16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning!
17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness!
18 Because of laziness the building decays, and through idleness of hands the house leaks.
19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry; but money answers everything.
20 Do not curse the king, even in your thought; do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; for a bird of the air may carry your voice, and a bird in flight may tell the matter.
child (v.16) — young in age or prone to immature behavior.
proper time (v.17) — at a time that doesn’t distract from their duties—as opposed to the behavior of the king in v.16.
Just as a house leaks and rots (v.18) because the owner is too lazy to maintain it, so a kingdom goes to ruin because of an indolent and foolish ruler. — Grace, page 1180.
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“Child” (v.16) should read as … “servant,” i.e., “a slave”; that is to say, a slave to vice. “Son of nobles” (v.17) should read as … “a free man”; that is, free from the bondage of vice and folly. The contrast is, at base, between folly and wisdom, not between childhood and nobility. When magistrates “eat in the morning” (v.16) it is, in the East, an evidence of neglect of duty; for that is the time when princes administer justice at the gate of a city. Honest princes (v.17) “eat in due season”; that is, they do not neglect duty in order to indulge appetite. The fabric of government and of the state (v.18), here compared to a neglected house, suffers serious damage when members of the government neglect duty and give themselves over to debauchery and pleasure (v.19). “Money answereth all things” (v.19), i.e., “money responds to all things”: that is, money can procure all the luxuries needed for banquetings and revelings. Verse 19 is, perhaps, to be understood as the drunken reply of the princely revelers to the rebuke contained in verse 18. — Williams, page 447.
answers (v.19) = supplies
It is hard to know exactly what is meant by “money answereth all things.” Some think it refers to money that supplies the aforementioned wine and food. Others think it refers to an unjust ruler who takes bribes. Perhaps it is best to simply take the words at face value—a reflection on the attitude of a person who lives life “under the sun” (without regard to God or eternity) and believes that money truly is the answer to every problem. — Grace, page 1180.
bird (v.20) — Maybe the source of the saying “a little bird told me …”
8 He who digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.
9 He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits wood may be endangered by it.
10 If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success.
11 A serpent may bite when it is not charmed; the babbler is no different.
12 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;
13 The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, and the end of his talk is raving madness.
14 A fool also multiplies words. no man knows what is to be; who can tell him what will be after him?
15 The labor of fools wearies them, for they do not even know how to go to the city!
He who digs a pit will fall into it (v.8) — The plots of the wicked often backfire.
Verse 10 is saying that a sharpened axe makes it much easier to cut wood, and wisdom makes it much easier to accomplish any task.
babbler (v.11) = lit. “master of the tongue.” Here, the snake charmer.
swallow him up (v.12) — A fool’s words bring about his own downfall.
multiplies words (v.14) — from the context of the verse, woods that predict the future. Attempt to guess what will happen are foolish.
They do not even know how to go to the city (v.15) — A proverbial expression for one who was grossly ignorant of something that was very plain and obvious to everyone else. Fools exhaust themselves trying to figure out what should be obvious. Yet they want to “enlighten” everyone else when they have no clue. — Grace.
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In the East fences are made of loose stones, and serpents frequently hide in them (v.8). The point in verse 10 is that intelligence is better than coercion. The latter may succeed, but it costs effort and involves danger. The argument of verse 11 is that both a slanderer and a serpent may be skillfully avoided. Human science (vs.12-15) multiplies books and theories, and wearies itself in such labor. But its uselessness and ignorance are demonstrated by its inability to declare the future (v.14). — Williams, page 447.
10 Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor; so does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.
2 A wise man’s heart is at his right hand, but a fool’s heart at his left.
3 Even when a fool walks along the way, he lacks wisdom, and he shows everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the spirit of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post; for conciliation pacifies great offenses.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, as an error proceeding from the ruler:
6 Folly is set in great dignity, while the rich sit in a lowly place.
7 I have seen servants on horses, while princes walk on the ground like servants.
From the disagreeable effect which the presence of dead flies (v.1) in precious moistures produces in the sultry climate of the East arose the Arabic proverb, “A fly is nothing, yet it produces loathsomeness.” The toleration of the slightest folly in the life of a man of reputation will soon cause his reputation to [stink]. — KJV Commentary, page 751.
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Like fine perfume, the purer one’s reputation, the greater its liability to ruin. The impact of folly is in direct proportion to one’s reputation; the greater one’s reputation for wisdom and honor, the more impact a little folly has on it. It only takes one moment to destroy a reputation that it took a lifetime to build. — Grace, page 1179.
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In the language of Scripture the right hand (v.2) suggests that which is honorable (Luke 1:11), and the left hand that which is sinister and evil (Matthew 25:41). — KJV Commentary, page 751.
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Even in the most ordinary affairs of life (“the walking by the way”), watchfulness, discretion, and intelligence are needed. The fool by his left-handed folly proclaims every day in in the ordinary affairs of life, that he is a fool (v.3). But the man of discretion, the right hand man, “Leaves not his place,” i.e., does not assert himself when attacked (v.4), but by gentleness escapes worse evils. — Williams, page 447.
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Verses 6-7 speak of the same thing: the error of a ruler in placing incompetent fools in positions of leadership and power while putting noble and qualified men in lowly positions. — Grace
13 This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me:
14 There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it.
15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man.
16 Then I said: “Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.
17 Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good.”
his wisdom (v.13) — The wisdom of the poor man in v.15.
The declaration of verses 16 and 17 is that, in spite of the fact that a wise man delivered the city (vs.13-15), and advantaged it more than its generals and weapons of war, yet, as a rule, the counsel of wise men in never followed. The Lord Jesus Christ by His wisdom delivered man from out of the power of “the great king,” i.e., Satan; and yet is He forgotten and despised by men. — Williams, page 446.
Verse 18 points out that the actions of a wise man can result in victory, but those of a wicked fool bring defeat.
11 I returned and saw under the sun that— the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.
12 For man also does not know his time: like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them.
returned (v.11) — resumed his investigation
chance (v.11) = Incident, i.e., and unforeseen event
his time (v.12) — the day of his death
The argument of verse 11 [and the first phrase of verse 12] is, that because man is ignorant of how long he has to live therefore he is the helpless toy of time and chance; and his success in life, as viewed from “under the sun,” is not dependent upon swiftness, nor strength, nor cleverness. The statement of verse 12 is that man is suddenly ensnared by death as birds and fishes by a net. This fact reveals his ignorance and his helplessness. — Williams, pages 446-447.
7 Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.
8 Let your garments always be white, and let your head lack no oil.
9 Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.
10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.
accepted (v.7) = approved of
works (v.7) — the joyful eating and drinking just mentioned, not meritorious works
The philosophy and the declaration of verses 7-10 are: That recognizing the fact of death, and accepting it as the extinction of existence, the wisest life is one of enjoyment if God has given the means for enjoyment; and that so long as strength is enjoyed and active life is commendable. The declaration is: yet is that life of enjoyment and activity only vanity and empty toil. — Williams, page 446.
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We are to savor the joys of life and not allow ourselves to get mired down in its vexatious problems. As responsible beings, we are to make ourselves enjoy the little gifts of God. … Keep your garments white and anoint your head with fragrant spiced oil, counsels the preacher. These are symbols of festivity and joy. A man ought to get himself a wife and bask in the sunshine of her love. A man must love that wife all the days of his life and prize her as one of God’s choicest gifts. … Men … should enter upon the tasks of the hour with great verve. Whatever the task, man must see it as a gift from the Lord and enter into its challenge with an awareness that He will hold us accountable for what we do with His provisions. — KJV Commentary, page 750.
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It is interesting that Solomon spoke of a loving, lifelong relationship with one’s wife as a blessing from God when he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Some believe that the 1,000 women in Ecclesiastes 7:26-28 refer to his wives and concubines which, if true, would imply that he never found his true love among any of them. — Grace, page 1178.
which He has given you (v.9) — referring to days, not wife
might (v.10) — Whatever you do, do it the best that you can.
grave (v.10) — Sheol. The place of the dead.
1 For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them.
2 All things come alike to all: one event happens to the righteous and the wicked; to the good, the clean, and the unclean; to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes an oath as he who fears an oath.
3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
4 But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun.
before them (v.1) — Nobody knows whether they will face good or bad in their future. It is up to God.
righteous/wicked (v.2) — in their conduct toward others
clean/unclean (v.2) — morally and ceremonially clean, or impure, before God
It is unclear if the one who swears an oath is someone who takes an oath before God in a positive manner, or if it refers to someone who profanely takes an oath as prohibited by the Lord in Matthew 5:34. If the latter, then he who “fears an oath” is one who is afraid to offend God by carelessly swearing to things. If the former, then he who “fears an oath” is one who is afraid of making an oath or vow to God. Because the pattern in this verse is to list the good before the bad, it would seem that “he who takes an oath” is a positive characteristic and would be referring to the man who makes solemn oaths to God and keeps them. — Grace, page 1178.
evil (v.3, first use) = something dysfunctional or very wrong
Solomon … found that there was only one great fact that could be verified, and that is, the fact of death (v.3). This supreme evil strikes all, whether good or bad, young or old, without pity. … The vicissitudes of life affect the good and the evil; and therefore the good are not exempted from the supreme calamity of death. Verse 3 would better read: “This is the greatest calamity of all, ” i.e., the fact of death; and yet in spite of this fact, men’s hearts are filled with evil and madness so long as they live. In the East a dog (v.4) is the vilest of animals and a lion the noblest. … The dead lose six factors possessed by the living (vs.5-6) viz.: knowledge, memory, love, hatred, envy, and “a portion under the sun,” that is, life. — Williams, page 446.
one thing happens to all (v.3) — death happens to all those described in verse 2.
The “evil” (that everyone good or bad, religious or irreligious, moral or immoral all die just the same regardless of their behavior) is made worse (v.3) by how the evil man (who induces himself to more and more wickedness while he lives) dies just like the righteous with no apparent penalty for his aberrant behavior. — Grace, page 1178.
hope (v.4) — the chance to change one’s eternal destiny.
An objective surveillance of the events which occur in our lives furnishes a mixture of evidence which, in the final analysis, does little to establish absolutely God’s love or hatred of an individual man. The fates and fortunes of all men seem remarkably similar. … The sinner’s freedom from divine punishment causes him to fill his heart with madness and rebellion while he lives. The vision of death as the universal obliteration breeds madness in the hearts of those who do not companion with wisdom. The Hebrew word translated madness implies a blindness to the true issues. These poor men are blinded all the days of their miserable existence. They lack the ability to see things rightly, for they have refused the profit of wisdom’s illumination. Hence, from their darkness and evil they go to death. They pass from death to death. … As long as they are joined to the living there is hope, or as … verse 4 states, a living dog is better than a dead lion. — KJV Commentary, page 749.
forgotten (v.5) — The dead have no knowledge of earthly events, no benefit from their earthly labors, and no one to remember them after they’re gone.
now (v.6) — the moment they died
perished (v.6)— Even their strong passions died when they died.
nevermore will they have a share (v.6) — The are forever cut off from everything and everyone still on earth.
15 So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.
16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night,
17 then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it.
Some consider this (v.15) as the cavil of an infidel objector, equivalent to the Epicurean maxim “Eat, drink, and play there is no pleasure after death.” But it may be regarded as a recommendation of a moderate use of worldly things, with a cheerful and contended mind; which may justly be considered as the greatest advantage which can be made of all below the sun: and amidst all changes, such a frame of mind, if the result of right principles, may and ought to be preserved; and it will be the recompence and solace of all our labors and toils. — Treasury, page 426.
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If God, and eternity, and what is above the sun, have no existence, and if death is annihilation, then is the philosophy of verse 15 sound philosophy. But the argument and teaching of the book of Ecclesiastes is that it is folly; for God exists, and will bring every action into judgment. — Williams, page 446.
no sleep (v.16) — Solomon may have been unable to sleep as he tried to figure out the work of God.
“Business” (v.16) means the activities of life. They are so unceasing that they are here compared to a sleepless man. “Work” (v.17) is a term expressing the whole philosophy of life. However hard an ordinary man may try to discover its nature and laws he is incapable of succeeding; and though a “wise man,” i.e., an able scientist, may “think” to discover them yet it is beyond his power also. — Williams, page 446.
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Solomon admitted that even after he (the wisest man there was) diligently applied himself, he was unable to comprehend the providential work of God (Romans 11:33). — Grace.
10 Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. This also is vanity.
11 Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.
13 But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.
14 There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.
wicked (v.10) — the wicked rulers from the first 9 verses.
so done (v.10) — ruled wickedly
Verse 10 … may be paraphrased: “And, accordingly, I saw the wicked (i.e., evil men dying in the false hope of verse 8) buried, and they came to the grave with pomp; and I saw those that had done right (that is, the righteous) and they passed away from the holy place, and were forgotten in the city. … If God, and eternity, and what is above the sun, have no existence, and if death is annihilation, then is the philosophy of verse 15 sound philosophy. But the argument and teaching of the book of Ecclesiastes is that it is folly; for God exists, and will bring every action into judgment. — Williams, page 446.
set (v.11) = emboldened
When punishment for crime does not happen quickly (v.11), people are emboldened to commit more crime because they see no punishment forthcoming for wrongdoing. …Government is supposed to punish the evil doer and reward the one who does good (Romans 13:3-4; 1 Peter 2:14). When government does not do this, it has failed to fulfill its divine mandate. — Grace, page 1177.
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“Though” and “yet” (v.12) are counterpoints to each other. Though a sinner may have his life “under the sun” prolonged, yet in the end, it will be those who fear God who fair well. — Grace, page 1177.
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Death is oppressive and must be faced by all men; for there is no discharge from the demands of death’s war on humanity. Inventive man has never yet found a way to get around death’s demands. The authors of oppression think that they shall get away with their evil since God does not judge them immediately (v.11). The man of wisdom waits, knowingly affirming that the way to ultimate profit in this life and the next is the fear of God. Ultimately those who practice evil will receive a full recompense for their deeds. They may enjoy long life but their end will be tragic and without profit since they have not practiced the fear of God. … Although the man of wisdom can affirm by faith the ultimate profitableness of fearing God, the earth still remains a place of vanity. Life under the sun is in many ways an enigma. The wicked often prosper, and the righteous often suffer. This is certainly problematical and may cause man to initially posit the profitableness of pursuing pleasure. However, as the wisdom Preacher has already shown, this is a hasty and superficial decision and cannot lead to the path of true profit. — KJV Commentary, page 748.
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Sometimes in life “under the sun,” the wicked get what the righteous deserve and vice versa (v.14) — Grace, page 1177.
1 Who is like a wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the sternness of his face is changed.
2 I say, “Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God.
3 Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.”
4 Where the word of a king is, there is power; and who may say to him, “What are you doing?”
5 He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful; and a wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment,
6 Because for every matter there is a time and judgment, though the misery of man increases greatly.
7 For he does not know what will happen; so who can tell him when it will occur?
8 No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, and no one has power in the day of death. There is no release from that war, and wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it.
9 All this I have seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: There is a time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt.
The insight that wisdom brings to a man allows him to know the true interpretation to be placed upon events and brings a joy that is indicated in the shining of the face (Psalm 19:8).
sternness (v.1) = hardness
Some translations and commentaries say that “oath to God” in v.2 should be “oath of God,” referring to the promise God made to David. Williams has that take.
This oath is that of Psalm 89:35; and although it may have an application to Solomon personally, yet verses 3-5 prove that the Messiah is intended. Verses 3 and 4 may be thus rendered: “Be not hasty to go out of His presence, persist not in an evil purpose, because He doeth whatever pleaseth Him, and because His Word, as King, hath power, and because who may say unto Him, what doest Thou?” To dwell in His presence is life and power; to hasten away is darkness and death.. Verses 5-7 may read thus; “Whoso keepeth the commandment (i.e., the King’s) shall experience no calamity (Romans 10:11); and a wise man’s heart discerneth a time-limit and a judgment; for every action there shall be a time-limit and a judgment (Hebrews 9:27); therefore the misery of (the unconverted) man is heavy upon him, because he knoweth not that which shall be (i.e., his fate in that judgment) for who can tell him how it shall be? The [believer], though he knows there will be a day of judgment, feels no terror; but to the worlding the thought of that judgment embitters his life and spoils his pleasure. This bitterness is made the more bitter by the knowledge (v.8) that he cannot avoid death, and by the fear, here declared to be well grounded, that his plans of escape from its power are useless. — Williams, page 445.
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The oath of God is an oath of allegiance to a government made in the name of God. — KJV Commentary, page 748.
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The first half of verse 5 is a quotation of Proverbs 19:16 … The Preacher believes that the wise man alone knows of time and judgment. That is, he knows that God keeps His own counsels (Ecclesiastes 3:1-12) and that He does not share the knowledge of His purpose with mortals. — KJV Commentary, page 748.
time and judgment (v.5) — what to do (judgment) and when to do it (time)
The first half of verse 6 is best understood as referring back to verse 5: A wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment, because there is a time and judgment for every purpose of the king. — Grace, page 1177.
the misery of man increases greatly (v.6) — This thought leads into the statement of v.7. “Misery … is great upon him for he does not know what will happen …”
Man cannot stop his own death (v.8). He has no power to keep his spirit or stop the day of his death; there is no release from the battle with death; and he cannot scheme his way out of it. — Grace, page 1177.
rules (v.9) = domineers, lords it over another
It is unclear from the Hebrew whether the tyrannical rule (v.9) is a harm to the king himself or to his subjects. But based on the preceding verses, it seems best to understand that the tyrant’s rule harms his subjects. — Grace, page 1177.
