince persuaded,Proverbs 25:15. So, in chapter 10 verses 1 through 3, the Preacher begins by contrasting wisdom and folly. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. 10 If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. Salem Media Group. Men's imprudent management of their business robs them both of the comfort and of the benefit of it.

Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better ( Ecclesiastes 10:11 ). Ecclesiastes 9. The foolish tire themselves in endless pursuits, and never bring any thing to pass, because they know not how to go to the city, that is, because they have not capacity to apprehend the plainest thing, such as the entrance into a great city is, where one would think it were impossible for a man to miss his road. a. I have seen these riding in pomp and state as princes, while princes, men of noble birth and qualities, fit to rule a kingdom, have been forced to walk as servants upon the earth, poor and despised." It is well with a people when their princes are examples of temperance, when those that have most to spend upon themselves know how to deny themselves. C. The theme is the contrast between the wise person and the foolish person (cf. * 2 The wise heart turns to the right;. But thats exactly the kind of mindset in rulers that the Preacher is warning about self-indulgent ones. a.

Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. Episode 4: Just Not All at the Same Time. Ecclesiastes is being read in the synagogue for the feast of tabernacles. Verses 2 and 3 of the first chapter summarize suitably contents and purpose of the book: "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?" WebThis is why Ecclesiastes often has been called a book of sceptical or pessimistic character. When Solomon sees reality firsthand, it causes him to turn to God, and find fulfillment. He that digs a pit for another, it is ten to one but he falls into it himself, and his violent dealing returns upon his own head. WebIf the spirit of the ruler rises up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding will pacify great offenses ( Ecclesiastes 10:4 ). a. i. Note, 1. And in fact we find no word of praising God and nothing of grace and redemption * 3 But it's something that they are zeroing in on even as they've zeroed in on Nancy Reagan's fancy clothes and all. 13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness. But even at his strongest and best mankind is hopelessly at the whim of the unpredictability of life. Whether there were five or six fish in that basket. So figure it out, man. Web10:4-10 Solomon appears to caution men not to seek redress in a hasty manner, nor to yield to pride and revenge. So then, I think what we have in verse 19 is a quotation from foolish rulers. But it answers nothing to the soul; it will not procure the pardon of sin, the favour of God, the peace of conscience; the soul, as it is not redeemed, so it is not maintained, with corruptible things as silver and gold. And here, a physical literal house is brought to our minds. If youre lazy the roof-beams will sink. And if we take verse 7 to be parallel to verse 6 then we have to assume that the servants here are the fools and the princes are the wise rich men. And one does not sharpen the edge, New Century Version Chapter Parallel Ecclesiastes 10:4 (NCV) Don't leave your job just because your boss is angry with you. ecclesiastes WebEcclesiastes 10:4 New International Version 4 If a rulers anger rises against you, do not leave your post; calmness can lay great offenses to rest. So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor: Even as small dead flies quite little in proportion to the whole spoil a fine ointment, so just a little folly spoils the reputation of someone regarded as wise and honorable. As soon as he begins to speak you may perceive his folly; at the very first he talks idly, and passionately, and like himself. 11 Surely [If] the serpent will bite without [before] enchantment; and a babbler [then the master of the tongue snake charmer] is no better [has no profit]. In Ecclesiastes, to be under the sun is to be identified with the realm of human breath and toil and all the results of the curse. And wine makes merry; All rights reserved. The end he aims at is mischief; as, at first, he appeared to have little government of himself, so, at last, it appears he has a great deal of malice to his neighbours; that root of bitterness bears gall and wormwood. He that digs a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaks a hedge, a serpent shall bite him ( Ecclesiastes 10:8 ). Life can be confusing and complicated. What is to be had may be had for money. And sometimes verses 8 and 9 . It's just a stinking thing. Composure requires remaining unfazed by surrounding circumstance. They waste their energy in useless work. KJV Ecclesiastes 10:1 Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary [perfume] to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for [is weightier than] wisdom and honour. Men who should know better, but evidently don't. The discussion of wise men and fools continues in verse 2. This chapter seems to be like Solomon's proverbs, a collection of wise sayings and observations, rather than a part of his sermon; but the preacher studied to be sententious, and "set in order many proverbs," to be brought in in his preaching. 9 Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby. Thats because the speech of a fool goes from bad to worse. Many complain of the labours of religion as grievous, which they would have no reason to complain of if the exercises of Christian piety were always under the direction of Christian prudence. But do not let this reality become an excuse to give in to the small poisons of a life of foolishness. The response of wisdom requires a spirit of composure. WebIt has a spirit of hopeless despair; it has no praise or peace; it seems to promote questionable conduct. Gentleness on thy part will calm both thyself and him, and prevent great wrongs being committed by either. Does Ecclesiastes 5:2 Mean We Cant Be Honest in Our Prayers? Wisdom requires making choices to act in ways that avoid emotional reactions. "I have seen servants upon horses, men not so much of mean extraction and education (if that were all, it were the more excusable, nay, there is many a wise servant who with good reason has rule over a son that causes shame), but of sordid, servile, mercenary dispositions. There is not a formula for controlling everything, so we have to hold our plans with open hands and trust the God of the universe to make sense of our enigmatic circumstances. If the spirit of the ruler rises up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding will pacify great offenses ( Ecclesiastes 10:4 ). But when you grow up and you still get into these secret clubs and you have your secret passwords and your secret handshakes and your special little robes and clothes and hats and, you just haven't grown up and that's your problem. Despite his great wisdom, intellect, fame, and fortune, Solomon discovered all his privileges and accomplishments were vain and futile. And, of course, we are told that our President and Vice President and former President Richard Nixon, David Rockefeller, that elitist of the United States, members of this Bohemian Club, and they have a little retreat north of San Francisco where they go once a year for a retreat. Give in to the point. It can stop big arguments. And context is probably the most helpful in determining how to translate the verb. I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the eaRuth ( Ecclesiastes 10:5-7 ). 17 Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! And it has something to do with rulers. Let not subjects commence a quarrel with their prince, though the public administration be not in every thing as they would have it. Let not princes invade the rights and liberties of their subjects; let not subjects mutiny and rebel against their princes; for, (1.) 7 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the b. Solomons conclusion is dark but real: neither meaning nor purpose can be discerned through human reason and experience. Eccl. If Ecclesiastes 10:18 pictures the fall of a nation, the following lines give the reason for fall leaders who are foolish, selfish, and concerned only for their own pleasure and good. The same rule is to be observed in all relations, for the preserving of the comfort of them. The word translated temper is ruwach, which means spirit or wind. It is the same word used in the phrase a chasing after the wind, which serves as one of Solomons synonyms for hebel or vapor (see notes on Ecclesiastes 1:2). b. To those that may say any thing it is wisdom to say nothing that is provoking. A feast is made for laughter, 3 Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool. It's just like flies in the ointment of the apothecary. And so when you read about it or hear about it, you'll say, "I heard about that someplace. Something that is there but cant be grasped. Oh, how much better it is to yield a point than to hang on. The thought is suggestive. A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

Who can tell him what will be after him? But thats not the way it works in this sin-cursed world. Folly is set in great dignity,

Because of laziness the building decays, It is traditionally attributed to King Solomon, an authorship questioned by most biblical scholars, and is read during the week of Sukkot.It is arguably most famous today for the section that begins, To everything there is a season, immortalized in the folk song Turn! It is so with the public; if the king be a child and will take no care, if the princes eat in the morning and will take no pains, the affairs of the nation suffer loss, and its interests are prejudiced, its honour is sullied, its power is weakened, its borders are encroached upon, the course of justice is obstructed, the treasure is exhausted, and all its foundations are out of course, and all this through the slothfulness of self-seeking of those that should be the repairers of its breaches and the restorers of paths to dwell in, Isa 58 12. His reputation may be impeccable. A wise man's heart is at his right hand ( Ecclesiastes 10:2 ); I only bring that up because you're going to be reading more and more about the Bohemian Club. So I returned, and considered I considered again more seriously; all the oppressions under the sun Whether by princes, magistrates, or other potent persons; and the tears of such as were oppressed Their grievous sufferings, sighs, and groans. And cause it to give off a foul odor; And if we would only learn just to yield a point. (Ecclesiastes 10:2-3) Foolishness cant be hidden. But verbs in Hebrew are a little different than in English. Others do not work at all and so ruin themselves. iii. iii. The Targum is. And in this case, the rich would need to refer to a type of person who is the opposite of foolish.

It only takes a little foolishness. There are certain men that just should not be doing foolish things. New International Reader's Version Chapter Parallel And he who splits wood may be endangered by it. and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through. And thus, they are exposing themselves to ridicule and to the press which will expose them. Everyone has an innate sense that allows them to discern the difference between wisdom and foolishness. But, if the prince be guilty of his error, yet let not the subjects leave their place, nor rise up against the government, nor form any project for the alteration of it; nor let the prince carry on the humour too far, nor set such servants, such beggars, on horseback, as will ride furiously over the ancient land-marks of the constitution, and threaten the subversion of it. But wisdom brings success. Now, verses 18 and 19 seem to be unrelated to what weve just been talking about the curse of self-indulgent rulers. 19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. WebIf the spirit of the ruler rises up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding will pacify great offenses ( Ecclesiastes 10:4 ). I mean, you're, when you're a fool you just, it's obvious. Foolish men are promoted or accepted to positions of great leadership. Read full chapter Ecclesiastes 10:4 in Pecuni obediunt omniaMoney commands all things 19 a... Promote questionable conduct a prince persuaded, Proverbs 25:15 relations, for the feast tabernacles... Then, I think what we have in verse 19 is a persuaded... Would only learn just to yield to pride and revenge the synagogue for the of. So, in chapter 10 verses 1 through 3, the Preacher is warning about self-indulgent ones obediunt! Administration be not in every thing as they would have it to and! 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