Ecclesiastes 10:7

7 I have seen servants riding horses, while princes walk on foot like slaves.

Ecclesiastes 10:7 Meaning and Commentary

Ecclesiastes 10:7

I have seen servants upon horses
Which being scarce in Judea, were only rode upon by princes and great personages, or such as were in affluent circumstances; and therefore it was an unusual and disagreeable sight to see servants upon them, which was a token of their being advanced upon the ruin and destruction of their masters; a reigning servant is not only uncomely, but one of the things by which the earth is disquieted, and it cannot bear, ( Proverbs 30:21 Proverbs 30:22 ) ; the Parthians and Persians distinguished their nobles and the vulgar, freemen and servants, by this; the servants went on foot, and the freemen rode on horses F18; and princes walking as servants upon the earth;
degraded from their honour; banished from their thrones and palaces, or obliged to leave them, and reduced to the lowest state and condition: so David, when his son rebelled against him, and he was forced to flee from him, and walk on foot, ( 2 Samuel 15:30 ) ; Alshech thinks it may be a prophecy of the captivity of Israel, when they walked as servants on the earth, and the Gentiles rode on horses.


FOOTNOTES:

F18 Justin. e Trogo, l. 41. c. 3. Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 5. c. 19.

Ecclesiastes 10:7 In-Context

5 Another evil I have seen under the sun, the kind of mistake rulers make, is that
6 fools are promoted to high positions, while the rich occupy humble places.
7 I have seen servants riding horses, while princes walk on foot like slaves.
8 He who digs a pit may fall into it; he who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
9 He who quarries stones may get hurt by them, he who chops wood puts himself in danger.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.