Ecclesiastes 10:9

Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.

Ecclesiastes 10:9, King James Version

Ecclesiastes 10:9 in other translations

BSB	The one who quarries stones may be injured by them, and he who splits logs endangers himself.
WEB	Whoever carves out stones may be injured by them. Whoever splits wood may be endangered by it.
ASV	Whoso heweth out stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby.
YLT	Whoso is removing stones is grieved by them, Whoso is cleaving trees endangered by them.
DARBY	Whoso removeth stones is hurt therewith; he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby.
BBE	He who gets out stones from the earth will be damaged by them, and in the cutting of wood there is danger.
Webster	Whoever removeth stones shall be hurt by them; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered by it.

What does Ecclesiastes 10:9 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

9. removeth stones--namely, of an ancient building [Weiss]. His neighbor's landmarks [Holden]. Cuts out from the quarry [Maurer]. endangered--by the splinters, or by the head of the hatchet, flying back on himself. Pithy aphorisms are common in the East. The sense is: Violations of true wisdom recoil on the perpetrators.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 9 Whoso removeth stones - This verse teaches care and caution. Whoever pulls down an old building is likely to be hurt by the stones; and in cleaving wood many accidents occur for want of sufficient caution.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ecclesiastes 10:4-10

Solomon appears to caution men not to seek redress in a hasty manner, nor to yield to pride and revenge. Do not, in a passion, quit thy post of duty; wait awhile, and thou wilt find that yielding pacifies great offences. Men are not preferred according to their merit. And those are often most forward to offer help, who are least aware of the difficulties, or the consequences. The same remark is applied to the…

Read the full comment on Ecclesiastes 10:4-10 →

Ecclesiastes 10:9 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.

מַסִּ֣יעַma.Si.a'[one who] quarriesH5265

אֲבָנִ֔ים'a.va.NimstonesH68

יֵעָצֵ֖בye.'a.Tzevhe will be hurtH6087

בָּהֶ֑םba.Hemby <the> them

בּוֹקֵ֥עַbo.Ke.a'[one who] cleavesH1234

עֵצִ֖ים'e.Tzimwood<s>H6086

יִסָּ֥כֶןyi.Sa.khenhe will be endangeredH5533

בָּֽם\׃Bamby <the> them

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

Context

Ecclesiastes 10:8
He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
Ecclesiastes 10:9
Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.
Ecclesiastes 10:10
If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.

Read all of Ecclesiastes 10

Ecclesiastes 10:9 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	El que mudare las piedras, trabajo tendrá en ellas: el que cortare la leña, en ella peligrará.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Qui remue des pierres en sera meurtri; qui fend du bois se met en danger.
German Elberfelder 1871	Wer Steine bricht, kann sich daran verletzen; wer Holz spaltet, kann sich dadurch gefährden. -
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Qui transfert lapides affligetur in eis, et qui scindit ligna vulnerabitur ab eis.