EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Ecclesiastes 10:11
11Someone may have power over dangerous snakes. But that will not help him if the snake bites him first.
Ecclesiastes 10:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.
- New International Version (NIV)If a snake bites before it is charmed, the charmer receives no fee.
- English Standard Version (ESV)If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer.
- New King James Version (NKJV)A serpent may bite when it is not charmed; The babbler is no different.
Context of Ecclesiastes 10:11
9If you cut stones out of the ground, a stone might hurt you. If you cut wood into pieces, a piece of it might hurt you. 10If your axe is not sharp, you will need to be very strong to use it. If you are wise, you will make the axe's edge sharp again. That is how wisdom helps you to do things well. Someone may have power over dangerous snakes. But that will not help him if the snake bites him first. 12People respect a wise person, because of the things that he says. But the words of a fool will destroy him. 13When a fool starts to speak, he says silly things. When he finishes, he is saying crazy things that are wicked.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 10Ecclesiastes 10:11 word by word
אִם־יִשֹּׁ֥ךְ הַנָּחָ֖שׁ בְּלוֹא־לָ֑חַשׁ וְאֵ֣ין יִתְר֔וֹן לְבַ֖עַל הַלָּשֽׁוֹן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 10:11
- Psalms 58:4Their words hurt people like a snake's poison. They listen to nobody, like a deaf cobra.
- Jeremiah 8:17The Lord says, ‘Yes! I am sending an enemy's army to attack you. They will be like dangerous snakes that have poison. Nobody can stop them! They will bite you and kill you.’
- Psalms 52:2Your tongue is like a sharp knife! You talk about how to hurt other people, You speak nothing but lies.
- Psalms 64:3Their tongues are like sharp swords that hurt people. Their cruel words are like arrows that they shoot at people.
- Proverbs 18:21Words have the power to bring life or death. So be careful if you talk a lot!
- James 3:6A person's tongue is like a fire. It has the power of everything in the world that is wrong. It is a small part of the body but it can spoil the whole person. Like a fire, it can destroy all of a person's life. It is a fire that comes from the fire of hell itself.
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 10:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11The serpent will bite without enchantment - לחש בלא belo lachash, without hissing. As a snake may bite before it hiss, so also will the babbler, talkative person, or calumniator. Without directly speaking evil, he insinuates, by innuendoes, things injurious to the reputation of his neighbor. Gif the eddir bite in silence, noyhing lasse than he hath that privily backbiteth - Old MS. Bible. "A babbler of his tongue is no better than a serpent that styngeth…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11Rather: “If a serpent without enchantment (i. e., not being enchanted) bites, then there is no advantage to the charmer”: i. e., if the charmer is unwisely slack in exercising his craft, he will be bitten like other people. See Psalm 58:4 note.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-15Verses 11-15 There is a practice in the East, of charming serpents by music. The babbler's tongue is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison; and contradiction only makes it the more violent. We must find the way to keep him gentle. But by rash, unprincipled, or slanderous talk, he brings open or secret vengeance upon himself. Would we duly consider our own ignorance as to future events, it would cut off many idle words which we foolishly multiply. Fools…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11One reason to charm a snake is to prevent it from biting, but a snake charmer risks a bite before charming it. Some jobs are so dangerous that smart people avoid them completely.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. A "serpent will bite" if "enchantment" is not used; "and a babbling calumniator is no better." Therefore, as one may escape a serpent by charms (Psa 58:4, 5), so one may escape the sting of a calumniator by discretion (Ec 10:12), [Holden]. Thus, "without enchantment" answers to "not whet the edge" (Ec 10:10), both expressing, figuratively, want of judgment. Maurer translates, "There is no gain to the enchanter" (Margin, "master of the tongue") from…Read the comment
Topics related to Ecclesiastes 10:11
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 10
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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