But who are they who make and frequent such places? A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry.] Laughter is used in Ecclesiastes 2:2, for extravagant merriment. Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10:11-15 (Read Ecclesiastes 10:11-15) There is a practice in the East, of charming serpents by music. Money is the answer to all charges, the apology for all crimes: he who has money may allow himself any liberty. 6. The Value Of Silver (Ecclesiastes 10:19). maketh merry = will gladden life. ‘A feast is made for laughter, and wine gladdens the life, and silver answers all things.’. 336-337). A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. The author has now described the king who is a misfortune and him who is a blessing to the land, and princes as they ought to be and as they ought not to be, but particularly luxurious idle courtiers; there is now a warning given which has for its motive not only prudence, but also, according to Ecclesiastes 8:2, religiousness. supposes, the conditioning ל with which adv. Epicures and drunkards generally; such as those of whom Horace speaks: Nos numerus sumus, et fruges consumere nati. Ecclesiastes 10:19. Therefore be frugal, and spend not all in luxurious eating and drinking, remembering, that money is wanted for a great many other purposes. Not bakers, who make bread for common use, and for all sorts of persons, sorrowful ones as others; but luxurious men, particularly such princes as are before described; they "make bread", that is, a feast, as the phrase is used, Daniel 5:1; not for mere refreshment, but to promote mirth and gaiety to an excessive degree; being attended with rioting and drunkenness, chambering and wantonness, with revellings and dancing; and wine maketh merry; or, "and they prepare wine"F11ויין "et vinum, repete, parant", Piscator. Ecclesiastes 10:19, ESV: "Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything." . Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything. or revelry; that is, by the luxurious rulers still spoken of. : Money makes all to hear (him who has the money), - makes it that nothing is refused to his wish. Ecclesiastes 10:16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! Ecclesiastes 10, Coffman Commentaries on the Bible, One of over 110 Bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, by the leading authority in the Church of Christ, presents a verse level look at the Bible. A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. The real subject of Ecclesiastes 10:19 seems to be the rulers from Ecclesiastes 10:16. Compare Psalms 104:15. answereth all things = maketh everything respond [to their requirements]: i.e. 19.; Calmet) fruges consumere nati. Keil & Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary. Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known. Read verse in King James Version (16-20) Verses 1-3 Those especially who make a profession of religion, should keep from all appearances of evil. Whose “money?” It is artfully suggested, rather than told, that it is the “money” wrung from the subjects that is thus squandered in feasting. The fut. Ecclesiastes 10:19 A feast is made for laughter Or, "who make bread for laughter" F9. Referring to Ecclesiastes 10:18. See Proverbs 31:4, Daniel 5:3-4. The goddess of persuasion forms her train; And Venus decks the well-bemonied swain. Whether a person is sick or healthy, happy or depressed, everybody benefits from financial stability. 10:19 Money answers every need Following the previous verse which opposes laziness, this verse encourages man to be industrious and to earn money. It gives a satisfactory answer to whatsoever is desired or demanded. Hitzig says, "That which in Ecclesiastes 10:16 was not affirmed, to wit, that the home of the speaker was such an unhappy country, is here added." indefin. Ecclesiastes 10:19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all [things]. i. 17Blessed artthou, O land, when thy king isthe son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! Ecclesiastes 10:19 Context 16Woe to thee, O land, when thy king isa child, and thy princes eat in the morning! Commentary. Laughter: “A superficial gaiety, used of the ‘fun’ of a game (Proverbs 1:23) or a party (Ecclesiastes 10:19), or the ‘derision’ which Jeremiah suffered (Jeremiah 20:7).” (Eaton) ii. Friends, honor, birth, and beauty, can bestow. Hence, "men prepare a meal for enjoyment"-instead of eating for strength (17), such men try to turn every meal into a party or an excuse to eat and drink to excess. (11-15) Duties of rulers and subjects. Those who strive to trace a continuity of thought take Ecclesiastes 10:18 as a figurative description of the ruin of an ill-governed land; Ecclesiastes 10:19 as describing the riot of those rulers who make feasts for merriment, and have money freely at their disposal; and (Ecclesiastes 10:20) as a warning to the subjects to beware how, notwithstanding all this mis-government, they venture to rebel. Chapter 10 This chapter seems to be like Solomon’s proverbs, a collection of wise sayings and observations, rather than a part of his sermon; but the preacher studied to be sententious, and "set in order many proverbs,’’ to be brought in in his preaching. Their meals are taken, not for strength, but for self-indulgent excess. accus. The author has now described the king who is a misfortune and him who is a blessing to the land, and princes as they ought to be and as they ought not to be, but particularly luxurious idle courtiers; there is now a warning given which has for its motive not only prudence, but also, according to Ecclesiastes 8:2, religiousness. the point is not that every man has his price but that every gift has its use-and silver, in the form of money, is the most versatile of all." But money answereth all things.] Besides, עשה along with ל is employed in other places to designate that into which anything is made: compare Isaiah 44:17, "the remainder he maketh to a God," לאל עשה שאריתו. A feast is made for laughter - The object of it is to produce merriment, to banish care and concern of every kind. The Hebrew, or rather Chaldee, word (d) used for money [1 Chronicles 29:7 Ezra 8:27] signifies to do some great work, because money is the monarch of the world, and therein bears most mastery. Upgrade to Bible Gateway Plus, and access the best Bible commentaries and many other resources! Ecclesiastes 10:19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. 6. Ver. And money answereth all things: nay with the accusative signifies "to answer," (Job 31:35) and then "to be answerable for," (Job 33:13). Their meal times are scenes of excess. The behaviors and outcomes of the wise and foolish are being contrasted. Ecclesiastes 10:19. … The subject which 'osim bears in itself (= 'osim hēm ) might be syntactically definite, as e.g., Psalms 33:5, אהב, He, Jahve, loves, thus: those princes, or, from Ecclesiastes 10:18 : such slothful men; but 'osim is better rendered, like e.g., omrim, Exodus 5:16 (Ewald, §200 a ), and as in the Mishna we read קורין and the like with gramm. Slothful governors, Regni dilapidatores (so our Henry III was called for his pride and prodigality), (a) are all for feasting and frolicking. The bread and the wine, which cheer the life, are made into laughter. Learn more. Try it for 30 days FREE. (19) I look on these verses as isolated proverbs, and believe that the obvious meaning suggested by the English of this verse is the right one. It is the Kal : Money answers to every demand, hears every wish, grants whatever one longs for, helps to all; as Menander says: “Silver and gold, - these are, according to my opinion, the most useful gods; if these have a place in the house, wish what thou wilt ( εὖξαι τί βούλει ), all will be thine;” and Horace, Epod . (4-10) Of foolish talk. Among suitors (in love and in law especially) money drives the bargain and business to an upshot. and wine that rejoices life, and money answereth all things, A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry. ישׂמּח is meant in the same modal sense as יגבּר, Ecclesiastes 10:10 : wine must accomplish that for them. A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry; but money answereth all things. conceptions are formed, - e.g., Lamentations 4:5, האך למע, where Jerome rightly translates, voluptuose ( vid ., E. Gerlach, l.c. Ecclesiastes 10:1-20. This cannot be maintained without money, for the getting and gathering in whereof the poor people are peeled and polled, and rich men’s gifts are received, to the perverting of justice by those corrupt rulers, qui vili precio nihil non humile et vile parati sunt facere, as Gregory Thaumaturgus speaketh in his note upon this verse. It is incorrect, moreover, to take lěhěm veyaim together, and to render yesammahh hayaim as an attribut. A feast (Hebrew, bread) is made for laughter. will procure both [feast and wine]. Understand the meaning of Ecclesiastes 10:19 using all available Bible versions and commentary. Seneca saith, circa pecuniam multum vociferationis est, that about money there is much noise, great crying; but though never so nmch, never so great, money answereth all - it effects all. A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh glad the life; and money answereth all things. Maurer takes “all things” of the wrongs to which princes are instigated by “money”; for example, the heavy taxes, which were the occasion of Rehoboam losing ten tribes (1 Kings 12:4, etc.). ... John Trapp Complete Commentary. Ecclesiastes 10:19 - A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all. --- Scilicet uxorem cum dote fidemque et amicos, Et genus, et formam regina pecunia donet. As if they were born for this purpose, (Philippians iii. Ecclesiastes 10:2 "A wise man's heart [is] at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left." Scilicet uxorem cum dote, fidemque, et amicos. Elsewhere לשחוק always means "to laughter," and consequently may not in this place be translated, "amidst laughter." "wine makes life merry"-the sluggard or the fool is constantly needing a drink to put them in a cheerful mood. petentis, signifies, “to answer a request, to gratify a desire.” But in the passage before us הכּל is not the obj. : they make, but so that by it the slothful just designated, and those of a princely rank are meant (cf. It is a compendium of Isaiah 22:13, (compare 1 Cor. a similar use of the inf . "Scilicet uxorem cum dote fidemque et amicos, Et genus et formam regina pecunia donat.". Ecclesiastes 10:19 Parallel. ", "Feasting makes you happy, and wine cheers you up, but you can't have either without money. "If thou hast gold, then wish for anything, οϊνον καὶ ἔλαιον τοῦ εὐφρανθῆναι ζῶντας καὶ τοῦ ἀργυρίου ταπεινώσει ἐπακούσεται τὰ πάντα, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. But money answereth all (things) - i:e., by having money they can have what they wish; all things are at the call of money, and it answers all charges; so they take bribes to support their extravagance; and hence arise the wrongs that are perpetrated (Ecclesiastes 10:5-6; Isaiah 1:23); e.g., the heavy taxes, which were the occasion of Rehoboam losing ten tribes. Or the idea may be that while a feast and wine bring a kind of happiness, it is only silver which can be fully persuasive with regard to life. Or else the sense may be, that princes should consider, and not be so profuse in their manner of living, but be more frugal and careful of the public money, and lay it up against a time of need; since it is that that answers all things, is the sinew of war when that arises, and will procure men and arms, to secure and protect them from their enemies, and obtain peace and safety for them and their subjects, which otherwise they cannot expect. Is money the answer for everything? ), - but, which is most natural and is very appropriate, it is the ל of the aim or purpose: non ad debitam corporis refectionem, sed ad hera ludicra et stulta gaudia (Geier). A feast is made for laughter, &c. — Not merely for caring, but chiefly for pleasant conversation, and the society of friends; not the laughter of fools, which is madness, but that of wise men, namely, that cheerfulness by which they fit themselves for business and severe studies: and wine maketh merry — Hebrew, ישׂמח חיים, maketh glad the life, exhilarates the mind; but money answereth all things — Procures not only meat and drink for feasting, but all other worldly advantages. And they can feast and drink, for they have money, and money ־הכּל ... יע . שׂחוק is laughter, as that to which he utters the sentence (Ecclesiastes 2:2): Thou art mad. AMP. Ecclesiastes 10:19 ... Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers (19) I look on these verses as isolated proverbs, and believe that the obvious meaning suggested by the English of … A feast is made for laughter - The object of it is to produce merriment, to banish care and concern of every kind. 19. “While spoiling his neighbour’s propert… and wine maketh merry; or, "and they prepare wine" (k); which is provided in plenty at feasts; and which is sometimes put for a feast itself, and called a banquet of wine, Esther 7:2; which wine makes merry, and men drink of it till they become drunk with it, at such profuse feasts: or, "which maketh life cheerful" (l); as it does, when moderately used: "cheers the living"; so Aben Ezra; but money answereth all things; is in the room of all things, and by it men obtain everything they want and wish for; it answers the requests of all, and supplies them with what they stand in need of, or can desire: particularly such expensive feasts, and sumptuous entertainments, are made by means of money; and, in this luxurious way, the coffers of princes are drained, and they are obliged to raise new levies, and impose new taxes upon their subjects, to the oppression of them. Others believe that the verse reveals the attitudes that lead to sloth, "It is because of the three erroneous attitudes expressed in this verse that the condition discussed in verse 18 existed" (Kidwell p. 258). A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry. ◄ Ecclesiastes 10:19 ► A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything. of that to which one answers as well as of that which one answers, e.g., Job 40:2, cf. Various ideas exist concerning the contextual tie-in of the above verse: 1. But who are they who make and frequent such places? The ל of לשׂ is not the sign of the factitive obj. clause to yain : this epitheton ornans of wine would here be a most unsuitable weakening of the figure intended. Instead of repairing the breaches in the commonwealth (equivalent to “building”), the princes “make a feast for laughter (Ecclesiastes 10:16), and wine maketh their life glad (Psalm 104:15), and (but) money supplieth (answereth their wishes by supplying) all things,” that is, they take bribes to support their extravagance; and hence arise the wrongs that are perpetrated (Ecclesiastes 10:5, Ecclesiastes 10:6; Ecclesiastes 3:16; Isaiah 1:23; Isaiah 5:23). ), --- Hebrew, "money answers all purposes," (Haydock) to procure meat, drink, &c. (Calmet), "Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and wine makes life merry, and money is the answer to everything.". --- Money. Here it is quite clear that the author is not giving general observations, but depicting things as they really and truly existed. 2. in the historical style, Isaiah 22:13). where the godless say, "let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die." Cancel at any time. "A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh glad the life; and money answereth all things." See note on Ecclesiastes 5:19, the only two occurrences of "anah in this book. ASV. Ecclesiastes 10:18 : Ecclesiastes 10:20 >> The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment Sign up for the Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. "Those whose names stand as indications of men, the useless many; and who appear to be born only to consume the produce of the soil.". To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Wine is certainly fitted to make glad the heart of a man; but here the subject of discourse is duty-forgetting idlers, to whom chiefly wine must be brought (Isaiah 5:12) to cheer their life (this sluggard-life spent in feasting and revelry). Ecclesiastes 10:19 Amplified Bible (AMP). Here, as there, 'osim lěhěm signifies coenam faciunt ( parant ). 'avad lehēm, Daniel 5:1. (as leēl, Isaiah 44:17), and thus not, as Hitz. subj. Since, now, Ecclesiastes 10:19 has only to do with princes, the following proverb of the consequences of sloth receives a particular reference in the frame of this mirror for princes: “Through being idle the roof falleth; and through laziness of the hands the house leaketh.” Ewald, Redslob, Olsh., Hitz., and F rst, as already Aben Ezra, … Ecclesiastes 10:19 A feast is made for laughter Or, "who make bread for laughter" F9. 36 s.: “Scilicet uxorem cum dote fidemque et amicos, Et genus et formam regina pecunia donat.”. 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