EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Ecclesiastes 10:6
6A ruler may give fools too much authority. At the same time, rich people have no authority.
Ecclesiastes 10:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.
- New International Version (NIV)Fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones.
- English Standard Version (ESV)folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Folly is set in great dignity, While the rich sit in a lowly place.
Context of Ecclesiastes 10:6
4If your master becomes angry with you, do not leave your place. Be patient and answer him quietly. Then he will forgive your mistakes. 5I have seen another terrible thing that happens on the earth. It happens when a ruler does a silly thing. A ruler may give fools too much authority. At the same time, rich people have no authority. 7Slaves ride on horses, as important people do. At the same time, princes have to walk, as slaves do. 8If you dig a deep hole, you might fall into it. If you knock down a wall, a snake might bite you.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 10Ecclesiastes 10:6 word by word
נִתַּ֣ן הַסֶּ֔כֶל בַּמְּרוֹמִ֖ים רַבִּ֑ים וַעֲשִׁירִ֖ים בַּשֵּׁ֥פֶל יֵשֵֽׁבוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 10:6
- Judges 9:14Finally, the trees said to the thorn bush, “Come and be our king.”
- 1 Kings 12:13King Rehoboam spoke cruel words to the people. He did not agree to say what the older men had told him to say.
- Esther 3:1After some time, King Xerxes gave one of his officers greater authority. The officer's name was Haman. He was the son of Hammedatha, a descendant of Agag. Haman became the most important officer who served the king.
- Psalms 12:8But if people praise evil things, then wicked people will boast more and more.
- Proverbs 28:12When righteous people have power, everybody is happy. But when wicked people have power, good people run away to hide.
- James 2:3You are kind to the man who is wearing beautiful clothes. You say to him, ‘Please sit here in this good place.’ But you say to the poor man, ‘Go and stand over there.’ Or you may say to him, ‘Sit on the floor near my feet.’
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 10:6
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6The “evil” of Ecclesiastes 10:5 is here specified as that caprice of a king by which an unworthy favorite of low origin is promoted to successive dignities, while a noble person is degraded or neglected.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-10Verses 4-10 Solomon appears to caution men not to seek redress in a hasty manner, nor to yield to pride and revenge. Do not, in a passion, quit thy post of duty; wait awhile, and thou wilt find that yielding pacifies great offences. Men are not preferred according to their merit. And those are often most forward to offer help, who are least aware of the difficulties, or the consequences. The same remark is applied to the church, or the body of Christ…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5-7Giving power to those who cannot use it wisely is a big mistake. Favoritism, nepotism, extortion, and bribery can put reckless people in powerful positions.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. rich--not in mere wealth, but in wisdom, as the antithesis to "folly" (for "foolish men") shows. So Hebrew, rich, equivalent to "liberal," in a good sense (Is 32:5). Mordecai and Haman (Es 3:1, 2; 6:6-11).Read the comment
Topics related to Ecclesiastes 10:6
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
EasyEnglish Bible 2018 — Copyright © MissionAssist 2018
Commentaries