Ecclesiastes 10:5
in Ecclesiastes 10There is an evil I have seen under the sun—an error that proceeds from the ruler:
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as it were an error which proceedeth from the ruler:
KJV
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:
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This verse in Ecclesiastes 10
Commentary
6 notes on this verse"There is an evil that I have observed in the world as if it were an error proceeding from the ruler: folly is placed on lofty heights, while rich men sit in low places. I have seen slaves on horses and nobles walking on foot like slaves. "Where we read "as if it were an error proceeding from the ruler" Aquila, Theodotion and the Septuagint have interpreted this as "as if not of their own will", that is "hos akousian", from the face of the ruler.
This site's exposition
If the ruler’s temper flares against you
on Ecclesiastes 10:4-7
The court cluster opens: If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not abandon your post, for calmness lays great offenses to rest. Then comes an error that proceeds from the ruler: Folly is appointed to great heights, and I have seen slaves on horseback.
This site's exposition
error that proceeds from the ruler
The error is named in the next two verses: folly appointed to great heights and the rich sitting low. Clarke sees a ruler who hands offices to men without merit, and Bonaventure calls it the promotion of fools. The evil comes from the ruler himself.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCommentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 10 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
There is an evil which I have seen etc. Here the second point is touched upon, namely the disordered promotion of fools, both on account of a defect of knowledge and on account of a defect of life, because the foolish and wicked are placed …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
An error which proceedeth from the ruler - What this error in the ruler is, the two following verses point out: it is simpiy this - an injudicious distribution of offices, and raising people to places of trust and confidence, who are destitute of merit, are neither of name nor family to excite public confidence, and are without property; so that they have no stake in the country, and their only solicitude must naturally be to enrich themselves, and provide for their poor relatives.
The words behind it
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יֵ֣שׁ | yesh | there | H3426 → | 140 times |
| רָעָ֔ה | raah | [is] an evil | H7451 → | 662 times |
| רָאִ֖יתִי | raiti | [which] I have seen | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| תַּ֣חַת | tachat | under | H8478 → | 505 times |
| הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ | hashamesh | the sun | H8121 → | 134 times |
| כִּשְׁגָגָ֕ה | kishgagah | like an inadvertence | H7684 → | |
| שֶׁיֹּצָ֖א | sheiyotza' | that [is] going forth | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| מִלִּפְנֵ֥י | milifnei | from to before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| הַשַּׁלִּֽיט׃ | hashalit | the ruler | H7989 → | 4 times |
יֵ֣שׁthere
yeshH3426 →140 times
רָעָ֔ה[is] an evil
raahH7451 →662 times
רָאִ֖יתִי[which] I have seen
raitiH7200 →1300 times
תַּ֣חַתunder
tachatH8478 →505 times
הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁthe sun
hashameshH8121 →134 times
כִּשְׁגָגָ֕הlike an inadvertence
kishgagahH7684 →
שֶׁיֹּצָ֖אthat [is] going forth
sheiyotza'H3318 →1067 times
מִלִּפְנֵ֥יfrom to before
milifneiH6440 →2123 times
הַשַּׁלִּֽיט׃the ruler
hashalitH7989 →4 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
Ecclesiastes 4:1Again I looked, and I considered all the oppression taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; the power lay in the hands of their…
it leads to
- Ecclesiastes 5:8
If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished at the matter; for one official is watched by a superior, and…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ecclesiastes 3:16
Furthermore, I saw under the sun that in the place of judgment there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.
- Isaiah 5:7
For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of His delight. He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but…
- 2 Timothy 4:16–17
At my first defense, no one stood with me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be charged against them.
- Ecclesiastes 5:8
Through
Ecclesiastes 5:13There is a grievous evil I have seen under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,
it leads to
- Ecclesiastes 6:1–2
There is another evil I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily upon mankind:
- Luke 18:22–23
On hearing this, Jesus told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
- Ecclesiastes 6:1–2
Through
Ecclesiastes 6:1There is another evil I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily upon mankind:
it leads to
- Ecclesiastes 5:13
There is a grievous evil I have seen under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,
- Ecclesiastes 5:13
Through
Ecclesiastes 9:3This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun: There is one fate for everyone. Furthermore, the hearts of men are full of evil and madness while they are alive, and…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
- Jeremiah 17:9
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Ecclesiastes
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bonaventure, Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 10; Jerome, Commentary on Ecclesiastes; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.