Ecclesiastes 10:16-20

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 10:20

Curse not the king - Do not permit thyself even to think evil of the king; lest thy tongue at some time give vent to thy thoughts, and so thou be chargeable with treason. For a bird of the air shall carry the voice - Does he refer here to such fowls as the carrier pigeon, which were often used to carry letters under their wings to a great distance, and bring back answers? The Targum turns it curiously: "Do not speak evil of the king in thy conscience, nor in the secret of thy heart, nor... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 10:16

Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child ! "Child" is naar , which term included any age up to manhood. Some interpret the word here, as παῖς in Greek, in the sense of "slave," contrasting it with "the son of nobles" in the following verse. But it can hardly signify more than servitor, attendant; and in Ecclesiastes 10:7 the antithesis to "prince" is ebed, not naar . The child in the present case is a youthful, inexperienced ruler, who does not realize his responsibilities,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 10:16-20

Section 15. Koheleth returns to the theme mentioned in Ecclesiastes 10:4-7 . and speaks of folly in one who holds the position of king, and the need of wisdom and prudence in the subjects of an unworthy ruler. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 10:17

Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles ! cujus rex nobilis est (Vulgate), υἱὸς ἐλευθέρων , "son of free men". Some would regard "son of nobles" as a periphrasis expressive of character, equivalent to the Latin generosus, as "son of strength," equivalent to "strong man;" "son of wickedness," equivalent to "wicked man;" but the phrase may well be taken literally. Koheleth ( Ecclesiastes 10:7 ) has expressed his disgust at the exaltation of unworthy slaves to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 10:18

By much slothfulness the building decayeth . The subject is still the state. Under the image of a house which falls into ruin for lack of needful repairs, is signified the decay that surely overtakes a kingdom whose rulers are given up to indolence and debauchery, and neglect to attend to the affairs which require prompt care (comp. Amos 9:11 ). Such were they whom Amos ( Amos 6:6 ) denounced, "That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments; but they are not... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 10:19

A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry . Here is a cause of the decay spoken of above. The rulers spend in revelry and debauchery the time and energy which they ought to give to affairs of state. More literally, for merriment they make bread, and wine [that] cheereth life ; i.e. they use God's good gifts of bread and wine as means of intemperance and thoughtless pleasure. So a psalmist speaks of wine as making glad the heart of man ( Psalms 104:15 ); and Ben-Sira says,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 10:20

Curse not the king, no not in thy thought. Under the above-mentioned circumstances, a man might be tempted to abuse and curse these ill-conditioned rulers. Koheleth warns against this error; it is dangerous to give way to it (comp. Exodus 22:28 ). In Ecclesiastes 8:2 the motive for submission to the king is placed on religious grounds; in the present passage the ground is prudence, regard for personal safety, which might be compromised by plain speaking, especially when one has to do... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Ecclesiastes 10:16-20

Foolish rulers, by their weakness, self-indulgence and sloth, bring decay upon the state: nobleness and temperance insure prosperity: yet the subject must not rebel in word or thought against his king.Ecclesiastes 10:16A child - Rather, young. The word is applied to Rehoboam 2 Chronicles 13:7 at the time of his accession to the throne, when he was 41 years old.Eat in the morning - A sign of intemperance (compare Isaiah 5:11).Ecclesiastes 10:17Son of nobles - i. e., of a noble... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Ecclesiastes 10:16-17

Ecclesiastes 10:16-17. Wo to thee, O land, when thy king is a child Either in age or childish qualities; and thy princes eat in the morning Give themselves up to eating and drinking at that time of the day which is most fit for God’s service, for the despatch of weighty affairs, and for sitting in judgment. Blessed art thou when thy king is the son of the nobles Not so much by birth, as even the worst of kings commonly are, and have been, as by their noble and worthy dispositions and... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Ecclesiastes 10:18

Ecclesiastes 10:18. By much slothfulness, &c., the house droppeth through That house which is neglected by its owner, and not repaired, must needs come to ruin. Whereby he intimates that the sloth and carelessness of princes, in the management of public affairs, which is a usual attendant on that luxury of which he now spoke, is most destructive to themselves and to their people. read more

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