Ecclesiastes 10 · Verse 17

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!
Ecclesiastes 10:17, King James Version

Ecclesiastes 10:17 in other translations

BSBBlessed are you, O land whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes feast at the proper time— for strength and not for drunkenness.
WEBHappy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
ASVHappy 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!
YLTHappy art thou, O land, When thy king is a son of freemen, And thy princes do eat in due season, For might, and not for drunkenness.
DARBYHappy art thou, O land, when thy king is a son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
BBEHappy is the land whose ruler is of noble birth, and whose chiefs take food at the right time, for strength and not for feasting.
WebsterBlessed 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!

What does Ecclesiastes 10:17 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
17. son of nobles--not merely in blood, but in virtue, the true nobility (So 7:1; Is 32:5, 8). in due season--(Ec 3:1), not until duty has first been attended to. for strength--to refresh the body, not for revelry (included in "drunkenness").

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 17 When thy king is the son of nobles - uiov eleuyerwn, the son of freemen; persons well acquainted with the principles of civil liberty, and who rule according to them - Septuagint. Such a one as comes to the throne in a legitimate way, from an ancient regal family, whose right to the throne is incontestable. It requires such a long time to establish a regal right, that the state is in continual danger from pretenders and usurpers, where the king is not the son of nobles. And thy princes eat in due season - All persons in places of trust for the public weal, from the king to the lowest public functionary, should know, that the public are exceedingly scandalized at repeated accounts of entertainments, where irregularity prevails, much money is expended, and no good done. These things are drawn into precedent, and quoted to countenance debauch in the inferior classes. The natural division of the day for necessary repasts is, Breakfast, eight, or half after; Dinner, one, or half after; Supper, eight, or half after. And these, or even earliers hours were formerly observed in these countries. Then we had scarcely any such thing as gout, and no nervous disorders. In ancient nations the custom was to eat but once, and then about mid-day.

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…

Read the full comment on Ecclesiastes 10:16-20 →

Ecclesiastes 10:17 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.

אַשְׁרֵ֣יךְ'ash.Reikhhow blessed [are] youH835
אֶ֔רֶץ'E.retzO landH776
שֶׁמַּלְכֵּ֖ךְshe.mal.Kekhthat king yourH4428
בֶּן\־ben-[is] a son ofH1121
חוֹרִ֑יםcho.RimnoblesH2715
וְשָׂרַ֙יִךְ֙ve.sa.Ra.yikhand princes yourH8269
בָּעֵ֣תba.'Etat the appropriate timeH6256
יֹאכֵ֔לוּyo.Khe.luthey eatH398
בִּגְבוּרָ֖הbig.vu.Rahfor strengthH1369
וְלֹ֥אve.Lo'and notH3808
בַשְּׁתִֽי\׃va.she.Tifor <the> drinkingH8358

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

Cross references for Ecclesiastes 10:17

  • Proverbs 31:4-5

    It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.

  • Deuteronomy 14:26

    And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,

  • Isaiah 5:11

    Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!

  • Ecclesiastes 10:6-7

    Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place. I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.

  • Jeremiah 30:21

    And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the Lord.

  • Proverbs 28:2-3

    For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged. A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
when.
6,7; Pr 28:2,3; Jer 30:21
and thy.
Pr 31:4,5

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

Context

  • 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!

  • Ecclesiastes 10:18

    By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.

Read all of Ecclesiastes 10

Ecclesiastes 10:17 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		¡Bienaventurada, tú, tierra, cuando tu rey es hijo de nobles, y tus príncipes comen á su hora, por refección, y no por el beber!
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Bienheureuse toi, terre qui as pour roi le fils des nobles, et dont les princes mangent au temps convenable, pour réparer leurs forces, et non pour le plaisir de boire!
German
Elberfelder 1871		Glücklich, du Land, dessen König ein Sohn der Edlen ist, und dessen Fürsten zu rechter Zeit speisen, als Männer und nicht als Schwelger -
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Beata terra cujus rex nobilis est, et cujus principes vescuntur in tempore suo, ad reficiendum, et non ad luxuriam.