He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
Parallel translations
- WEB He who digs a pit may fall into it; and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
- BSB He who digs a pit may fall into it, and he who breaches a wall may be bitten by a snake.
- NKJV He who digs a pit will fall into it, And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.
- NASB One who digs a pit may fall into it, and a serpent may bite one who breaks through a wall.
- NLT When you dig a well, you might fall in. When you demolish an old wall, you could be bitten by a snake.
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
He who digs a pit may fall into it, and one who breaks a wall may be bitten by a snake. Ordinary actions carry hidden risks, calling for caution.
Overview
Qoheleth offers proverbs noting that even routine work has unforeseen dangers. Some read these as warnings that schemes against others can rebound on the schemer. Either way, they teach humble prudence in a world we cannot fully control, trusting God amid life's uncertainties (Proverbs 26:27; Psalm 7:15).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Prov 26:27Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.
- Ps 7:15–16He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.
- Amos 5:19As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
- Esth 7:10So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified.
- 2 Sam 17:23And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.
- Amos 9:3And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them:
- Ps 9:15–16The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
- Judg 9:53–57And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull.
- Judg 9:5And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.
- 2 Sam 18:15And ten young men that bare Joab’s armour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.
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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 10:8 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.