Tyndale Open Study Notes

Verse 2

10:2-3 These two proverbs show the stupidity of fools. They choose wrongly, and everything they do shows that they are foolish.

Verse 4

10:4 A boss can be anyone in authority.

Verse 5

10:5-7 The unjust and destructive delegation of authority to those incapable of using it wisely is a grave mistake. Favoritism, nepotism, extortion, and bribery can place the most reckless fools in the most powerful positions.

Verse 7

10:7 servants riding . . . princes walking: Cp. Prov 19:10.

Verse 8

10:8-9 Every activity requires wisdom. Wisdom is evident in the safety precautions taken by those engaged in every profession, yet there is always a degree of risk.

Verse 10

10:10 wisdom . . . helps you succeed: In all occupations, there are tools that must be kept in good order to be most efficient. Simply sharpening the blade of a dull ax can be a significant act of wisdom for those whose livelihood depends on it.

Verse 11

10:11 One purpose of charming a snake is to keep it from biting, but a snake charmer risks being bitten before it is charmed. Some occupations are so hazardous that the wise do not engage in them at all.

Verse 12

10:12 Fools are destroyed by such things as foolish promises, getting caught in false testimony, and making the wrong people angry (see 5:6; Prov 17:20; 18:6-7; 19:5, 9).

Verse 14

10:14 they chatter on and on: Fools are always talking about nothing (see 5:3; 6:11; Prov 10:19; 17:28). • no one can predict the future: The wise will not waste time in foolish talking nor suffer its consequences (see Jas 4:13-16).

Verse 15

10:15-20 The audience for this speech might have been an assembly of government workers. How should one rule when power and wealth invite a lack of accountability?

10:15 Fools are so unaccustomed to work that when they actually try to work, they become exhausted.

Verse 16

10:16-17 A servant lacks leadership skills. • feast at the proper time: Wise leaders take their leisure only after the work is finished, not in the morning before work has even started. Lazy leaders weaken a society or organization.

Verse 18

10:18 Delay in repairing a roof leads to drooping rafters and eventually to the ruin of the home (see Prov 12:27; 20:4). Corruption in government has a similar effect (Eccl 10:15-16).

Verse 19

10:19 money gives everything: It is the way to get what you want or need in this world (cp. 7:11-12).

Verse 20

10:20 It is often a mystery how someone knows what we have said. The best way to control our reputation is to control our thoughts.