Ecclesiastes — Chapter 10
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1As dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2A wise man’s heart inclines to the right, but the heart of a fool to the left.
3Even as the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking, and he shows everyone that he is a fool.
4If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not abandon your post, for calmness lays great offenses to rest.
5There is an evil I have seen under the sun—an error that proceeds from the ruler:
6Folly is appointed to great heights, but the rich sit in lowly positions.
7I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves.
8He who digs a pit may fall into it, and he who breaches a wall may be bitten by a snake.
9The one who quarries stones may be injured by them, and he who splits logs endangers himself.
10If the axe is dull and the blade unsharpened, more strength must be exerted, but skill produces success.
11If the snake bites before it is charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.
12The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him.
13The beginning of his talk is folly, and the end of his speech is evil madness.
14Yet the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming, and who can tell him what will come after him?
15The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city.
16Woe to you, O land whose king is a youth, and whose princes feast in the morning.
17Blessed are you, O land whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.
18Through laziness the roof caves in, and in the hands of the idle, the house leaks.
19A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.
20Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich even in your bedroom, for a bird of the air may carry your words, and a winged creature may report your speech.
1Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.
2A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left.
3Yea 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.
4If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.
5There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:
6Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.
7I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.
8He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
9Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.
10If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.
11Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.
12The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.
13The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.
14A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?
15The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.
16Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!
17Blessed 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!
18By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.
19A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.
20Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
1Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to send forth an evil odor; [so] doth a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor.
2A wise man`s heart is at his right hand; but a fool`s heart at his left.
3Yea also, when the fool walketh by the way, his understanding faileth him, and he saith to every one [that] he is a fool.
4If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for gentleness allayeth great offences.
5There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as it were an error which proceedeth from the ruler:
6folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.
7I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking like servants upon the earth.
8He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh through a wall, a serpent shall bite him.
9Whoso heweth out stones shall be hurt therewith; [and] he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby.
10If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.
11If the serpent bite before it is charmed, then is there no advantage in the charmer.
12The words of a wise man`s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.
13The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.
14A fool also multiplieth words: [yet] man knoweth not what shall be; and that which shall be after him, who can tell him?
15The labor of fools wearieth every one of them; for he knoweth not how to go to the city.
16Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!
17Happy 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!
18By slothfulness the roof sinketh in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh.
19A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh glad the life; and money answereth all things.
20Revile not the king, no, not in thy thought; and revile not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the heavens shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
1One dead fly makes the perfumer’s ointment give off a rancid stench, so a little folly can outweigh much wisdom.
2A wise person’s good sense protects him, but a fool’s lack of sense leaves him vulnerable.
3Even when a fool walks along the road he lacks sense and shows everyone what a fool he is.
4If the anger of the ruler flares up against you, do not resign from your position, for a calm response can undo great offenses.
5I have seen another misfortune on the earth: It is an error a ruler makes.
6Fools are placed in many positions of authority, while wealthy men sit in lowly positions.
7I have seen slaves on horseback and princes walking on foot like slaves.
8One who digs a pit may fall into it, and one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
9One who quarries stones may be injured by them; one who splits logs may be endangered by them.
10If 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.
11If the snake should bite before it is charmed, the snake charmer is in trouble.
12The words of a wise person win him favor, but the words of a fool are self-destructive.
13At the beginning his words are foolish and at the end his talk is wicked madness,
14yet a fool keeps on babbling. No one knows what will happen; who can tell him what will happen in the future?
15The toil of a stupid fool wears him out, because he does not even know the way to the city.
16Woe to you, O land, when your king is childish and your princes feast in the morning.
17Blessed 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.
18Because of laziness the roof caves in, and because of idle hands the house leaks.
19Feasts are made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.
20Do not curse a king even in your thoughts, and do not curse the rich while in your bedroom; for a bird might report what you are thinking, or some winged creature might repeat your words.
1Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to produce an evil odor; so does a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor.
2A wise man’s heart is at his right hand, but a fool’s heart at his left.
3Yes also, when the fool walks by the way, his understanding fails him, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.
4If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, don’t leave your place; for gentleness lays great offenses to rest.
5There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler.
6Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.
7I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking like servants on the earth.
8He who digs a pit may fall into it; and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
9Whoever carves out stones may be injured by them. Whoever splits wood may be endangered thereby.
10If the ax is blunt, and one doesn’t sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success.
11If the snake bites before it is charmed, then is there no profit for the charmer’s tongue.
12The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips.
13The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.
14A fool also multiplies words. Man doesn’t know what will be; and that which will be after him, who can tell him?
15The labor of fools wearies every one of them; for he doesn’t know how to go to the city.
16Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, and your princes eat in the morning!
17Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
18By slothfulness the roof sinks in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaks.
19A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes the life glad; and money is the answer for all things.
20Don’t curse the king, no, not in your thoughts; and don’t curse the rich in your bedroom: for a bird of the sky may carry your voice, and that which has wings may tell the matter.
Summary
The Preacher observes that a small amount of folly can outweigh great wisdom and honor, the way dead flies spoil fine perfume, and contrasts the wise heart with the foolish one that betrays itself even while walking down the road (vv. 1-3). He advises meeting a ruler's anger with composure rather than resignation, and laments seeing the social order inverted, with fools placed in high positions while the competent are overlooked (vv. 4-7). He offers a string of proverbs on the risks of everyday tasks like digging pits or quarrying stone, the value of sharpening one's tools and skill, and the danger of careless or excessive speech (vv. 8-14). He notes that a fool's labor exhausts him because he doesn't even know the way to town, and pronounces trouble on a land ruled by immature leadership but blessing on one ruled with discipline (vv. 15-17). He closes with warnings against laziness that lets a house fall into disrepair, and against cursing a king or the rich even in private, since word has a way of getting back to them (vv. 18-20).
Authorship & Background
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik observes that v.1 establishes the chapter's theme: the disproportionate power of small folly. "It takes much wisdom to build a good reputation and only a little folly to destroy it." On v.10, Guzik notes the practical genius of Solomon's observation: wisdom is not merely philosophical — it is the difference between grinding through life with a dull axe and working effectively with a sharp one. "Sharpen the axe" is still wisdom for daily life: prepare, think, plan — then act.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Ecclesiastes -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- How a Little Folly Ruins a Lot (v.1) — Dead flies are enough to spoil a whole batch of perfumer's ointment, just as a small amount of foolishness can outweigh wisdom and honor. What small, careless habit are you tolerating that's quietly undoing a much larger reputation?
- Staying Steady When Authority Turns on You (v.4) — If a ruler's anger rises against you, staying calm can settle things that reacting rashly would only make worse. Where do you need composure instead of a reaction the next time you feel challenged by someone over you?
- Preparation Beats Brute Effort (v.10) — A dull axe requires more strength, but wisdom brings success through preparation rather than harder swinging. Where are you grinding away at something you haven't actually taken time to prepare for?
- Words That Come Back to Bite (vv.12-14) — The words of a fool's mouth start with foolishness and end in mischief, multiplying without any real purpose. Do your words build people up, or are you talking simply to fill the silence?
- What Slow Neglect Costs You (v.18) — Laziness lets the roof sag and the house leak, not all at once but through sustained inattention. What area of your life — health, marriage, finances, faith — is decaying quietly because you haven't maintained it?