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Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Ecclesiastes 10:1

CHAPTER X

Observations on wisdom and folly, 1-3.

Concerning right conduct towards rulers, 4.

Merit depressed, and worthlessness exalted, 5-7.

Of him who digs a pit and removes a landmark, 8, 9.

The use of wisdom and experience, 10.

Of the babbler and the fool, 11-15.

The infant king, 16.

The well-regulated court, 17.

Of slothfulness, 18.

Of feasting, 19.

Speak not evil of the king, 20.

NOTES ON CHAP. X

Verse Ecclesiastes 10:1. Dead flies] Any putrefaction spoils perfume; and so a foolish act ruins the character of him who has the reputation of being wise and good. Alas! alas! in an unguarded moment how many have tarnished the reputation which they were many years in acquiring! Hence, no man can be said to be safe, till he is taken to the paradise of God.

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See also Ecclesiastes 10:1 in other biblical comments:

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    This verse is by its meaning so closely connected with Ecclesiastes 9:18 that the selection of it for the beginning of a new chapter seems unfortunate. APOTHECARY - Rather: a dealer in spices and perf...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 10 This chapter contains a series of proverbs, expressing the wisdom and prudence of the natural man. Here are a number of observations and all show that there is a practical value in wisdom a...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    ECCLESIASTES 9:17 TO ECCLESIASTES 10:15. EXPERIENCE CRYSTALLISED IN PROVERBS. Ecclesiastes 9:17 to Eccle

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    DEAD FLIES. Hebrew flies of death: i.e. flies that bring or produce death. Supply the Figure of speech _Ellipsis,_ "[as] dead". CAUSE. [are that which will] cause, &c. TO SEND FORTH. STINKING SAVOUR...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary_ The division of the Chapter s obscures the connexion. The maxim now before us is but the figurative expression of the fact stated, without a parable,...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    DEAD FLIES CAUSE, &C.— _The smell arising from the perfume of the perfumer is infected by dead flies; so is the value of wisdom and reputation by a little folly._ See Desvoeux, and Bishop Lowth's thir...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    D. ILLUSTRATIONS OF THOSE WHO LACK Wis. 10:1-11 1. The foolish worker is in trouble. Ecclesiastes 10:1-4 TEXT 10:1-4 1 Dead flies make a perfumer's oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour. DEAD FLIES - literally, flies of death. TH...

  • Darby's translation notes (1890)

    10:1 honour. (d-22) Or '[so doth] a little folly [for] him who is esteemed for wisdom and honour.'...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    DEAD FLIES, etc.] This v. really belongs to the end of Ecclesiastes 9. As a few of the poisonous flies abounding in hot countries would render valueless a whole jar of perfume, so a man by a slight ad...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

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  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

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  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    זְב֣וּבֵי מָ֔וֶת יַבְאִ֥ישׁ יַבִּ֖יעַ שֶׁ֣מֶן רֹוקֵ֑חַ...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    FOURTH SECTION The Quest Achieved. The Chief Good Is To Be Found, Not In Wisdom, Nor In Pleasure, Nor In Devotion To Affairs And Its Rewards; But In A Wise Use And A Wise Enjoyment Of The Present Li...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    How, then, does worldly wisdom work? The preacher shows that its first manifestation is discretion based upon selfishness. This section is a series of brief sayings which are of the nature of proverbs...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    Ointment. A fly cannot live in it. (Pliny, [Natural History?] xi. 19.) --- Hence the smallest faults must be avoided, (Calmet) and superfluous cares, (St. Gregory) as well as the conversation of the w...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    CONTENTS The Preacher is still prosecuting his sermon through this Chapter; but folding up many important sayings within short sentences. Ecclesiastes 10:1 Dead flies cause the ointment of the apo...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

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  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    DEAD FLIES CAUSE THE OINTMENT OF THE APOTHECARY TO SEND FORTH A STINKING SAVOUR,.... Such, as Jarchi observes, are in the winter season, which are weak and near to death, and get into precious ointmen...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: [so doth] a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom [and] honour. Ver. 1. _Dead flies cause the ointment, &c...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Dead flies_, &c. Solomon seems in these words to be prosecuting what he had said in the last clause of the preceding chapter; showing how much good one foolish action may destroy, what evil may resul...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    IN THE MIDST OF PRESUMPTION AND ARROGANCE...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Dead flies, literally, "flies of death," that is, such as fall into a mixture and, in decomposing, taint it with their rottenness, CAUSE THE OINTMENT OF THE APOTHECARY TO MEND FORTH A STINKING SAVOR,...

  • Marginal Notes in the King James Version (1611)

    DEAD FLIES: _ Heb._ Flies of death...

  • Mark Dunagan Commentaries

    "DEAD FLIES MAKE. PERFUMER'S OIL STINK, SO. LITTLE FOOLISHNESS IS WEIGHTIER THAN WISDOM AND HONOR." 'Dead flies" -"puts into. vividly unpleasant form the principle on which the previous chapter ended:...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    1-3 Those especially who make a profession of religion, should keep from all appearances of evil. A wise man has great advantage over a fool, who is always at a loss when he has anything to do. Sin is...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

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  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Ecclesiastes 10:1 Dead H4194 flies H2070 perfumers H7543 (H8802) ointment H8081 off H5042 (H8686) odor H887

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    SAYINGS COMPARING THE WISE AND THE UNLEARNED AND THOUGHTLESS (ECCLESIASTES 10:1). Ecclesiastes 10:1 ‘Dead flies cause the ointment of the perfumer to smell and putrefy, so does a little folly outwei...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

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  • Sermon Bible Commentary

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  • Summarized Bible Commentary

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  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Ecclesiastes 10:1. _Dead flies cause the ointment,_ of exquisite perfumes, _to send forth a stinking savour;_ a satirical proverb, applicable to characters in all the public walks of life. A general,...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Dead flies cause the ointment. .. to send forth a stinking savour._ DEAD FLIES Among the Jews, oil rendered fragrant by being mixed with precious drugs was used for many different purposes. With it...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL NOTES.— ECCLESIASTES 10:1. DEAD FLIES.] _Lit_., “Flies of death;” because, as such, they corrupt the ointment. The apothecary.] A dealer in spices. Thus it is not the common kind, but a cost...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION ECCLESIASTES 10:1 Section 11. _A little folly mars the effect of wisdom, _and is sure to make itself conspicuous. ECCLESIASTES 10:1 Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to sen...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Chapter 10: Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking odor: so does a little folly to him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor (Ecclesiastes 10:1). There are cert...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    2 Chronicles 19:2; Exodus 30:34; Exodus 30:35; Galatians 2:12;...

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