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THE MESSAGE
Ecclesiastes 10:20
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Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,and do not curse a rich person even in your bedroom,for a bird of the sky may carry the message,and a winged creature may report the matter.
Don't revile the king, no, not in your thoughts; And don't revile the rich in your bedchamber: For a bird of the sky may carry your voice, And that which has wings may tell the matter.
Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter.
Furthermore, in your bedroom do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich person; for a bird of the sky will bring the sound, and the winged one will make your word known.
Don't make fun of the king, and don't make fun of rich people, even in your bedroom. A little bird might carry your words; a bird might fly and tell what you said.
Moreover, do not curse the king, even in your bedroom, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry the sound and a winged creature will make the matter known.
Don't revile the king, no, not in your thoughts; And don't revile the rich in your bedchamber: For a bird of the sky may carry your voice, And that which has wings may tell the matter.
Curse not the King, no not in thy thought, neither curse the rich in thy bed chamber: for the foule of the heauen shall carie the voice, & that which hath wings, shall declare the matter.
Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the sky will bring the sound and the winged creature will tell the matter.
Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich even in your bedroom, for a bird of the air may carry your words, and a winged creature may report your speech.
Don't even think about cursing the king; don't curse the rich, not even in secret. A little bird might hear and tell everything.
Don't insult the king, not even in your thoughts; and don't insult the wealthy, not even in your bedroom; for a bird in the air might carry the news, a creature with wings might repeat what you said.
Curse not the king, no, not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for the bird of the air will carry the voice, and that which hath wings will tell the matter.
Don't say bad things about the king. Don't even think bad things about him. And don't say bad things about rich people, even if you are alone in your home. A little bird might fly and tell them everything you said.
Do not curse the king, no not even in your thought; and do not curse the rich in your bedchamber; for a bird of the air shall carry your voice, and that which has wings shall tell the matter.
Don't criticize the king, even silently, and don't criticize the rich, even in the privacy of your bedroom. A bird might carry the message and tell them what you said.
Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, and do not curse the rich even in your own bedroom, for a bird of the sky may carry your voice; a winged messenger may repeat your words.
Also, do not curse a king in your thought; and do not curse the rich in your bedrooms; for a bird of the heavens may carry the voice; yea, the lord of wings may tell the matter.
Wysh the kynge no euell in yi thought, and speake no hurte of ye ryche in thy preuy chambre: for a byrde of the ayre shal betraye thy voyce, and wt hir fethers shal she bewraye thy wordes.
Revile not the king, no, not in thy thought; and revile not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the heavens shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
Say not a curse against the king, even in your thoughts; and even secretly say not a curse against the man of wealth; because a bird of the air will take the voice, and that which has wings will give news of it.
Curse not the king, no, not in thy thought, and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber; for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
Curse not the king, no not in thy thought, and curse not the rich in thy bed-chamber: for a bird of the aire shall carry the voyce, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
Wishe the king no euil in thy thought, and speake no hurt of the riche in thy priuie chaumber: for a byrde of the ayre shall betray thy voyce, and with her fethers shall she bewray thy wordes.
Even in thy conscience, curse not the king; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry thy voice, and that which has wings shall report thy speech.
Curse not the king, no, not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
In thi thouyt bacbite thou not the kyng, and in the priuete of thi bed, curse thou not a riche man; for the briddis of heuene schulen bere thi vois, and he that hath pennys, schal telle the sentence.
Don't revile the king, no, not in your thought; and don't revile the rich in your bedchamber: for a bird of the heavens shall carry the voice, and that which has wings shall tell the matter.
Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bed-chamber: for a bird of the air will carry the voice, and that which hath wings will tell the matter.
Do not curse a king even in your thoughts, and do not curse the rich while in your bedroom; for a bird might report what you are thinking, or some winged creature might repeat your words.
Do not curse the king, even in your thought; Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; For a bird of the air may carry your voice, And a bird in flight may tell the matter.
Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts. And don't make fun of the powerful, even in your own bedroom. For a little bird might deliver your message and tell them what you said.
Do not curse a king even in your thoughts, and do not curse a rich man in your bedroom because a bird of the heavens will carry your voice and an animal with wings will make it known.
Do not curse the king, even in your thoughts, or curse the rich, even in your bedroom; for a bird of the air may carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter.
Even in thy thought, do not revile, the king, nor, within thy bed-chambers, revile thou the rich, - for, a bird of the heavens, might carry the voice, yea, an owner of wings, might tell the matter.
Detract not the king, no not in thy thought; and speak not evil of the rich man in thy private chamber: because even the birds of the air will carry thy voice, and he that hath wings will tell what thou hast said.
Even in your thought, do not curse the king, nor in your bedchamber curse the rich; for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter.
Even in thy mind a king revile not, And in the inner parts of thy bed-chamber Revile not the rich: For a fowl of the heavens causeth the voice to go, And a possessor of wings declareth the word.
Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Curse: Exodus 22:28, Isaiah 8:21, Acts 23:5
thought: or, conscience, Ecclesiastes 7:21, Ecclesiastes 7:22, Luke 19:40
in thy bedchamber: Luke 10:40, Luke 12:2, Luke 12:3
Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 16:5 - cursed 1 Kings 21:13 - the king 2 Kings 6:12 - telleth Esther 2:22 - the thing 2 Peter 2:10 - to speak
Cross-References
This is the family tree of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. After the flood, they themselves had sons.
The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, Canaan.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Curse not the king; no, not in thy thought,.... Though he is a child, and unskilful in government, gives himself to his passions and pleasures, and neglects the affairs of the kingdom; yet be so far from rebelling against him, and doing him any injury, or speaking ill of him, as not even to wish him any ill; or, within thine own breast, imprecate any evil upon him, but rather pray for him, wish him well, and do everything to promote the welfare of his person and government, and this both for the Lord's sake, and for conscience's sake; and therefore curse him not "in thy conscience" m, as some render it. Jarchi interprets this of God the King of the world; see Job 2:9; and Jerom of Christ; who should not be blasphemed, lest the angels, that go about the earth, should carry it to heaven;
and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber; subordinate rulers and magistrates, the king's ministers and counsellors, who are commonly rich; even those luxurious princes, before described, who give up themselves to eating and drinking, and spend the public money in profuse feasts and entertainments: yet a man should be careful how he speaks against them; and not only be cautious of what he says about them, in a vilifying way, in companies and clubs where disaffected persons speak their minds freely; but even in his own house, where his servants may hear him; nay, even in his bedchamber where only his wife and children are;
for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter; an hyperbolical expression; showing that, by some strange and unthought of ways and means, treason, though so very secret, should be brought to the knowledge of the king and his ministers; as if a bird, sitting at the window, or flying by at the same time, should hear and carry it to them: sometimes this is by means of spies and informers, that kings have in all places, to bring them news of the behaviour and sentiments of men, of whom such understand the passage; or by means of such, that bear an ill will to them, or are faithful subjects to the king. With the Persians were certain officers, called the king's ears, and the emperor's eyes; by means of whom the king was believed to be a god, since, by the ears and eyes of others, through those spies, he knew all that was done everywhere n. Some interpret it of angels, good or bad: Jarchi, of the soul of man, which at last flies to heaven, which he thinks is the bird of the air; and of an angel that is associated to him, his guardian angel; meant, as he supposes, by that which hath wings, or "the master of wings" o.
m במדעך εν συνειδησει σου, Sept. "in conscientia tua", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius, Cocceius, Gejerus. n Apuleius de Mundo. o בעל הכגפים "dominus alarum", Piscator.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Foolish rulers, by their weakness, self-indulgence and sloth, bring decay upon the state: nobleness and temperance insure prosperity: yet the subject must not rebel in word or thought against his king.
Ecclesiastes 10:16
A child - Rather, young. The word is applied to Rehoboam 2 Chronicles 13:7 at the time of his accession to the throne, when he was 41 years old.
Eat in the morning - A sign of intemperance (compare Isaiah 5:11).
Ecclesiastes 10:17
Son of nobles - i. e., of a noble disposition.
Ecclesiastes 10:18
The “building” or “house” represents the state. Compare Isaiah 3:6; Amos 9:10.
Droppeth through - i. e., Lets the rain through the roof.
Ecclesiastes 10:19
literally, For merriment they make a feast (bread), and wine gladdens the living, and money supplies all things.
Ecclesiastes 10:20
Curse - Compare Ecclesiastes 7:21-22.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Ecclesiastes 10:20. Curse not the king — Do not permit thyself even to think evil of the king; lest thy tongue at some time give vent to thy thoughts, and so thou be chargeable with treason.
For a bird of the air shall carry the voice — Does he refer here to such fowls as the carrier pigeon, which were often used to carry letters under their wings to a great distance, and bring back answers? The Targum turns it curiously: "Do not speak evil of the king in thy conscience, nor in the secret of thy heart, nor in the most hidden place in thy house, curse not a wise man; for Raziel calls daily from heaven upon Mount Horeb, and his voice goes through the whole world; and Elijah, the great priest, goes, flying through the air like a winged eagle, and publishes the words which are spoken in secret by all the inhabitants of the earth."
Civil government is so peculiarly of God, that he will have it supported for the benefit of mankind; and those who attempt to disturb it are generally marked by his strong disapprobation. And though there have been multitudes of treasons hatched in the deepest secrecy; yet, through the providence of God, they have been discovered in the most singular manner. This shows God's care for government.
