Ecclesiastes — Chapter 10
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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
Practical wisdom observations — folly is like dead flies in ointment; a little foolishness outweighs wisdom; the Preacher offers proverbs on rulers, laziness, speech, and the unpredictability of life.
Authorship & Background
- The Contaminating Power of Folly (vv.1-3)
- Wisdom Under Authority (vv.4-7)
- The Hazards of Work and the Value of Skill (vv.8-11)
- The Fool's Speech vs. the Wise Man's Words (vv.12-15)
- Good and Bad Governance (vv.16-20)
Map & Geography
- No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.
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.
- Charles Spurgeon: "Dead flies in the ointment — what a picture! One foolish word, one rash act, one moment of self-indulgence, and a lifetime of faithful service is tarnished. How careful we ought to be! The enemy of our souls does not need a great scandal to ruin us — a 'little folly' will serve his purpose. Guard the small things. It is the little foxes that spoil the vines."
Reflection
- 1. Guard against "little" follies (v.1). A lifetime of wisdom can be undone by a single foolish act. The dead fly is small; the ruin is total. Watch the small decisions, the unguarded moments, the careless words. It is not the spectacular sins that destroy most people but the little ones.
- 2. Stay calm under pressure (v.4). When authority turns against you, do not panic or flee. Composure and gentleness can defuse situations that reactive anger would inflame. Self-control in a crisis reveals (and builds) true character.
- 3. Sharpen the axe before swinging harder (v.10). If your efforts are producing little fruit, the answer may not be more effort but better preparation. Study, plan, train, pray — then work. Wisdom makes labor effective; raw effort alone grinds inefficiently.
- 4. Guard your tongue — and your thoughts (vv.12-14, 20). Foolish speech is self-destructive. Even private complaints and secret thoughts tend to surface. Live as though every word — spoken or thought — will eventually be heard. Because it will be (Matthew 12:36).
- 5. Small neglect leads to great ruin (v.18). "By much slothfulness the building decayeth." The house does not collapse in a day but through sustained neglect. Spiritual life, relationships, health, finances — all decay through inattention. Maintain what matters before it requires rebuilding.