John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 8:9
All this have I seen ,.... Observed, taken notice of, and thoroughly considered; all that is said above, concerning the scarcity of good men and women, the fall of our first parents, the excellency of wisdom, the necessity and advantage of keeping the king's commandment, the time and manner of doing it, the evil consequences that follow an inattention to these things, ignorance of what is to come, and the unavoidableness of death; and applied my heart unto every work that is done under... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ecclesiastes 8:9-13
Solomon, in the beginning of the chapter, had warned us against having any thing to do with seditious subjects; here, in these verses, he encourages us, in reference to the mischief of tyrannical and oppressive rulers, such as he had complained of before, Eccl. 3:16; 4:1. 1. He had observed many such rulers, Eccl. 8:9. In the serious views and reviews he had taken of the children of men and their state he had observed that many a time one man rules over another to his hurt; that is, (1.) To... read more