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Ecclesiastes 10

1 Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to produce an evil odor; so does a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor.

2 A wise man’s heart is at his right hand, but a fool’s heart at his left.

3 Yes also when the fool walks by the way, his understanding fails him, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.

4 If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, don’t leave your place; for gentleness lays great offenses to rest.

5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler.

6 Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.

7 I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking like servants on the earth.

8 He who digs a pit may fall into it; and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

9 Whoever carves out stones may be injured by them. Whoever splits wood may be endangered by it.

10 If the ax is blunt, and one doesn’t sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success.

11 If the snake bites before it is charmed, then is there no profit for the charmer’s tongue.

12 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips.

13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

14 A fool also multiplies words. Man doesn’t know what will be; and that which will be after him, who can tell him?

15 The labor of fools wearies every one of them; for he doesn’t know how to go to the city.

16 Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, and your princes eat in the morning!

17 Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

18 By slothfulness the roof sinks in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaks.

19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes the life glad; and money is the answer for all things.

20 Don’t curse the king, no, not in your thoughts; and don’t curse the rich in your bedroom, for a bird of the sky may carry your voice, and that which has wings may tell the matter.

Around Ecclesiastes 10

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

About Ecclesiastes as a whole · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this book is about

A king sits in Jerusalem and counts what everything is worth. He watches the sun rise and go down, the wind turn, the rivers run into a sea that is never full, and one generation go while another comes. Then he gives his verdict: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

He is the Teacher, and his book records his reflections. He examines work, pleasure, wealth and wisdom and finds that none of them lasts or satisfies. He calls it “a chasing after wind”. His repeated word is often translated vanity; it pictures a breath or a vapor.

Alongside that hard look, the book keeps returning to simple gifts: food, work and companionship received from God's hand. It closes with a call to fear God and keep his commandments.

Background

The Teacher is introduced as a son of David and king in Jerusalem, and tradition identifies him with Solomon. Many scholars think the Hebrew of the book points to a later date. A narrator frames the Teacher's words at the beginning and the end.

How Christians read it

Readers differ on the Teacher's tone. Some hear a skeptic whose view the closing verses correct. Others hear a realist who shows honestly what life looks like when it is measured only by what can be seen. Christians often read the book as clearing the ground: it exposes what cannot bear the weight of a life, and so points beyond itself.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 19 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes