Ecclesiastes 8:1
Who [is] as the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? The wisdom of man causes his face to shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.
Literal Standard Version
In The King James Version
In Context
2I [counsel]: keep the command of a king, even for the sake of an oath [to] God.
Cross References
Genesis 40:8And they say to him, “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it”; and Joseph says to them, “Are interpretations not with God? Please recount to me.”
Genesis 41:38and Pharaoh says to his servants, “Do we find like this, a man in whom the Spirit of God [is]?”
Exodus 34:35and the sons of Israel have seen the face of Moses, that the skin of the face of Moses has shone, and Moses has put back the veil on his face until his going in to speak with Him.
Job 33:23If there is a messenger by him, || An interpreter—one of a thousand, || To declare for man his uprightness,
Proverbs 4:8Exalt her and she lifts you up, || She honors you when you embrace her.
Proverbs 17:24The face of the intelligent [is] to wisdom, || And the eyes of a fool—at the end of the earth.
Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 8:1
Solomon, in this chapter, comes to recommend wisdom to us as the most powerful antidote against both the temptations and vexations that arise from the vanity of the world. Here is, I. The benefit and praise of wisdom, ver. 1 . II. Some particular instances of wisdom prescribed to us. 1. We must keep in due subjection to the government God has set over us, ver. 2-5 . 2. We must get ready for sudden evils, and especially for sudden death, ver. 6-8 . 3. We must arm ourselves against the temptation of an oppressive… Read the whole commentary →