Bible Commentary

He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. 4. He that observeth the wind shall not sow ] This is, as has been said above, the answer to the question suggested in Ecc 11:3. Our ignorance of the future is not to put a stop to … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 11:4”

If the clouds be full of rain, they empty [themselves] upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. 3. If the clouds be full of rain ] The thought is linked to that which precedes it by … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 11:3”

Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. 2. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight ] The precept is clearly a pendant to Ecc 11:1 and has received the same variety of interpretations. Following the same line of thought as … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 11:2”

Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. 1. Cast thy bread upon the waters ] The book, as it draws nearer to its close, becomes more and more enigmatic, and each single verse is as a parable and dark saying. It is not to be wondered at, in … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 11:1”

Curse 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. 20. Curse not the king, no not in thy thought ] The words paint, as from a painful experience, … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 10:20”

A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all [things]. 19. money answereth all things ] The maxim as it stands in the English Version, has a somewhat cynical ring, reminding us only too closely of the counsel condemned by the Roman satirist, “O cives, cives, qurenda pecunia primum est; … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 10:19”

By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through. 18. By much slothfulness the building decayeth ] The maxim, though generalised in form, and applicable to every form of the evil which it condemns, may fairly be contemplated, in relation to its context, as having a political bearing. … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 10:18”

Blessed [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! 17. Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles ] The epithet has been taken as instance of the Hebrew of expressing character by … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 10:17”

Woe to thee, O land, when thy king [is] a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! 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. Ecc 10:16 A child – Rather, … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 10:16”

The labor of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city. 15. The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them ] The word for “labour” as in chap. Ecc 1:3; Gen 41:52; Job 3:3, as with our word “travail,” carries with it the connotation … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 10:15”