Ecclesiastes 8:2
in Ecclesiastes 8Keep the king’s command, I say, because of your oath before God.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
I counsel thee, Keep the king’s command, and that in regard of the oath of God.
KJV
I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.
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This verse in Ecclesiastes 8
Commentary
8 notes on this verseTo keep the king’s commandment - This sentence would be better translated, I keep the mouth of the king; I take good heed not to meddle with state secrets; and if I know, to hide them. Or, I am obedient to the commands of the laws; I feel myself bound by whatever the king has decreed. In regard of the oath of God - You have sworn obedience to him; keep your oath, for the engagement was made in the presence of God. It appears that the Jewish princes and chiefs took an oath of fidelity to their kings.
This site's exposition
keep the king’s commandment
on Ecclesiastes 8:2-5
I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment assumes an absolute monarch whose word is power, and none may say unto him, what doest thou. Standing not in an evil thing and not being hasty to leave his presence is court prudence rather than a rule for private conscience, as Clarke and Bridges both read the passage. The wise man's heart discerns both time and judgment, so the counsel closes on timing itself, knowing when obedience is due and when the moment calls for something else.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"I counsel you: Obey the king's command, and that in the manner of an oath of God. Do not hasten to leave his presence, do not persist in an evil thing; for he can do whatever he pleases. Since a king's word is law, who dare say to him, 'what are you doing?'
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCommentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 8 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
The wise person is admirable not only with respect to appearance, but also with respect to speech through wisdom: in whose person he says: I observe the mouth of the king, says wisdom. This King is God, of whom 1 Timothy at the end says: …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
David made a covenant, or contract, with the elders of Israel, though he was king by divine designation, 1 Chron. xi. 3 . " Keep the king's commandments, for he has sworn to rule thee in the fear of God, and thou hast sworn, in that fear, to be faithful to him." It is called the oath of God because he is a witness to it and will avenge the violation of it.
I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the king's--Jehovah, peculiarly the king of Israel in the theocracy; Ec 8:3, 4, prove it is not the earthly king who is meant. the oath of God--the covenant which God made with Abraham and renewed with David; Solomon remembered Ps 89:35, "I have sworn," &c.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Oath - A reference to the oath of allegiance taken to Solomon at his accession to the throne (the margin of 1Ch 29:24).
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Who is like the wise person. Who in the world is as important as a wise man?
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Who is as a wise man, that he can stand before the wisdom of the Lord, and know the interpretations of his words, like the prophets? The wisdom of a wise man enlightens the brightness of his face among the righteous, and as for the impudent, all his ways are changed from good to bad.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 2 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֲנִי֙ | ʾani | I | H589 → | 874 times |
| פִּי־ | pi- | [the] mouth of | H6310 → | 498 times |
| מֶ֣לֶךְ | melekh | a king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| שְׁמ֔וֹר | shemor | keep | H8104 → | 468 times |
| וְעַ֕ל | veal | and on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| דִּבְרַ֖ת | divrat | [the] cause of | H1700 → | 5 times |
| שְׁבוּעַ֥ת | shevuat | [the] oath of | H7621 → | |
| אֱלֹהִֽים׃ | ʾelohim | God | H430 → | 2601 times |
אֲנִי֙I
ʾaniH589 →874 times
פִּי־[the] mouth of
pi-H6310 →498 times
מֶ֣לֶךְa king
melekhH4428 →2525 times
שְׁמ֔וֹרkeep
shemorH8104 →468 times
וְעַ֕לand on
vealH5921 →5755 times
דִּבְרַ֖ת[the] cause of
divratH1700 →5 times
שְׁבוּעַ֥ת[the] oath of
shevuatH7621 →
אֱלֹהִֽים׃God
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Titus 3:1Remind the believers to submit to rulers and authorities, to be obedient and ready for every good work,
it leads to
- Romans 13:1–7
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Peter 2:13–17
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to the king as the supreme authority,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ecclesiastes 10:4
If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not abandon your post, for calmness lays great offenses to rest.
- Galatians 6:9–10
Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
- Proverbs 24:21
My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with the rebellious.
- Romans 13:1–7
Through
Proverbs 24:21My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with the rebellious.
it leads to
- Titus 3:1
Remind the believers to submit to rulers and authorities, to be obedient and ready for every good work,
- 1 Kings 12:16
When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your…
- Exodus 14:31
When Israel saw the great power that the LORD had exercised over the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses.
- Titus 3:1
About Ecclesiastes
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bonaventure, Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 8; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Ecclesiastes; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ecclesiastes; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.