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All this have I seen, and applied my mind to every work that is done under the sun. There is a time in which one man has power over another to his hurt.
Verse Takeaways
1
The Two-Sided Harm of Tyranny
Commentators highlight an ambiguity in the original text. When a person rules 'to his hurt,' does it harm the ruler or the person being ruled? Scholars like John Gill conclude that it often means both. An unjust leader inflicts misery on their subjects, but this abuse of power ultimately leads to the ruler's own detriment, whether through rebellion, ruin, or divine judgment.
See 2 Verse Takeaways
Book Overview
Ecclesiastes
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4
18th Century
Presbyterian
To his own hurt - Or, “to the hurt of the subject.” The case is still that of an unwise king whose command is obeyed ([Reference Ecclesiaste…
19th Century
Anglican
Own hurt. —The Hebrew is ambiguous. We might omit “own,” and understand the verse of the misery inflicted by a tyrant on his subje…
17th Century
Reformed Baptist
All this have I seen Observed, taken notice of, and thoroughly considered; all that is said above, concerning the sc…
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Solomon observed that often one man rules over another to his own harm, and that prosperity hardens them in their wickedness. Sinners deceive thems…
