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Ecclesiastes 10:17

WEBKJVBSBESVNKJVNASBNLT
Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
Ecclesiastes 10:17 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV 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!
  • BSB Blessed 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.
  • NKJV Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, And your princes feast at the proper time— For strength and not for drunkenness!
  • NASB Blessed are you, land whose king is of nobility, and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for drunkenness.
  • NLT Happy is the land whose king is a noble leader and whose leaders feast at the proper time to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Blessed is the land whose king is of noble character and whose princes feast at the proper time for strength, not drunkenness. Disciplined, worthy leadership brings a nation good.

Overview

In contrast to verse 16, Qoheleth blesses the land with mature, self-controlled rulers who indulge appropriately and govern responsibly. Good leadership marked by virtue and discipline benefits the whole people. This points to the blessedness of righteous rule, perfectly realized in the reign of the true and noble King Jesus (Proverbs 29:4; Isaiah 32:1).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • Prov 31:4–5It is not for kings, Lemuel; it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes to say, ‘Where is strong drink?’
  • Jer 30:21Their prince shall be of themselves, and their ruler shall proceed from among them. I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach to me; for who is he who has had boldness to approach to me?” says Yahweh.
  • Eccl 10:6–7Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.
  • Prov 28:2–3In rebellion, a land has many rulers, but order is maintained by a man of understanding and knowledge.
  • Isa 5:11Woe to those who rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; who stay late into the night, until wine inflames them!
  • Deut 14:26You shall trade the money for whatever your soul desires, for cattle, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatever your soul asks of you; and you shall eat there before Yahweh your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)
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Commentaries & study tools

Christ at the center

The search that finds everything 'under the sun' to be vapor exposes the emptiness of life without God and drives us to the one who alone gives meaning, the resurrection that makes our labor not in vain.

How Ecclesiastes 10:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.

Blessedאֶשֶׁרart thou, O landאֶרֶץwhen thy kingמֶלֶךְis the sonבֵּןof noblesחֹרand thy princesשַׂרeatאָכַלin due seasonעֵתfor strengthגְּבוּרָהand not for drunkennessשְׁתִי
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