Pengkhotbah 10:20

Bahasa Indonesia Sehari-hari

20 Curse not the king, no, not even in your thoughts, and curse not the rich in your bedchamber, for a bird of the air will carry the voice, and a winged creature will tell the matter. Exod. 22:28.">[fn]

Parallel Translations

Alkitab Terjemahan Baru
20 Curse not the king, no, not even in your thoughts, and curse not the rich in your bedchamber, for a bird of the air will carry the voice, and a winged creature will tell the matter. Exod. 22:28.">[fn]

Contextual Overview

¹⁶ Wo be vnto thee O thou lande, whose kyng is but a chylde, and whose princes are early at their bankettes. ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ Thorowe slouthfulnesse the balkes fall downe, and thorowe idle handes it rayneth in at the house. ¹⁹ Meate maketh men to laugh, and wine maketh them merie: but vnto money are all thinges obedient. ²⁰ 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.

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

Genesis 10:1
These are the generations of the sonnes of Noah, Sem, Ham, and Iapheth: and vnto them were chyldren borne after the fludde.

Genesis 10:6
The children of Ham, Chus: and Mizraim, and Phut, and Chanaan.

Genesis 10:9
The same began to be mightie in the earth, for he was a mightie hunter before the Lorde: Wherfore it is sayde, Euen as Nimrod the mightie hunter before the Lorde.

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.