Ecclesiastes 10:8
in Ecclesiastes 10He who digs a pit may fall into it, and he who breaches a wall may be bitten by a snake.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh through a wall, a serpent shall bite him.
KJV
He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
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This verse in Ecclesiastes 10
Commentary
9 notes on this verseWhoso breaketh a hedge, a serpent shall bite him - While spoiling his neighbor’s property, he himself may come to greater mischief: while pulling out the sticks, he may be bit by a serpent, who has his nest there. Some have supposed that נחש nachash here means a thorn; perhaps from the similarity of its prick to the serpent’s sting. He who forces his way through a hedge will be pricked by the thorns.
This site's exposition
He who digs a pit may fall into it
on Ecclesiastes 10:8-11
Hazards follow: the pit-digger falling in, the wall-breacher bitten by a snake. The pit is the reversal figure of Proverbs 26:27 and Psalm 7:15. The dull axe gives the lesson, skill produces success, and verse 11 adds that skill is worthless if the snake bites before it is charmed.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
Scripture says that there are deep things that must not under any circumstances be looked into, and the one who searches in a hedge will be bitten by a snake.
"He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who breaks down a wall will be bitten by a snake. "This is partly unambiguous and partly to be understood in a more complicated way. Since elsewhere Solomon also says, "he that sets a trap will be caught in it" [Eccli. 27, 29.]. And in the seventh Psalm: "he laid out a pond and dug it out, and then he fell into the hole he had made" [Ps. 7, 16.]. But the wall and the fence as well are the doctrines of the Church, and the institution set up by the apostles and prophets. And whoever knocks them down or wants them to come to an end is bitten by a snake where he is not looking. Amos writes about this snake: "if he goes down into the underworld, I will order a snake to kill him" [Am. 9, 3.].
Once they begin not only to use the divine expressions but also to explain them, not only to present them but also to interpret them, then people will realize how bitter, how sharp, how fierce they are. Then will the poisonous breath of their new …
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCommentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 10 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
He set forth above the vanity of security: here secondly he intends to give a remedy against that vanity: and because security arose from a defect of just retribution and of the governance of providence, which appeared to exist: therefore there are here two parts. …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Breaking through the wise fences of their throne, they suffer unexpectedly themselves; as when one is stung by a serpent lurking in the stones of his neighbor's garden wall (Ps 80:12), which he maliciously pulls down (Am 5:19).
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The figures seem to be taken from the work of building up and pulling down houses. In their general application, they recommend the man who would act wisely to be cautious when taking any step in life which involves risk. Ecc 10:8 Breaketh an hedge - Rather: “breaks through a wall.” Serpent - The habit of snakes is to nestle in a chink of a wall, or among stones (compare Amo 5:19). Ecc 10:9 Be endangered - Rather: “cut himself.”
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| חֹפֵ֥ר | chofer | [one who] digs | H2658 → | |
| גּוּמָּ֖ץ | gumatz | a pit | H1475 → | |
| בּ֣וֹ | bo | in <the> it | ||
| יִפּ֑וֹל | yipol | he will fall | H5307 → | 435 times |
| וּפֹרֵ֥ץ | uforetz | and [one who] breaks through | H6555 → | |
| גָּדֵ֖ר | gader | a wall | H1447 → | |
| יִשְּׁכֶ֥נּוּ | yishekhenu | it will bite him | H5391 → | |
| נָחָֽשׁ׃ | nachash | a snake | H5175 → |
חֹפֵ֥ר[one who] digs
choferH2658 →
גּוּמָּ֖ץa pit
gumatzH1475 →
בּ֣וֹin <the> it
bo
יִפּ֑וֹלhe will fall
yipolH5307 →435 times
וּפֹרֵ֥ץand [one who] breaks through
uforetzH6555 →
גָּדֵ֖רa wall
gaderH1447 →
יִשְּׁכֶ֥נּוּit will bite him
yishekhenuH5391 →
נָחָֽשׁ׃a snake
nachashH5175 →
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
Proverbs 26:27He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.
it leads to
- Proverbs 28:10
He who leads the upright along the path of evil will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will inherit what is good.
- Psalms 9:15
The nations have fallen into a pit of their making; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
- Psalms 7:15–16
He has dug a hole and hollowed it out; he has fallen into a pit of his own making.
- Psalms 10:2
In pride the wicked pursue the needy; let them be caught in the schemes they devise.
- Psalms 57:6
They spread a net for my feet; my soul was despondent. They dug a pit before me, but they themselves have fallen into it! Selah
- Proverbs 28:10
Through
2 Samuel 17:23When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his affairs in order and hanged himself. So he…
it leads to
- Matthew 27:5
So Judas threw the silver into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
- 2 Samuel 15:12
While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from his hometown of Giloh. So the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept increasing.
- Matthew 27:5
Through
Esther 7:10So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the fury of the king subsided.
it leads to
- Psalms 7:16
His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head.
- Psalms 7:16
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Ecclesiastes
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, LETTER 12:10; Bonaventure, Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 10; Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Song of Songs and 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 Vincent of Lérins, COMMONITORIES 25.