| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| 1 Words of a Gatherer, son of an obedient one, the declaration, an affirmation of the man: I have wearied myself [for] God, I have wearied myself [for] God, and am consumed. |
The words of – Chapters 30 and 31 do not claim Solomon for their author. R1518:2
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| 2 For I am more brutish than any one, And have not the understanding of a man. |
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| 3 Nor have I learned wisdom, Yet the knowledge of Holy Ones I know. |
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| 4 Who went up to heaven, and cometh down Who hath gathered the wind in his fists Who hath bound waters in a garment Who established all ends of the earth What [is] His name and what His son's name Surely thou knowest! |
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| 5 Every saying of God [is] tried, A shield He [is] to those trusting in Him. |
Word of God is pure – However we have abundant proof that the English translation is not perfect. R52:3*
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| 6 Add not to His words, lest He reason with thee, And thou hast been found false. |
Add thou not – The penalty was death for the Scribe who dared alter a single word of Scripture. R52:2*
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| 7 Two things I have asked from Thee, Withhold not from me before I die. |
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| 8 Vanity and a lying word put far from me, Poverty or wealth give not to me, Cause me to eat the bread of my portion, |
Give me neither – The two-talent man would have a natural advantage over the one-talent man in that he would be neither so likely to be discouraged nor to be puffed up, nor have the increased responsibility of those possessing more. R4660:1
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| 9 Lest I become satiated, and have denied, And have said, 'Who [is] Jehovah ' And lest I be poor, and have stolen, And have laid hold of the name of my God. |
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| 10 Accuse not a servant unto his lord, Lest he disesteem thee, and thou be found guilty. |
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| 11 A generation [is], that lightly esteemeth their father, And their mother doth not bless. |
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| 12 A generation pure in their own eyes, But from their own filth not washed. |
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| 13 A generation how high are their eyes, Yea, their eyelids are lifted up. |
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| 14 A generation swords [are] their teeth, And knives their jaw-teeth, To consume the poor from earth, And the needy from [among] men. |
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| 15 To the leech [are] two daughters, 'Give, give, Lo, three things are not satisfied, Four have not said 'Sufficiency;' |
Are never satisfied – No end of capacity and can never be over-filled. E368
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| 16 Sheol, and a restrained womb, Earth it [is] not satisfied [with] water, And fire it hath not said, 'Sufficiency,' |
The grave – Sheol, oblivion, death. R2600:2; E368
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| 17 An eye that mocketh at a father, And despiseth to obey a mother, Dig it out do ravens of the valley, And eat it do young eagles. |
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| 18 Three things have been too wonderful for me, Yea, four that I have not known: |
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| 19 The way of the eagle in the heavens, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the heart of the sea, And the way of a man in youth. |
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| 20 So the way of an adulterous woman, She hath eaten and hath wiped her mouth, And hath said, 'I have not done iniquity.' |
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| 21 For three things hath earth been troubled, And for four it is not able to bear: |
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| 22 For a servant when he reigneth, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread, |
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| 23 For a hated one when she ruleth, And a maid-servant when she succeedeth her mistress.
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| 24 Four [are] little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the wise: |
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| 25 The ants [are] a people not strong, And they prepare in summer their food, |
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| 26 Conies [are] a people not strong, And they place in a rock their house, |
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| 27 A king there is not to the locust, And it goeth out each one shouting, |
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| 28 A spider with two hands taketh hold, And is in the palaces of a king. |
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| 29 Three there are going well, Yea, four are good in going: |
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| 30 An old lion mighty among beasts, That turneth not back from the face of any, |
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| 31 A girt one of the loins, or a he-goat, And a king no rising up with him. |
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| 32 If thou hast been foolish in lifting up thyself, And if thou hast devised evil hand to mouth! |
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| 33 For the churning of milk bringeth out butter, And the wringing of the nose bringeth out blood, And the forcing of anger bringeth out strife! |
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