Ecclesiastes Chapter 10 verse 9 Holy Bible
Whoso heweth out stones shall be hurt therewith; `and' he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby.
read chapter 10 in ASV
He who gets out stones from the earth will be damaged by them, and in the cutting of wood there is danger.
read chapter 10 in BBE
Whoso removeth stones is hurt therewith; he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby.
read chapter 10 in DARBY
Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.
read chapter 10 in KJV
read chapter 10 in WBT
Whoever carves out stones may be injured by them. Whoever splits wood may be endangered thereby.
read chapter 10 in WEB
Whoso is removing stones is grieved by them, Whoso is cleaving trees endangered by them.
read chapter 10 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 9. - Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith. It is natural to consider this clause as suggested by the breaking of a wall in the preceding verse; but as this would occasion a jejune repetition, it is better to take it of the work of the quarryman, as in 1 Kings 5:17, where the same verb is used. The dangers to which such laborers are exposed are well known. Here, again, but unsuccessfully, some have seen a reference to the removal of landmarks, comparing 2 Kings 4:4, where the word is translated "set aside." As before said, the paragraph does not speak of retribution, but advises caution, enforcing the lesson by certain homely, allusions to the accidents that may occur m customary occupations. He that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby. Cutting up logs of wood, a man may hurt himself with axe or saw, or be injured by splinters, etc. If we take the idea to be the felling of trees, there is the danger of being crushed in their fall, or, according to the tenor of Deuteronomy 19:5, of being killed inadvertently by a neighbor's axe. Vulgate, Qui scindit ligna vulnerabitur ab eis, which is more definite than the general term "endangered;" but the Septuagint has, Κινδυνεύσει ἐν αὐτοῖς, as in the Authorized Version. Plumptre sees here, again, an intimation of the danger of attacking time-honored institutions, even when decaying and corrupt.
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(9) Removeth.--The nearest parallel is 1Kings 5:17, where the word is used with regard to the quarryings, not the removing of stones. For the latter sense, however, there is countenance in 2Kings 4:4, where the word is translated "set aside."Cleaveth wood.--Or, cutteth down trees, an operation not free from danger (Deuteronomy 19:5).
