New King James Version
Ecclesiastes 10:11
11A serpent may bite when it is not charmed; The babbler is no different.
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 Living Translation (NLT)If a snake bites before you charm it, what’s the use of being a snake charmer?
Context of Ecclesiastes 10:11
9He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, And he who splits wood may be endangered by it. 10If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success. A serpent may bite when it is not charmed; The babbler is no different. 12The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up; 13The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, And the end of his talk is raving madness.
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 poison is like the poison of a serpent; They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear,
- Jeremiah 8:17“For behold, I will send serpents among you, Vipers which cannot be charmed, And they shall bite you,” says the Lord.
- Psalms 52:2Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
- Psalms 64:3Who sharpen their tongue like a sword, And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words,
- Proverbs 18:21Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.
- James 3:6And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries