the Week of Proper 21 / Ordinary 26
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Updated Bible Version
Ecclesiastes 10:17
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Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for might and not for drinking.
Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for drunkenness.
But well is thee O thou lande, whose kyng is come of nobles, and whose princes eate in due season for necessitie, and not for lust.
Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is a son of nobles, and thy princes eat in [due] season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, And your princes feast at the proper time-- For strength and not for drunkenness!
Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your leaders eat in due time, in strength, and not in drinking.
But it is very good for a country if the king comes from a good family. And it is very good for a country if the rulers control their eating and drinking. They eat and drink to become strong, not to become drunk.
Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, And your princes eat in due season, For strength, and not for drunkenness!
Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the sonne of nobles, and thy princes eate in due season, for strength, and not for drunkennesse.
Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
But well is the (O thou realme and londe) whose kinge is come of nobles, and whose prynces eate in due season, for strength and not for lust.
Blessed [prosperous and admired] are you, O land, when your king is a man of noble birth, and your princes and officials feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.
Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
Happy is the land whose ruler is of noble birth, and whose chiefs take food at the right time, for strength and not for feasting.
Blessed [art] thou, O land, when thy king [is] the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time—with self-control and not in drunkenness.
But a nation will prosper when its ruler is mature, and its leaders don't party too much.
Happy are you, land, when your king is well-born, and your princes eat at the proper time, in order to stay strong, not to get drunk!
Blessed art thou, O land, when thy King is the sonne of nobles, and thy princes eate in time, for strength and not for drunkennesse.
Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of a noble and your princes eat in due time, for strength and not for drunkenness!
Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, And your princes eat in due season, For strength, and not for drunkenness!
Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is a free man, and thy princes eat in due season, in strength, and not in drunkenness!
Happy is the land whose king is a noble leader and whose leaders feast at the proper time to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.
Happy are you, O land, when your king is from parents who have ruled, and your princes eat at the right time, for strength and not to get drunk.
Blessed art thou, O land, whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes shall eat seasonably, for strength, and shall not be ashamed.
Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
Blessed are you, O land whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes feast at the proper time-for strength and not for drunkenness.
Happy are you, O land, when your king is a nobleman, and your princes feast at the proper time— for strength, and not for drunkenness!
How happy art thou, O land, when thy king is a son of nobles, - and, thy rulers, in season, do eat, for strength, and not for debauchery.
Blessed is the land, whose king is noble, and whose princes eat in due season for refreshment, and not for riotousness.
Blessed are you, O land, when your king is a son of nobility and your princes feast at the proper time— to gain strength and not to get drunk.
Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
Blessed are you, land whose king is of nobility, and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for drunkenness.
How lucky a country is whose king comes from a good family, whose leaders eat only at mealtime and for strength, not to get drunk.
But a country is fortunate to have a king who makes his own decisions and leaders who eat at the proper time, who control themselves and don't get drunk.
Blessed are you, land, when your king is a son of nobles and your princes feast at the proper time— for strength and not for drunkenness.
Blessid is the lond, whos kyng is noble; and whose princis eten in her tyme, to susteyne the kynde, and not to waste.
Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of free men, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
Happy art thou, O land, When thy king [is] a son of freemen, And thy princes do eat in due season, For might, and not for drunkenness.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
when: Ecclesiastes 10:6, Ecclesiastes 10:7, Proverbs 28:2, Proverbs 28:3, Jeremiah 30:21
and thy: Proverbs 31:4, Proverbs 31:5
Reciprocal: 1 Kings 20:16 - Benhadad Isaiah 5:11 - rise Isaiah 28:7 - erred Isaiah 34:12 - call Jeremiah 21:12 - morning Jeremiah 22:15 - eat Acts 24:25 - temperance
Cross-References
And Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her; And he took her, and lay with her, and humbled her.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Blessed [art] thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles,.... Or "heroes" z, called "Hhorim" in the Hebrew, which signifies "white"; either from the white garment they wore, or rather from the purity and ingenuity of their minds and manners; being illustrious persons, not only by birth and education, but in their lives and actions. Now a land is happy when it is governed by a king that is not only descended from a race of heroes and illustrious men, and has a princely and liberal education; but that imitates his ancestors, and treads in their steps, and is famous himself for wisdom, virtue, and real piety, in which true nobility consists; and so the Vulgate Latin version renders it, "whose king is noble"; who is of an ingenuous mind, has princely virtues and qualifications; who is wise and prudent, skilful in the affairs of government, and assiduous and industrious therein; for as, on the one hand, kings may, as they commonly do, descend from illustrious progenitors, and yet be base and wicked, ignoble and infamous, in their administration; and, on the other hand, persons may be raised from a low estate to royal dignity, as David and others, and yet behave with great prudence and ingenuity. The Targum applies this to the land of Israel also, and instances in Hezekiah, a man mighty in the law;
and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness; that is, eat their meals at proper times, and that after they have been at business; to refresh nature, and recruit their strength, that they may be fit for further service; and do not indulge themselves, and spend their time, in rioting and drunkenness; which would render them very unfit for public business, to sit in council, or in any court of judicature: according to the Targum, the time was four o'clock, that is, ten o'clock in the morning. Or, "not unto drinking" or "drunkenness" a; they do not eat so as to cause an appetite, or eager desire for drinking to excess: or, not "with drinking" b; their eating is not attended with excessive drinking; they eat and drink moderately. The Egyptians had a law, which fixed such a measure of wine to be allowed their kings daily, and no more c; and it was Solon's law, given to the Athenians, that if a prince was found drunk, death was his punishment d; and, with the Indians, if a woman killed a drunken king, her reward was to marry his successor e: all which show how odious drunkenness was with the Heathens, and especially in their kings and princes; see Proverbs 31:4. So Plato observes f, that
"drunkenness ought to be abstained from; and rather it should be allowed to any than to a keeper, (that is, of a city and its laws, a Civil magistrate), for it would be ridiculous for a keeper to need a keeper.''
Jerom, as before observed, interprets this figuratively, "blessed is the land", of the church; whose "King" is Christ, the son of nobles, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and whose "princes" are the apostles, who seek not pleasure in this world, but shall eat in the world to come.
z ××ר×× "heroum", Montanus. a ××× ××©×ª× non "autem ad compotationem", Junius Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius, Gejerus, Rambachius so Broughton. b "Non cum ingurgitatione", Cocceius; "non eum compotatione", Schmidt. c Plutarch. de Iside & Osir. "in principio". Vid. Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 3. c. 11. d Laert. Vit. Solon. p. 38. e Strabo. Geograph. l. 15. p. 488. f De Republic. l. 3. p. 621.
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 âbuildingâ or âhouseâ 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 17. When thy king is the son of nobles — Ï Î¹Î¿Ï ÎµÎ»ÎµÏ Î¸ÎµÏÏν, the son of freemen; persons well acquainted with the principles of civil liberty, and who rule according to them.-Septuagint. Such a one as comes to the throne in a legitimate way, from an ancient regal family, whose right to the throne is incontestable. It requires such a long time to establish a regal right, that the state is in continual danger from pretenders and usurpers, where the king is not the son of nobles.
And thy princes eat in due season — All persons in places of trust for the public weal, from the king to the lowest public functionary, should know, that the public are exceedingly scandalized at repeated accounts of entertainments, where irregularity prevails, much money is expended, and no good done. These things are drawn into precedent, and quoted to countenance debauch in the inferior classes. The natural division of the day for necessary repasts is, BREAKFAST, eight, or half after; DINNER, one, or half after; SUPPER, eight, or half after. And these, or even earlier hours were formerly observed in these countries. Then we had scarcely any such thing as gout, and no nervous disorders.
In ancient nations the custom was to eat but once; and then about mid-day.
