Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 10:10
If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom [is] profitable to direct.
10. If the iron be blunt ] The proverb seems obviously suggested by that of the preceding verse, but its meaning is far from clear. The axe (literally, the iron) is used to cut wood. What if it fail to cut ( i. e. if, going below the imagery, the man has not the sharpness or strength to carry his plans promptly into effect), if he (the cutter down of trees) has not sharpened its edge, literally its face as in Eze 21:21, i.e. if he has entered on his plans without due preparation. In that case he must “put to more strength,” must increase his force ( i. e. the impact of his stroke). He will have to do by the iteration of main force what might have been effected by sagacity and finesse. So interpreted, the whole imagery is consistent. The man who enters on the perilous enterprise of reform or revolution has to face not only the danger that he may perish in the attempt, but the risk of failure through the disproportion of his resources to his ends. The meaning of the proverb would be clear to any one who united the character of an expert in felling timber with the experience of a political reformer. Briefly paraphrased, the maxim would run thus in colloquial English, “If you must cut down trees, take care that you sharpen your axe.”
but wisdom is profitable to direct ] Better, But it is a gain to use wisdom with success, i.e. It is better to sharpen the axe than to go on hammering with a blunt one, better to succeed by skill and tact than by mere brute strength.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Ecc 10:10
If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength.
The iron blunt, and the iron whetted
I. The less facilities in work, the greater is the strength required. The woodman who has to hew the old oak with a blunt axe must throw more muscular energy into the stroke than if his instrument were keen.
1. This principle applies to secular work. The men who are placed in such temporal circumstances as seem to doom them to destitution, must, if they would overcome difficulties and rise, be strenuous in effort.
2. This principle applies to educational work. Thousands have so employed the bluntest iron, that they have become the greatest apostles in science, and the most distinguished masters in art. Do not find fault with thy mental tools. Use the bluntest iron with all thy might, and thou shalt rise.
3. This principle applies to religious work. Most unfavourable are the circumstances in which the millions are placed for the cultivation of a truly godly life. Albeit, though the iron of such a man be blunt, let him use it, and he will succeed.
4. This principle applies to evangelizing work.
II. Practical sagacity in work serves to economize strength. Wisdom is profitable to direct.
1. Strength may be saved in commercial pursuits by a wise system of management. It is not the sweating bustler who does the most work in the worlds trade; it is the man of forecast and philosophical measures.
2. Strength may be saved in governmental action by a wise policy.
3. Strength may be saved in self-improvement by a philosophic method.
4. Strength may be saved in the work of diffusing the Gospel by an enlightened policy. (Homilist.)
Gods provision concerning labour
1. It may have often struck you, as a very surprising feature in Gods dealings with this earth, that though He has abundantly stored it with all the necessaries and comforts of civilized life, He has left both the discovery and employment of such materials dependent upon human industry and human ingenuity. The very metal mentioned in the text, to deprive the world of which would be to produce starvation, and which with mighty toil is wrung from the bowels of the earth, underwent many curious and necessary processes ere it came to the husbandman in the form of a plough. God no more directed men where to find, than how to prepare the iron. He only furnished them with faculties to discover the substance, and placed them in circumstances favourable to their development. Each man was left to his own ingenuity and industry; and after having experienced the benefit of these discoveries themselves, they naturally communicated them to others. And how marvellously has discovery gone on from age to age! how have new properties been discovered, new errors been exploded, new theories established! But with all our admiration, which the boundless stores thus laid open to us are calculated to exercise, there does seem room for something of surprise that God should have allowed a vast amount of the most beneficial productions to be brought to light, not merely by patient investigation but entirely by accident, so that the world has long been actually ignorant of many blessings which lay within its reach. This has been singularly the case with medicines. You might have expected that, having made so merciful provision for the alleviation of human pain, God would not have left the world so long ignorant of the existence of such antidotes and remedies. Yet it is very observable how close an analogy there is between Gods dealings in this respect, and those which relate to the scheme of salvation; for many ages God did not guide men, at least only a few, to the fountain open for sin and for uncleanness, and even now how many of the great mass of our race are kept in ignorance of the balm that is in Gilead. We may be sure there are some very wise ends, though not discoverable by us, subserved by this protracted concealment. And we cannot but observe a display of wisdom and benevolence in the arrangement by which our world has been peopled, by no moans inferior to that which furnished us with the treasures of the earth. If thousands of our race had been called into existence before science had been discovered, and the arts been invented, what could have resulted but universal wretchedness, inasmuch as every individual must have struggled with the ground for a disastrous subsistence, and have perpetually devoted himself to the warding off starvation! A beautiful thing in the present economy is that the labour of one man raises a sufficiency for numbers, and thus others devote themselves to various pursuit, and bring about the spectacle of a stirring and well-ordered community. But this is owing to the fact that the husbandman had the implements with which to work, whose manufacture is not to be procured and effected without much toil and thought and time. Man has not been left merely to his animal strength, but having been taught, as it were, not only to use the iron, but also to whet its edge, he is enabled to accomplish single-handed what, on any other supposition, must have required the joint energies of a multitude of his kind. And as it was Gods beneficent purpose to throw man, as it were, on his own industry and ingenuity, must we not always admit the goodness as well as the mercy of the appointment, through which it was ordered that there should be no excessive pressure on our race, but that we have been afforded time to advance in knowledge, equivalent to the increase and necessities of population? We have now taken a general view of the text, and one, we think, which has enabled us to survey Divine providence under a very interesting aspect. We will now bring before you more precise illustration of the passage, but still under such views as may best excite you to the observing the benevolence of God. It is a property, or we might rather say an infirmity of man, that he cannot give himself to incessant labour, whether it be bodily or mental, but what it soon causes him to seek relaxation and repose. The iron will grow blunt, if used a certain time; and if a man will then go on persevering in the using it, he must be prepared to the putting to more strength, which will certainly ere long bring about a total prostration, But if wisdom directeth him, so that he daily whet the edge by some lawful recreation, he may by Gods help be enabled for a long time to retain both his strength and his usefulness. And however it may be in general, there is far more cause for fear that men will be too inert rather than too active, though cases of a contrary nature frequently occur, in which the caution most needed is, that they always whet the edge. The proverbial saying which one so commonly hears, and which involves a great fallacy, Better wear than rust, would almost seem to contradict the great principle of our text; just as though it were necessary that iron should rust out, if it is not rapidly worn out, whereas the truth is, that though by putting to more strength, the iron will be worn out, it will not be rusted out through whetting the edge, seeing that the whetting of the edge brightens what it sharpens And it is melancholy to think of what frequently happens in our seminaries of learning, where youths of high promise, of fine powers of imagination, and large capacities for science, sink beneath the pressure of an overtasked mind, working out for themselves an early grave, and depriving the world of the benefit which they might have conferred on it by their literature or their piety, through that constant and incessant use of the iron, and continued neglect of whetting the edge. And it is yet more melancholy to think how many of the ministers of Christ have destroyed themselves by devoting themselves to work with an uncalculating ardour. We have, therefore, to derive an important lesson from the text; a lesson, that it is as much our duty to relax when we feel our strength overtasked, as it is to persevere when we feel that strength sufficient.
2. The man who spends his Sabbath religiously, remembering that it is Gods day, and therefore to be devoted to Gods service, necessarily abstracts his mind from secular cares, and thus allows it to recover that tone and elasticity which must have been greatly injured under one continued uniform pressure. And far more than this; in studying the Scriptures and meditating on heaven, in attending the ministrations of the sanctuary, praying with all fervency of purpose, the man is securing to himself fresh supplies of grace, which may strengthen him for the trials and duties of the week: The iron was blunt, and had he attempted to proceed without interruption in his labour, he must then have put to more strength, and thus have disabled himself for the fulfilment of his duties; but he possesses wisdom, that wisdom which cometh from above, and this taught him to withdraw himself to God, and bidding farewell to earthly concerns, forget time in his anxiety for eternity. He has been brought into contact with heavenly things, and the attrition has sharpened him again for his earthly occupations, so that when the iron is brought into use, its edge is so powerfully sharp, that what seemed adamantine was divisible, and what seemed inseparable might be cleft. (H. Melvill, B. D.)
Blunt tools: a counsel and consolation
The writer of this book had gone where the Blessed Master went, into the carpenters shop. And there as he looked about him he saw this–that it is not always the man who works hardest who does most: that the workman who had a blunt tool must sharpen it, or he must work harder if he would keep pace with the others.
I. Here is a lesson on service. Iron is the very emblem of service. The stone age is prehistoric, uncivilized and savage; the golden age is but a dream; the iron age is the true age. Think of the plough, the sword, the thousand uses of iron; the huge machinery with which men master the earth and lighten labour, the modern shipping, and above all, in these later times, the pen. These things build up our civilization and our strength. Iron may stand as the fittest emblem of service. Shall the dead stones be capable of such high uses and such gracious ends, and are we alone to be of no account? Is there no power that can uplift us and enrich us for worth and blessedness? For us there must be possibilities of good and blessing. For us somewhere, somehow, there must be high ends and glorious purposes–the dullest, darkest, deadest of us. The iron is enough to proclaim it.
II. Here is a lesson on fitness for service. The iron gets blunt–that you cannot help. What you can help and must help is this–that it do not remain blunt. Let it be a matter of conscience with us that we be ever at our best for our Lord. Do you ask how shall the iron be sharpened? The wise man gives us the method. Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. In this lonely London the sight of a friendly face, the touch of a kindly hand, the sound of a cheery voice is a very whetstone of the spirit. Yet better than the mans prescription for dulness is contact and communion with the Friend of Friends, the Lord Himself. Nothing else will keep us fit for service. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Contact and communion with Jesus Christ alone can keep us fit for service. Then, again, let there be a daily surrender of ourselves to Him for service.
III. Some consolation for blunt folks. If the iron be blunt, what then? Well, you must use more strength. Alas, some of us sigh within ourselves, I am not made of fine material: I cannot take a keen edge: I am not one of your very clever people. No genius am I at anything, but only a plain blunt tool. I see the steel polished and graven; the flashing sword: and I know I shall never be like that. Well, make up for your dulness by your energy; and say, If I have not so many gifts, I must get more grace. If I am lacking in skill and learning, I will be richer in love. Some tools are the better for not being oversharp. He who was the carpenter still needs hammers as well as chisels and planes. Only give thyself to Him. (M. G. Pearse.)
Blunt axes
Solomon desires to impress upon us the truth of what a load of trouble a man may save himself by a little forethought. A little preparation, a little contrivance, will prevent in the end an enormous amount of work, whereas the neglect of common foresight must entail the waste of strength and time and toil.
I. Take education. An uneducated child growing up into mans estate is a dull, stupid individual. He may get through a certain amount of labour, but it is only at the cost of a great expenditure of bodily strength. There are about him all the rules of science and mechanical laws, but not knowing them they cannot be used. A man who knows general principles can with a very little contriving apply those principles to almost everything he comes across. It is the man who knows the most who will make the best workman when he has learnt the trade. There is not a calling in life, from the ploughboy to the statesman, that may not be made more effective by the worker being educated in the general details of learning and science. The great error of the day is to suppose that general education may supersede particular training, and that if a child has been to school that therefore that child can turn his hand to anything.
II. Take mechanical appliances. There is just as much work done in England in one day by the help of machinery as it would take five hundred millions of men to perform without. The reason is that as a nation we sharpen our axes before we begin to work. The perfection of mechanical appliances, the power of steam, impresses into mans service the forethought and preparation.
III. Take the principles of religion. Some may say, What has all this subject to do with religion? Much every way. Religion teaches us how to live here as well as to be saved hereafter. There is one notable thing which we should do well to lay to heart, and that is that it is in Christian nations, and in Christian nations only, that true progress in arts and science and knowledge has its being. Heathen nations, such as China and India, are the same as they were 3,000 years ago. Semi-heathen nations, such as Italy, Spain, and Turkey, are careless, dissolute, and remain as they were. But, more than this, the subject applies to the welfare and salvation of our souls to a larger extent than we should at first suppose. If men go about the world–as, alas! too many do–like a lot of blunt axes, annoying their fellow-creatures with the unnecessary toil they take to accomplish the most simple acts, they do not exalt the religion they profess. Learning and wisdom are useful to the Christian, and they are necessary to the Christian. (Homilist.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 10. If the iron be blunt] If the axe have lost its edge, and the owner do not sharpen it, he must apply the more strength to make it cut: but the wisdom that is profitable to direct will teach him, that he should whet his axe, and spare his strength. Thus, without wisdom and understanding we cannot go profitably through the meanest concerns in life.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The iron, to wit, the axe whereby he cut the wood, in the former verse, which by the danger there mentioned may be supposed to be sharp; but now, saith he, if it happen to be blunt.
Put to more strength; which is necessary to make it cut.
But wisdom is profitable to direct, Heb. and wisdom, &c. And as wisdom instructs a man in the smallest matters, as in this very matter of cutting of wood, where it teaches him in this case to use his utmost strength; so it is useful for a mans direction in all his great and weighty affairs. And so he insensibly slides into the commendation of wisdom, and the censure of folly, which is the principal design and business of this chapter.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10. iron . . . bluntin”cleaving wood” (Ec10:9), answering to the “fool set in dignity” (Ec10:6), who wants sharpness. More force has then to be used inboth cases; but “force” without judgment “endangers”one’s self. Translate, “If one hath blunted his iron”[MAURER]. The preferenceof rash to judicious counsellors, which entailed the pushing ofmatters by force, proved to be the “hurt” ofRehoboam (1Ki 12:1-33).
wisdom is profitable todirectto a prosperous issue. Instead of forcing matters bymain “strength” to one’s own hurt (Ecc 9:16;Ecc 9:18).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
If the iron be blunt,…. With which a man cleaves wood: the axe, made of iron:
and he do not whet the edge; with some proper instrument to make it sharper, that it may cut the more easily;
then must he put to more strength; he must give a greater blow, strike the harder, and use more force; and yet it may not be sufficient, or; it may be to no purpose, and he himself may be in the greatest danger of being hurt; as such are who push things with all their might and main, without judgment and discretion;
but wisdom [is] profitable to direct; this is the “excellency” of wisdom, that it puts a man in the right way of doing things, and of doing them right; it directs him to take the best methods, and pursue the best ways and means of doing things, both for his own good and the good of others; and so it is better than strength, Ec 9:16.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“If the iron has become blunt, and he has not whetted the face, then he must give more strength to the effort; but wisdom has the superiority in setting right.” This proverb of iron, i.e., iron instruments ( , from , to pierce, like the Arab. name for iron, hadid , means essentially something pointed), is one of the most difficult in the Book of Koheleth, – linguistically the most difficult, because scarcely anywhere else are so many peculiar and unexampled forms of words to be found. The old translators afford no help for the understanding of it. The advocates of the hypothesis of a Dialogue have here a support in , which may be rendered interrogatively; but where would we find, syntactically as well as actually, the answer? Also, the explanations which understand in the sense of war-troops, armies, which is certainly its nearest-lying meaning, bring out no appropriate thought; for the thought that even blunt iron, as far as it is not externally altogether spoiled ( lo – phanim qilqal ), or: although it has not a sharpened edge (Rashi, Rashbam), might be an equipment for an army, or gain the victory, would, although it were true, not fit the context; Ginsburg explains: If the axe be blunt, and he (who goes out against the tyrant) do not sharpen it beforehand ( phanim , after Jerome, for lephanim , which is impossible, and besides leads to nothing, since lephanim means ehedem formerly, but not zuvor [ prius ], Ewald, 220 a), he (the tyrant) only increases his army; on the contrary, wisdom hath the advantage by repairing the mischief (without the war being unequal); – but the “ruler” of the foregoing group has here long ago disappeared, and it is only a bold imagination which discovers in the hu of Ecc 10:10 the person addressed in Ecc 10:4, and represents him as a rebel, and augments him into a warlike force, but recklessly going forth with unwhetted swords. The correct meaning for the whole, in general at least, is found if, after the example of Abulwald and Kimchi, we interpret of the increasing of strength, the augmenting of the effort of strength, not, as Aben-Ezra, of conquering, outstripping, surpassing; means to make strong, to strengthen, Zec 10:6, Zec 10:12; and , as plur. of , strength, is supported by , 1Ch 7:5, 1Ch 7:7, 1Ch 7:11, 1Ch 7:40, the plur. of ; the lxx renders by and he shall strengthen the forces, and the Peshito has for , Act 8:13; Act 19:11 (cf. Chald. Syr. , to strengthen oneself, to become strengthened). Thus understanding the words of intentio virium , and that not with reference to sharpening (Luth., Grotius), but to the splitting of wood, etc. (Geier, Desvoeux, Mendelss.), all modern interpreters, with the exception of a few who lose themselves on their own path, gain the thought, that in all undertakings wisdom hath the advantage in the devising of means subservient to an end. The diversities in the interpretation of details leave the essence of this thought untouched. Hitz., Bttch., Zckl., Lange, and others make the wood-splitter, or, in general, the labourer, the subject to , referring to the iron, and contrary to the accents, beginning the apodosis with qilqal : “If he (one) has made the iron blunt, and it is without an edge, he swings it, and applies his strength.”
, “without an edge” ( lo for belo ), would be linguistically as correct as , “without children,” 1Ch 2:30, 1Ch 2:32; Ewald, 286 b; and qilqal would have a meaning in some measure supported by Eze 21:26. But granting that qilqal , which there signifies “to shake,” may be used of the swinging of an axe (for which we may refer to the Aethiop. kualkuala , kalkala , of the swinging of a sword), yet ( ) could have been used, and, besides, means, not like , the edge, but, as a somewhat wider idea, the front, face (Eze 21:21; cf. Assyr. pan ilippi , the forepart of a ship); “it has no edge” would have been expressed by ( ) , or by ( , ). We therefore translate: if the iron has become blunt, hebes factum sit (for the Pih. of intransitives has frequently the meaning of an inchoative or desiderative stem, like , to become little, decrescere, Ecc 12:3; , hebescere, caligare, Eze 21:12; Ewald, 120 c), and he (who uses it) has not polished (whetted) the face of it, he will (must) increase the force. does not refer to the iron, but, since there was no reason to emphasize the sameness of the subject (as e.g., 2Ch 32:30), to the labourer, and thus makes, as with the other explanation, the change of subject noticeable (as e.g., 2Ch 26:1). The order of the words … , et ille non faciem ( ferri ) exacuit , is as at Isa 53:9; cf. also the position of lo in 2Sa 3:34; Num 16:29.
, or pointed with Pattach instead of Tsere (cf. qarqar , Num 24:17) in bibl. usage, from the root-meaning levem esse , signifies to move with ease, i.e., quickness (as also in the Arab. and Aethiop.), to shake (according to which the lxx and Syr. render it by , , to shake, and thereby to trouble, make muddy); in the Mishn. usage, to make light, little, to bring down, to destroy; here it means to make light = even and smooth (the contrast of rugged and notched), a meaning the possibility of which is warranted by , Eze 1:7; Dan 10:6 (which is compared by Jewish lexicographers and interpreters), which is translated by all the old translators “glittering brass,” and which, more probably than Ewald’s “to steel” (temper), is derived from the root qal, to burn, glow.
(Note: Regarding the two roots, vid., Fried. Delitzsch’s Indogerm.-Sem. Stud. p. 91f.)
With vahhaylim the apodosis begins; the style of Koheleth recognises this vav apod. in conditional clauses, Ecc 4:11, cf. Gen 43:9, Ruth. Ecc 3:13; Job 7:4; Mic 5:7, and is fond of the inverted order of the words for the sake of emphasis, 11:8, cf. Jer 37:10, and above, under Ecc 7:22.
In 10 b there follows the common clause containing the application. Hitzig, Elster, and Zckl. incorrectly translate: “and it is a profit wisely to handle wisdom;” for instead of the inf. absol. , they unnecessarily read the inf. constr. , and connect , which is a phrase altogether unparalleled. Hichsir means to set in the right position ( vid., above, kaser ), and the sentence will thus mean: the advantage which the placing rightly of the means serviceable to an end affords, is wisdom – i.e., wisdom bears this advantage in itself, brings it with it, concretely: a wise man is he who reflects upon this advantage. It is certainly also possible that , after the manner of the Hiph. and , directly means “to succeed,” or causatively: “to make to succeed.” We might explain, as e.g., Knobel: the advantage of success, or of the causing of prosperity, is wisdom, i.e., it is that which secures this gain. But the meaning prevalent in post-bibl. Heb. of making fit, equipping, – a predisposition corresponding to a definite aim or result, – is much more conformable to the example from which the porisma is deduced. Buxtorf translates the Hiph. as a Mishnic word by aptare, rectificare . Tyler suggests along with “right guidance” the meaning “pre-arrangement,” which we prefer.
(Note: Also the twofold Haggadic explanation, Taanith 8 a, gives to hachshir the meaning of “to set, priori, in the right place.” Luther translated qilqal twice correctly, but further follows the impossible rendering of Jerome: multo labore exacuetur , et post industriam sequetur sapientia .)
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(10) The wording of this verse in the original is very obscure; and we can only say of the rendering in the text that it seems to be preferred to any which it has been proposed to substitute for it. The mention of cutting wood in the preceding verse suggests the illustration from the axe, exemplifying how wisdom will serve instead of strength.
Iron.2Ki. 6:5; Isa. 10:34; Pro. 27:17.
Whet.Eze. 21:21, where it is translated make bright.
Edge.Literally, face. We have often in Hebrew mouth of the sword, for edge of the sword, but the only parallel for the expression face in that sense is in the highly poetical passage in Eze. 21:16, just referred to.
Must he put to more strength.Make his strength mighty, the words being nearly the same as in the phrase mighty men of strength (1Ch. 7:5).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
10. If the iron Better, the axe. This difficult verse may best be translated, If the axe be blunt, and he (the rebel) do not sharpen it well beforehand, he (the tyrant) will but gain the more strength, (by the rising against him.) Many a page of political history proves this warning true. The failure of a rebellion leaves the tyrant stronger, and also exasperated. The unhappy subject who has much to bear from his injustice still needs to count well the cost of revolt. Still, even after a failure, wisdom is profitable to direct: more literally, to make repair and reconciliation.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ecc 10:10. If the iron be blunt If an iron instrument be blunt, though the edge be not quite off, and he who wanteth to make use of it increaseth his strength, skill is more profitable to succeed: or it may be rendered, If an axe be blunt, though the edge is not quite off, then the workman shall exert his utmost strength, and skill remaineth to make him succeed. Thus skill or experience is represented as a mean which is left to procure success when all others fail. Nothing can be more agreeable to Solomon’s design than such a notion, especially as it carries an intimation of the necessity of a superior genius and application in a prince who employs unskilful ministers, that he may be able to supply their want of experience. See Desvoeux.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Ecc 10:10 If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom [is] profitable to direct.
Ver. 10. If the iron be blunt. ] Pliny a calls iron the best and worst instrument of man’s life, and shows the many uses of it, as in ploughing, planting, pruning, planing, &c., but abominates the use of it in war and murdering weapons. Porsena enjoined the Romans, Ne ferro nisi in agricultura uterentur, saith he, that they should not use iron but only about their husbandry. The Philistines took the like order with the disarmed Israelites, 1Sa 13:19 among whom swords and spears were geasen; shares and coulters they allowed them, but so as that they must go down to the Philistines for sharpening. Gregory compares the devil to these Philistines, blinding and blunting men’s wits and understandings, “lest the light of saving truth should shine unto them.” 2Co 4:4 These edge tools, therefore, must be whetted by the use of holy ordinances, and much strength put to, great pains taken, virtutibus corroborabitur (so the old translation hath it). But when all is done, he must needs be obtuse acutus, which seeth not that wisdom is profitable to direct; that is, that (whether the iron be blunt or sharp, whetted or not whetted, more strength added or not added) it is wisdom that rectifies all, or the benefit of rectifying is wisdom. “There is none to that,” as David said of Goliath’s sword.
a Lib. xxxiv, cap. 14.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
wisdom: Ecc 10:15, Ecc 9:15-17, Gen 41:33-39, Exo 18:19-23, 1Ki 3:9, 1Ch 12:32, 2Ch 23:4-11, Mat 10:16, Act 6:1-9, Act 15:2-21, Rom 16:19, 1Co 14:20, Eph 5:15-17, Col 4:5, Jam 1:5
Reciprocal: 2Ki 6:5 – ax head Pro 2:11 – General Ecc 10:2 – but
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Ecc 10:10. If the iron be blunt The axe wherewith a man cuts wood; he must put to more strength To make it cut: that is, if a man do not use fit and proper means to accomplish any work, it will cost him so much the more labour and pains; but wisdom is profitable to direct Both in the choice and in the use of means. In other words, As wisdom instructs a man in the smallest matters, so it is useful for a mans direction in all weighty affairs.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
10:10 If the iron is blunt, and he doth not whet the edge, then must he use more {f} strength: but wisdom [is] profitable to direct.
(f) Without wisdom, whatever a man takes in hand, turns to his own hurt.