Ecclesiastes 10:16

Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!

Ecclesiastes 10:16, King James Version

Ecclesiastes 10:16 in other translations

BSB	Woe to you, O land whose king is a youth, and whose princes feast in the morning.
WEB	Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, and your princes eat in the morning!
ASV	Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!
YLT	Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a youth, And thy princes do eat in the morning.
DARBY	Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!
BBE	Unhappy is the land whose king is a boy, and whose rulers are feasting in the morning.
Webster	Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!

What does Ecclesiastes 10:16 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

16. a child--given to pleasures; behaves with childish levity. Not in years; for a nation may be happy under a young prince, as Josiah. eat in the morning--the usual time for dispensing justice in the East (Jr 21:12); here, given to feasting (Is 5:11; Ac 2:15).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 16 Wo to thee, O land, when thy king is a child - Minorities are, in general, very prejudicial to a state. Regents either disagree, and foment civil wars; or oppress the people. Various discordant interests are raised up in a state during a minority; and the young king, having been under the tutelage of interested men, acts partially and injuriously to the interests of the people when he comes to the throne; and this produces popular discontent, and a troubled reign. Thy princes eat in the morning! - They do nothing in order; turn night into day, and day into night; sleep when they should wake, and wake when they should sleep; attending more to chamberings and banquetings, than to the concerns of the state.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10:16-20

The happiness of a land depends on the character of its rulers. The people cannot be happy when their princes are childish, and lovers of pleasure. Slothfulness is of ill consequence both to private and public affairs. Money, of itself, will neither feed nor clothe, though it answers the occasions of this present life, as what is to be had, may generally be had for money. But the soul, as it is not redeemed, so it is not maintained with corruptible things, as silver and gold. God sees what men do, and hears what they say in secret; and, when he pleases, brings it to light by strange and unsuspected ways. If there be hazard in secret thoughts and whispers against earthly rulers, what must be the peril from every deed, word, or thought of rebellion against the King of kings, and Lord of lords! He seeth in secret. His ear is ever open. Sinner! curse not THIS KING in thy inmost thought. Your curses cannot affect Him; but his curse, coming down upon you, will sink you to the lowest hell.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Ecclesiastes 10:16 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

אִֽי\־'i-woe!H337

לָ֣ךְlakhto <the> you

אֶ֔רֶץ'E.retzO landH776

שֶׁמַּלְכֵּ֖ךְshe.mal.Kekhthat king yourH4428

נָ֑עַרNa.'ar[is] a youthH5288

וְשָׂרַ֖יִךְve.sa.Ra.yikhand princes yourH8269

בַּבֹּ֥קֶרba.Bo.kerin the morningH1242

יֹאכֵֽלוּ\׃yo.Khe.luthey eatH398

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Ecclesiastes 10:16

Isaiah 3:12
As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.
Isaiah 5:11-12
Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.
Isaiah 3:4-5
And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.
Proverbs 20:1-2
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul.
Jeremiah 21:12
O house of David, thus saith the Lord; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
2 Chronicles 13:7
And there are gathered unto him vain men, the children of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand them.
2 Chronicles 36:5
Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God.
Isaiah 28:7-8
But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.
Hosea 7:5-7
In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners. For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire. They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me.
2 Chronicles 36:2
Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36:9
Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.
2 Chronicles 36:11
Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

when.
2Ch 13:7; 33:1-20; 36:2,5,9,11; Isa 3:4,5,12
and.
Pr 20:1,2; Isa 5:11,12; 28:7,8; Ho 7:5-7
in the.
Jer 21:12

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Ecclesiastes 10:15
The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.
Ecclesiastes 10:16
Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!
Ecclesiastes 10:17
Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

Read all of Ecclesiastes 10

Ecclesiastes 10:16 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	¡Ay de ti, tierra, cuando tu rey es muchacho, y tus príncipes comen de mañana!
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Malheur à toi, terre qui as pour roi un jeune garçon, et dont les princes mangent dès le matin!
German Elberfelder 1871	Wehe dir, Land, dessen König ein Knabe ist, und dessen Fürsten am Morgen schmausen
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Væ tibi, terra, cujus rex puer est, et cujus principes mane comedunt.