Charles Ellicott Commentary Ecclesiastes 10:9

"Whoso heweth out stones shall be hurt therewith; [and] he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby." — Ecclesiastes 10:9 (ASV)

Removes. —The nearest parallel is 1 Kings 5:17, where the word is used with regard to the quarrying of stones, not their removal. For the latter sense, however, there is support in 2 Kings 4:4, where the word is translated “set aside.”

Cleaves wood.— Or, cuts down trees, an operation not free from danger (Deuteronomy 19:5).