Ecclesiastes 10:20

10:16-20 The happiness of a land depends on the character of its rulers. The people cannot be happy when their princes are childish, and lovers of pleasure. Slothfulness is of ill consequence both to private and public affairs. Money, of itself, will neither feed nor clothe, though it answers the occasions of this present life, as what is to be had, may generally be had for money. But the soul, as it is not redeemed, so it is not maintained with corruptible things, as silver and gold. God sees what men do, and hears what they say in secret; and, when he pleases, brings it to light by strange and unsuspected ways. If there be hazard in secret thoughts and whispers against earthly rulers, what must be the peril from every deed, word, or thought of rebellion against the King of kings, and Lord of lords! He seeth in secret. His ear is ever open. Sinner! curse not THIS KING in thy inmost thought. Your curses cannot affect Him; but his curse, coming down upon you, will sink you to the lowest hell.

Ecclesiastes 10:20 . Curse not the king — Having spoken of the miscarriages of kings, he now gives a caution to their subjects, that they should not thence take occasion to speak irreverently or contemptuously of them, or wish or design any evil against their persons or government. For though vices may be condemned wheresoever they are, yet both reverence and obedience are due to magistrates, as they are God’s deputies and vicegerents, and that, notwithstanding their vices, as is manifest from Romans 13:1 , &c.; 1 Peter 2:13 . No, not in thy thought — In the most secret manner, by giving way to such thoughts and affections, for these would very probably break forth into disloyal words and practices: and curse not the rich — The princes or governors under the king, who are commonly rich; for a bird, &c., shall carry the voice — The king will hear of it by unknown and unsuspected hands, as if a bird had heard and carried the report of it.

20. thought—literally, "consciousness." rich—the great. The language, as applied to earthly princes knowing the "thought," is figurative. But it literally holds good of the King of kings (Ps 139:1-24), whose consciousness of every evil thought we should ever realize. bed-chamber—the most secret place (2Ki 6:12). bird of the air, &c.—proverbial (compare Hab 2:11; Lu 19:40); in a way as marvellous and rapid, as if birds or some winged messenger carried to the king information of the curse so uttered. In the East superhuman sagacity was attributed to birds (see on [668]Job 28:21; hence the proverb).

Curse not the king. Having spoken of the miscarriages of kings, he now gives a caution to their subjects, that they should not thence take occasion to speak irreverently or contemptuously of them, or wish or design any evil against their persons or government; for though vices may be condemned, wheresoever they are, yet both reverence and obedience are due to magistrates, as they are God’s vicegerents and ordinances, notwithstanding their vices, as is manifest from Romans 13:1 , &c.; 1 Peter 2:13 , &c. In thy thought; in the most secret manner, by giving way to such thoughts or affections; for these will very probably break forth into such words and practices. Curse not the rich ; the princes or governors under the king, who are commonly rich; or any other rich men, who can oppress or punish thee by their wealth, as well as kings can do it by their power. In thy bed-chamber, where thy wife or servant may hear thee, and afterwards through folly or passion discover it to thy ruin. A bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter; the king will hear of it by unknown and unsuspected hands, as if a bird had chanted to be at the window when thou didst speak the words, and did hear them, and carry the report of it unto the king. It is a proverbial expression, as when we say, Hedges have ears , and, The walls will speak . Hence kings are said to have long ears.

20 . Curse not the king, no not in thy thought ] The words paint, as from a painful experience, the all-pervading espionage, which, as in the delatores of the Roman Empire, associates itself naturally with the police of a despotic government. The wise man must recognise that espionage as a fact and gives his counsel accordingly, but it is not the less clear that the counsel itself conveys, in its grave irony, a condemnation of the practice. It may be noted that the addition of “curse not the rich” makes the irony clearer, and takes the maxim out of the hands of those who would read in it the serious condemnation of all independence of thought and speech in face of the “right divine of kings to govern wrong.” For the purposes of the teacher, in the maxims in which the irony of indignation veils itself in the garb of a servile prudence, the rich man and the king stand on the same level. in thy bedchamber ] This is, as in 2 Kings 6:12 , like the “closet” of Matthew 6:6 , proverbial for the extremest retirement. a bird of the air shall carry the voice ] The figure is so natural, answering to the “walls have ears” of the Rabbinic, German, English proverbs, that any more special reference scarcely need to be sought for, but it is interesting to note the close parallel presented by the familiar Greek proverb of “the cranes of Ibycos.” For the reader who does not know the story it may be well to tell it. Ibycos was a lyric poet of Rhegium, circ. b.c. 540.

He was murdered by robbers near Corinth and, as he died, called on a flock of cranes that chanced to fly over him, to avenge his death. His murderers went with their plunder to Corinth, and mingled with the crowd in the theatre. It chanced that the cranes appeared and hovered over the heads of the spectators, and one of the murderers betrayed himself by the terror-stricken cry “Behold the avengers of Ibycos!” (Suidas Ἴβυκος . Apollon. Sidon in the Anthol. Graec . B. vii. 745, ed. Tauchnitz). Suggestive parallels are also found in Greek comedy. οὐδεὶς οἰδεν τὸν θησαυρὸν τὸν ἐμὸν πλὴν εἴ τις ἄρ ʼ ὄρνις . “No one knows of my treasure, save, it may be, a bird.” Aristoph. Birds , 575. ἡ κορώνη μοὶ πάλαι ἄνω τι φράζει . “Long since the raven tells me from on high.” Aristoph. Birds , 50. Possibly, however, the words may refer to the employment of carrier pigeons in the police espionage of despots. Their use goes back to a remote antiquity and is at least as old as Anacreon’s “Ode to a pigeon.” The pigeon speaks: Ἐγὼ δ ʼ Ανακρέοντι Διακονῶ τοσαῦτα , Καὶ νῦν ὁρᾶς ἐκείνου Ἐπιστολὰς κομίζω . “Now I render service due To Anacreon, Master true, And I bear his billets-doux.” Frequently they were employed to keep up communication between generals, as in the case of Brutus and Hirtius at the battle of Mutina. “What availed it,” says Pliny, in words that coincide almost verbally with the text ( Hist.

Verse 20. - Curse not the king, no not in thy thought. Under the above-mentioned circumstances, a man might be tempted to abuse and curse these ill-conditioned rulers. Koheleth warns against this error; it is dangerous to give way to it (comp. Exodus 22:28 ). In Ecclesiastes 8:2 the motive for submission to the king is placed on religious grounds; in the present passage the ground is prudence, regard for personal safety, which might be compromised by plain speaking, especially when one has to do with such depraved and unscrupulous persons. We may compare David's generous conduct to his cruel persecutor Saul, whom he spared because he was the Lord's anointed ( 1 Samuel 24:6 , l0; 26:9, etc.; 2 Samuel 1:14 ). Madda , "thought," "consciousness," is rare, and is supposed to belong to late Hebrew (see 2 Chronicles 1:10, 11, 12 ; Daniel 1:4, 17 ). The Septuagint translates it συνείδησις : Vulgate, cogitatio . To encourage such thoughts in the mind is to run the risk of openly expressing them at some unguarded moment; for "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Curse not the rich in thy bedchamber . In ability to injure, the rich stand in the same category as the king. You are not safe ἐν τανιείοις κοιτώνων σου , "in your very bedchamber," where, if anywhere, you would fancy yourself free from espionage. But "walls have ears," says the proverb (comp.

Habakkuk 2:11 ; Luke 19:40 ); and the King of Syria is warned, "Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the King of Israel the words thou speakest in thy bedchamber" ( 2 Kings 6:12 ). "That which ye have spoken in the ear in closets ( ἐν τοῖς ταμιείοις ) shall be proclaimed upon the housetops" ( Luke 12:3 ). For a bird of the air shall carry the voice . A proverbial saying, common to all languages, and not to be referred especially to the story of the cranes of Ibycus (see Erasmus,' Adag.,' s . v . "Ultio malefacti") or to the employment of carrier pigeons. We say of secret information, "a little bird told me." Plumptre quotes Aristophanes, 'Aves,' 575 - Οὐδείς οϊδεν τὸν θησαυρὸν τὸν ἐμὸν πλὴν εἴ τις ἄρ ὄρνις "No one knows of my treasure, save, it may be, a bird." On which the Scholiast notes, "There is a proverb extant, ' No one observes me but the passing bird'" (comp. Erasmus, ' Adag.,' s.v. "Occulta"). In Koheleth's day informers evidently plied their trade industriously, and here meet, not only with notice, but ironically with reprobation. On the general sentiment of the verse, we may quote Juvenal, 'Sat.,' 9:102, "O Corydon, Corydon," thus versified in Ginsburg's commentary - "And dost thou seriously believe, fond swain,The actions of the great unknown remain?Poor Corydon!