Ecclesiastes 5:6

5:4-8 When a person made engagements rashly, he suffered his mouth to cause his flesh to sin. The case supposes a man coming to the priest, and pretending that his vow was made rashly, and that it would be wrong to fulfil it. Such mockery of God would bring the Divine displeasure, which might blast what was thus unduly kept. We are to keep down the fear of man. Set God before thee; then, if thou seest the oppression of the poor, thou wilt not find fault with Divine Providence; nor think the worse of the institution of magistracy, when thou seest the ends of it thus perverted; nor of religion, when thou seest it will not secure men from suffering wrong. But though oppressors may be secure, God will reckon for all.

Ecclesiastes 5:6. Suffer not thy mouth — By any rash vow, or in any other way; to cause thy flesh to sin — That is, thyself: the word flesh being often put for the whole man; neither say thou before the angel — That is, as some interpret the expression, before the blessed angels, (the singular number being put for the plural,) who are present in the public assemblies, in which these vows were generally paid, ( Psalm 66:13 ,) where they observe men’s religious performances, ( 1 Corinthians 11:10 ,) and, as they rejoice in the conversion of a sinner, so are displeased with the sins of men. Or, 2d, Christ may be meant, the Angel of the covenant, as he is called Malachi 3:1 ; who, even in these ancient times, acted as God’s messenger, appearing and speaking to the patriarchs and prophets in his Father’s name; and who was, and, according to his promise, is, in an especial manner, present in all religious assemblies, observing the whole conduct of all that worship in them. Or, 3d, as many think more probable, the priest, or minister of holy things, is here intended. Such persons are often called angels, or, as the Hebrew word here used is commonly rendered, messengers. And this title may be given to the priest here, because the vow made to God was to be paid to the priest, as one standing and acting in God’s name and stead; and it belonged to him, as God’s angel or ambassador, to discharge persons from their vows when there was just occasion.

It was an error — I did unadvisedly in making such a vow. Wherefore should God be angry — Why wilt thou provoke God to anger by these frivolous excuses? And destroy the work of thy hands — Blast all thy labours, and particularly that work or enterprise for the success whereof thou didst make these vows.

(6) The angel. —It has been proposed to translate this word the “messenger,” or ambassador of God, and understand “the priest” (see Malachi 2:7 ); and it has been regarded as one of the notes of later date in this book that the word should be used in such a sense. But even in the passage of Malachi there is no trace that the word “angel” had then become an ordinary name for the priest, such as would be intelligible if used in that sense without explanation from the context. Neither, again, is there reason for supposing that the priest had power to dispense with vows alleged to have been rashly undertaken. The power given him (Leviticus 27) is of a different nature. I therefore adhere to the obvious sense, which suggests that the real vow is observed and recorded by a heavenly angel. It falls in with this view that the phrase is “ before the angel.” If an excuse pleaded to a priest was intended, we should have, “Say not thou to the priest.” Error.—The word is that which describes sins of ignorance (Numbers 15). The tacit assumption in this verse, that God interposes to punish when His name is taken in vain, clearly expresses the writer’s real conviction, and shows that such a verse as Ecclesiastes 9:2 is only the statement of a speculative difficulty.

Allow not thy mouth to cause thy {d} flesh to sin; neither say thou before the {e} angel, that it was an error: why should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands? (d) Do not cause yourself to sin by vowing rashly as they do who make a vow to live unmarried and such like. (e) That is, before God's messenger when he will examine your doing, as though your ignorance should be a just excuse.

Suffer not thy mouth ... - i. e., Do not make rash vows which may hereafter be the cause of evasion and prevarication, and remain unfulfilled. Before the angel - The Septuagint and some other versions render "before the face of God," meaning a spiritual being representing the presence of God, a minister of divine justice Exodus 23:21, such a one as inflicted judgment upon David 2 Samuel 24:17. Others, with less probability, understand the angel to be a priest, and refer to Malachi 2:7.

6. thy flesh—Vow not with "thy mouth" a vow (for example, fasting), which the lusts of the flesh ("body," Ec 2:3, Margin) may tempt thee to break (Pr 20:25). angel—the "messenger" of God (Job 33:23); minister (Re 1:20); that is, the priest (Mal 2:7) "before" whom a breach of a vow was to be confessed (Le 5:4, 5). We, Christians, in our vows (for example, at baptism, the Lord's Supper, &c.) vow in the presence of Jesus Christ, "the angel of the covenant" (Mal 3:1), and of ministering angels as witnesses (1Co 11:10; 1Ti 5:21). Extenuate not any breach of them as a slight error.

Suffer not thy mouth, by uttering any rash or foolish vow. Thy flesh, i. e. thyself, the word flesh being oft put for the whole man, as Genesis 6:12 Isaiah 40:5 Romans 3:20 , &c. And it seems to have some emphasis here, and to intimate either, 1. That such vows were made upon fleshly or carnal, and not upon spiritual and religious motives. Or rather, 2. That the flesh or corrupt nature of man, which is oft called flesh , was exceeding prone to set itself at ease and liberty from such bonds, and to neglect the chargeable duties of religion. The angel; either, 1. The blessed angels, the singular number being put for the plural, who are present in the public assemblies in which these vows were generally paid, Psalm 66:13 , where they observe both the matter and manner of men’s religious performances, as appears from 1 Corinthians 11:10 , who as they rejoice in the conversion of a sinner, Luke 15:10 , so are displeased with the sins of men, and especially such as are committed in or against the worship of God. Or, 2.

Christ, who in the Old Testament is frequently called an angel , as hath been oft noted before, and the Angel of the covenant , Malachi 3:1 because even then he acted as God’s messenger, appearing and speaking to the patriarchs and prophets in his Father’s name, as a prosignification of his future incarnation, and who is and was in a special manner present in all religious assemblies; and being omniscient and omnipresent, exactly knew and observed all the vows which men made, and whether they did perform or violate them. Or rather, 3. The priest or minister of holy things, who was to require of the people the payment of their vows, to whom all sacrifices for sins of ignorance or errors about vows or other things were to be brought, Leviticus 5:4,5 . For such persons are oft called angels , or, as this Hebrew word is commonly rendered, messengers , as Job 33:23 Malachi 2:7 Revelation 1:20 . And this title seems to be given to the priest here, not without some emphasis, because the vow made to God was paid to the priest as one standing and acting in God’s name and stead, and it belonged to the priest, as God’s angel or ambassador, to discharge persons from their vows when there was just occasion so to do. That it was an error; I did foolishly and unadvisedly in making such a vow, and therefore I hope God will excuse me, and instead of that which I had vowed, accept of a sacrifice for my ignorance, according to the law for sins of ignorance, Leviticus 4:2 5:15 Numbers 15:26 .

6 . Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin ] The “mouth” may refer either to the thoughtless utterance of the rash vow, such as that of Jephthah ( Jdg 11:30 ) or Saul ( 1 Samuel 14:24 ), or to the appetite which leads the man who has made a vow, say of the Nazarite type, to indulge in the drink or food which he had bound himself to renounce. The former meaning seems more in harmony with the context. The latter clause is translated by many Commentators to bring punishment (the expiation for sin) upon thy flesh , but the A.V. is probably correct. The “flesh” stands as in Genesis 6:3 ; Psalm 78:39 , and in New Testament language ( Romans 7:18 ; Romans 7:25 ), for the corrupt sensuous element in man’s nature. The context forbids the extension of the precept to sins of speech in general, as in the wider teaching of James 3:1-12 . neither say thou before the angel ] The words have been taken by most Jewish and some Christian interpreters as referring to the “angel” in the strict sense of the term, who was believed in Rabbinic traditions to preside over the Temple or the altar, and who, it is assumed, would punish the evasion of the vow on the frivolous excuse that it had been spoken inconsiderately. 1 Corinthians 11:13 and 1 Timothy 5:21 are referred to as illustrations of the same thought.

This interpretation, however, seems scarcely in harmony with the generally Hellenised tone of the book, and in Haggai 1:13 and Malachi 2:7 we have distinct evidence that the term had come to be applied to prophets and priests, as in 2 Corinthians 8:23 and Revelation 1:20 it is used of ministers in the Christian Church, and this, it is obvious, gives a tenable, and, on the whole, a preferable meaning. The man comes to the priest with an offering less in value than he had vowed, or postpones the fulfilment of his vow indefinitely, and using the technical language of Numbers 15:25 , explains that the vow had been made in ignorance, and therefore that he was not bound to fulfil it to the letter. Other commentators again (Grätz) look on the word as describing a subordinate officer of the Temple. wherefore should God be angry at thy voice ] The question is in form like those of Ezra 4:22 ; Ezra 7:23 , and is rhetorically more emphatic than a direct assertion. The words are a more distinct assertion of a Divine Government seen in earthly rewards and punishments than the book has as yet presented. The vow made, as was common, to secure safety or prosperity, could have no other result than loss and, it might be, ruin, if it were vitiated from the first by a rashness which took refuge in dishonesty.