The Pulpit Commentary — Ecclesiastes — Section 259

"The Lord is nt t.hy right hnnd," to _protect a monarch, which the la.tte1· takes in ba,l thee, sf\ys the J»alrnist (Ps. ex. 5). • The part, and shows strnng reeentmcllt age.inst wise mnn's mind shows him how to escape the person who offered it. Now, when a dangers nnd direct his course safely; the man !mows himself to ho in the right, and fo0l's mind belps him not to e.ny good pur- yet fin<ls his counsel rejected, perhaps with pose, <'-Buses him to err and miss his best scorn and reproach added, he is nntumlly (1l1jl'rt.. prone to feel sore, and to show by some \·er. 3.-Yea, also, when he that is a fool overt net his sense of the ill treatment which walkcth by the way. As soon as ever he he has received. But whe.t so.ye wisdom? set;i his foot outside the house, and mixes Leave not thy plaoe (ma7.-om); i.e. position, with other men, he exhibits his folly. If post, offico. Do not hastily resign the he remained at home he might keep his eitm1.tion at court to whioh you he.ve been real ineptitude concealed; but such persons appointed. Some,. not so suitably, take the ns he arc unconscious of their inanity, and express~on, "leave, thy place," figuratively, tnke no pains to hide it; they go where, ns equivalent to "give way to unger, re- they act as, their foolish heart prompts nounce the temper which becomes you, lose them. There is no metaphor here, nor any your self-possession." But Wright, from ref,·rcnce tu the fool being put in the right the analogous use of matstsale and maamad path und pc·n-ersely turning away. It id in Ise.. :x:xii. 19, confirms the interprets.lion simply, as the Septuagint renders, Ka.! -ye lv which we he.ve adopted. . Compare the o'/ic;; OTClV liq,pwv 7r0pEV7)TC.L. His wisdom advice in eh. viii. a, _where, however; the (Hebrew, lieart) fa.ileth him. GinsbUl'g a.nd idea. is rather of open :rebellion than of a others render, "He lacketb his mind," want resentment which. shows •itse1f by with- of heart being continually taken in the drawal. Origen (' De Princip.,' iii. 2) ex- Book of Proverbs as equivalent to deficiency plained "the spirit of the ruler" to be the of underst.auding (Prov. vi. 32; vii. 7, etc.). evil spirit; e.ud Gregory, commenting on But Dditzsch and Wright consider the order this passage, writes (' Moral.,' iii. 43), "A@ of the words and the suffix to be against this though he had said in plain words, 'If thou Yiew, and they translate as the Authorized perceivest the spirit of the tempter to pre~ Version, i.e. his understanding is at fault. vail against thoe in aught, quit not the And he saith to every one that he is a fool. lowliness of penitence;' and that it was the The sentence is ambiguous, and eapable of abasement of penitence tha_t he called' our two interpretations. The Vnlgate ha.s, Cum place,' he shows by the words that follow, ipse insipiens ait, omnes stultos mstimat. • for healing [Vulgate] pa.cifieth greo.t of- Jerome quotes Syrumaehns as rendering, fences.' For what else is the humility of "He 611Spects all men that they are fools." mourning, save the remedy of sin?" (Ox- According to this view, the fool in his con- ford transl. ). For yielding pa.cilleth great ceit thinks tl:at every one he meets is a fool, offences. Marpe, " yielding," is rendered says this in his mind, like the slugganl in " healing" by the ver~ions. Thus Yaµ.a. Prov. xxl"i. 16, "Who is wiser in his own (Septuagint); curatio (Vulgate). But this conceit than ten men that can render a. tl'anslatioa is not so suitable as that o[ Sym- reason." Another explanation, more closely me.ehus, rrwq,porr61171, "moueration." The in accordance with the foregoing clauses, word is used in the sense· of " gentleness,'' takes the prnnoun in" he is a.fool" to refer "meekness,'' in Prov. xiv. 30; xv: 4; and the to the man l1imself, se esse ttu.lt11m (co,up. gnome expresses the truth that a calm, con-. Ps. ix. 21 [20], "Let the nations know ciliating spil-it, not prone to take offence, themselves to be bnt men"). As soon as he but patient under trying ci.l'Curnstances, goes abroad, his words e.nd actions display obviales great sins. The, sins are .those of bis real character; he betrays himself; he the subject. This quiet resignation saves says virtually to all with whom he has to him from conspiracy, rebellion, treason, etc., do, "I am a fool" (comp. Prov. xiii. 16; into which his untempered resentment might xviii. 2). It is hard to say to which inter- hurry him. We miiy compare Prov. xv. 1 pretation the Septuagint inclines, gi viug, and xxv. 15; .. and Horace, 'Carm.,' iii. 3, Ka;l & .>,.ayteiTa, .,,.&,,,.,.,. a.q,parrJ1171 irr-rlv, "And "Jnstum et tenacem propositi virum,'' etc. all that he will think is folly." "The miin whose soul is firm and strong, v~r,. 4-7.-Section 12. R/ustration of Bows not to any tyrant's frown, the conduct of ,risdc,m under capricious rulors, And on t!,e rabble's clamorous throng or wl,en fools are exalted to high stations. In proud dis<lafo looks coldly down." (Stanley.) Ver. 4.-If the spirit of the ruler rise up e.ge.lrtat thee. ''Spirit" (ruach) is l1ere They who regard the "offences" as those equivakut to "anger," as Judg. viii. 3; of tile ruler explain them to mean oppression Pruv. xxi.x. 11. The iclef\ seems to be that a e.ud injustice· but it seems pfoin from the atatesman ur councillor gives wise ad vice to run of the s;ntence tho.t the minititer. not CH, X, 1-20.] EC0LESlASTES; OR, THE PREA0il.8Il. 251