Section 15. Koheleth returns to the theme mentioned in Ecclesiastes 10:4-7. and speaks of folly in one who holds the position of king, and the need of wisdom and prudence in the subjects of an unworthy ruler.
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Ecclesiastes 10:16-20
The Pulpit Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10:16-20
The Pulpit Commentary · Joseph S. Exell and contributors · Public domain
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The Pulpit Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10:1-20Ecclesiastes 10:1-20 · The Pulpit CommentaryEXPOSITIONMatthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 10:16-20Ecclesiastes 10:16-20 · Matthew Henry Concise CommentaryThe happiness of a land depends on the character of its rulers. The people cannot be happy when their princes are childish, and lovers of pleasure. Slothfulness is of ill consequence both to private and public affairs.…Mutual Duties of Princes and SubjectsEcclesiastes 10:16-20 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleMUTUAL DUTIES OF PRINCES AND SUBJECTS. Solomon here observes, I. How much the happiness of a land depends upon the character of its rulers; it is well or ill with the people according as the princes are good or bad. 1.…The Pulpit Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10:16-20Ecclesiastes 10:16-20 · The Pulpit CommentaryThe picture of a happy land. I. A NOBLE KING. 1. Of royal blood. "Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles"—like Horace's "Macenas atavis edite regibus," descended from a long line of crowned heads. If…The Pulpit Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10:16-17Ecclesiastes 10:16-17 · The Pulpit CommentaryStatesmanship. It is sometimes assumed that moral qualities are unimportant in relation to political affairs. If a king be brave in his warlike expeditions, splendid in his court, and affable in his demeanor; if a state…The Pulpit Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10:16-20Ecclesiastes 10:16-20 · The Pulpit CommentaryDuties of rulers and subjects. Some of the evils of life arise from errors and follies which may be corrected by diligence and prudence, and among them are the caprices of unworthy princes, the vices of courtiers, and t…
commentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10:1-20EXPOSITIONJoseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryMatthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 10:16-20The happiness of a land depends on the character of its rulers. The people cannot be happy when their princes are childish, and lovers of pleasure. Slothfulness is of ill consequence both to private and public affairs.…Matthew HenrycommentaryMutual Duties of Princes and SubjectsMUTUAL DUTIES OF PRINCES AND SUBJECTS. Solomon here observes, I. How much the happiness of a land depends upon the character of its rulers; it is well or ill with the people according as the princes are good or bad. 1.…Matthew HenrycommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10:16-20Duties of rulers and subjects. Some of the evils of life arise from errors and follies which may be corrected by diligence and prudence, and among them are the caprices of unworthy princes, the vices of courtiers, and t…Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10:16-20The picture of a happy land. I. A NOBLE KING. 1. Of royal blood. "Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles"—like Horace's "Macenas atavis edite regibus," descended from a long line of crowned heads. If…Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10:16Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child! "Child" is naar, which term included any age up to manhood. Some interpret the word here, as παῖς in Greek, in the sense of "slave," contrasting it with "the son of nobles…Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10:16-17Statesmanship. It is sometimes assumed that moral qualities are unimportant in relation to political affairs. If a king be brave in his warlike expeditions, splendid in his court, and affable in his demeanor; if a state…Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10:17-18Ruin-its forms and its sources. A material "ruin" may be a very picturesque and even pleasant sight, when that which has answered its end loses its form and does well to disappear. But otherwise a ruin is a pitiable spe…Joseph S. Exell and contributors