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Ecclesiastes 10:20

Context

10:20 Do not curse a king even in your thoughts,

and do not curse the rich 1  while in your bedroom; 2 

for a bird 3  might report what you are thinking, 4 

or some winged creature 5  might repeat your 6  words. 7 

1 tn Perhaps the referent is people who are in authority because of their wealth.

2 tn Heb “in chambers of your bedroom.”

3 tn Heb “a bird of the air.”

4 tn Heb “might carry the voice.” The article is used here with the force of a possessive pronoun.

5 tn The Hebrew phrase בַּעַל הַכְּנָפַיִם (baal hakkÿnafayim, “possessor of wings”) is an idiom for a winged creature, that is, a bird (e.g., Prov 1:17; see HALOT 143 s.v. בַּעַל A.6; BDB 127 s.v. בַּעַל 5.a). The term בַּעַל (“master; possessor”) is the construct governing the attributive genitive הַכְּנָפַיִם (“wings”); see IBHS 149-51 §9.5.3b.

6 tn The term “your” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.

7 tn Heb “tell the matter.”



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