Глава 10

Properties and behavior of the wise and foolish. Eccl.10:1. Dead flies spoil and make the aromatic ointment of the world brewer smelly: the same thing does a little stupidity of a respected person with his wisdom and honor. Not only one sinner can destroy a lot of good things, but even one stupid act, so to speak, a small dose of stupidity can shake and destroy a person’s moral dignity, his wisdom and honor, like a dead fly caught in a fragrant ointment. “A little leaven leavens the whole lump,” says the Apostle (1 Cor 5.6) 3. Eccl.10:2. The heart of a wise man is on the right side, and the heart of a fool is on the left. “Right”, “right side”, as in all languages, expresses the concept of truly good, fair; “left”, “left side”, on the contrary – the concept of false, evil, unfair. Eccl.10:3. No matter what road a fool takes, he always lacks sense, and he will tell everyone that he is stupid. “No matter what road a fool takes, he (always) lacks meaning.” It should be translated more precisely: “and along the road, when a fool walks, he lacks meaning,” that is, a fool does not take a single step so as not to reveal his stupidity. “And he will tell everyone that he is stupid,” that is, he will show everyone his stupidity. Translation of Jerome and Symmachus: “he considers everyone foolish.” Eccl.10:4. If the boss’s anger flares up against you, then do not leave your place; because meekness covers even greater offenses. Ecclesiastes continues with the characterization of the wise and the foolish. A wise person should calmly treat the irritation of his boss, not rush to leave his place, knowing that the boss’s undeserved anger will pass, that calmness and meekness disarms people in cases of even serious misconduct. Eccl.10:5. There is evil that I have seen under the sun, it is like an error arising from the ruler: Eccl.10:6. ignorance comes high and the rich sit low. Eccl.10:7. I saw slaves on horses, and princes walking like slaves. Due to the fault of the rulers, the stupid and unworthy of respect remain in humiliation and contempt. Art. 5 can be translated differently as follows: “there is evil that I saw under the sun, similar to the error that comes from the ruler” (Slavic text - “There is wickedness, which I saw under the sun, like involuntarily came from the face of the owner”). "The Rich Sit Low"; of course, persons of noble and honored families. The incidents mentioned by Ecclesiastes often took place in the Persian kingdom. Eccl.10:8. Whoever digs a hole will fall into it, and whoever destroys the fence will be bitten by a serpent. Eccl.10:9. He who moves stones may injure himself, and he who chops wood may be in danger from them. Eccl.10:10. If the ax becomes dull, and if its blade is not sharpened, then it will be necessary to strain your strength; wisdom can fix this. The connection between these verses and the previous ones is understood differently. Some find here a depiction of those intrigues through which inferior and stupid people achieved high positions. Others see these verses as a continuation of the characterization of the wise and the foolish. He who carelessly undertakes risky and dangerous undertakings, whether for his own benefit or to the harm of others, can easily harm himself. Wisdom will teach a person to balance his desires with his strengths, and not to waste his energy unproductively. She is aware in advance of all the dangers and all the difficulties of each enterprise and knows how to eliminate them in time. “Wisdom can fix it”; more precisely from the Hebrew: “the advantage of successful action is wisdom.” Eccl.10:11. If a snake bites without incantation, then the evil-tongued one is no better than him. This verse should be translated as follows: “if a serpent bites without speaking, then the spellcaster has no benefit” (Slavic text - “If the serpent bites not in a whisper, there is no excess for the possessor”). The spell, according to these words, is supposed to precede the bite. Psalm 57.5 speaks of a serpent that bites without allowing a spell to be cast upon it. In figurative speech, Ecclesiastes points out the futility of belated action. Eccl.10:12. Words from the mouth of a wise man are grace, but the mouth of a fool destroys him: Eccl.10:13. the beginning of the words from his mouth is stupidity, and the end of the words from his mouth is madness. The talkativeness of a fool also extends to subjects that a person cannot know and about which no one will tell him. Eccl.10:14. A fool will say a lot, although a person does not know what will happen, and who will tell him what will happen after him? Eccl.10:15. The work of a fool tires him, because he does not even know the way to the city. Ignorance of the case, ignorance of the simplest things, for example, the road to the city, the inability to find protection of one’s interests from the city judge, makes the work of a fool tiresome and fruitless. Eccl.10:16. Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and when your princes eat early! Eccl.10:17. It is good for you, land, when your king is from a noble family, and your princes eat at the right time, for strengthening, and not for satiety! The misfortune of stupid people is especially great when they turn out to be kings and rulers. “Your king is a youth,” that is, with a child’s mind, stupid. In Isaiah (Isaiah 3.12), bad rulers are called children and women. “Your princes eat early,” that is, they lead an intemperate and carefree life (cf. Isaiah 5:11 et seq.). Eccl.10:18. The ceiling will sag from laziness, and when you give up, the house will leak. Eccl.10:19. Feasts are given for pleasure, and wine makes life merry; and silver is responsible for everything. Just as a house falls into disrepair due to the laziness of the owner, so the state is destroyed due to lazy and intemperate rulers who rob their people. Eccl.10:20. Even in your thoughts do not curse the king, and in your bedroom do not curse the rich; because the bird of the air can carry your word, and the bird with wings can retell your speech. Having said that stupid and lazy rulers are a misfortune for the country, Ecclesiastes hastens to give practical advice not to condemn such rulers, since disapproving comments about them in some unknown way usually reach their ears. The exact translation of the second half of verse 1 should be: “heavier than wisdom, than honor, a little foolishness weighs,” that is, one stupid, dishonest act can tarnish a person’s moral dignity, turn his wisdom and honor into nothing. You might be interested in: