Ecclesiastes 10:11

11 If the serpent bites before it is ¹charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer.

Ecclesiastes 10:11 Meaning and Commentary

Ecclesiastes 10:11

Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment
See ( Jeremiah 8:17 ) . Or rather, "without a whisper" ^F20; without hissing, or any noise, giving no warning at all: so the Vulgate Latin version renders it, "in silence"; some serpents bite, others sting, some both; see ( Proverbs 23:32 ) ; some hiss, others not, as here; and a babbler is no better;
a whisperer, a backbiter, a busy tattling body, that goes from house to house, and, in a private manner, speaks evil of civil governments, of ministers of the word, and of other persons; and; in a secret way, defames men, and detracts from their characters: such an one is like a venomous viper, a poisonous serpent or adder; and there is no more guarding against him than against such a creature that bites secretly.

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 (vxl alb) "absque susurro", Pagniuus; "absque sibilo", Tigurine version.

Ecclesiastes 10:11 In-Context

9 He who quarries stones is hurt by them, and he who splits logs is endangered by them.

10 If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed.

11 If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer.

12 The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him.

13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness.

Cross References

• 1. [Jeremiah 8:17]