Biblion Bible Commentary
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Dead Flies in the Ointment
Ecclesiastes 10:1-11
1 Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to produce an evil odor; so does a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor. · WEB
A jar of perfume ruined by a few insects opens a series of proverbs in which ordinary work turns out to be dangerous.
Verse 1 is an image of asymmetry. Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to produce an evil odor — a whole batch of expensive scent spoiled by a few insects — so does a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor.
The proportions are the argument. Reputation is built slowly and destroyed cheaply, which is the same imbalance the previous chapter stated without a picture: one sinner destroys much good Ecclesiastes 9:18.
Verse 3 adds a detail that is almost funny. The fool says to everyone that he is a fool — not by confessing it, but by walking down the road.
Verses 5 to 7 return to power upside down: folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place, and servants on horses, and princes walking. The complaint is disorder rather than poverty. People are in the wrong positions, and the error is traced to its source — the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler.
Then verses 8 to 11 run a series of ordinary jobs and the accident waiting in each. Digging a pit and falling in. Breaking through a wall and meeting a snake in it. Quarrying stone and being hurt by it. Splitting wood and being injured. None of the four is a punishment; each is the hazard native to the task.
Verse 10 supplies the one piece of practical optimism: if the ax is blunt, and one doesn't sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success. Preparation is worth more than effort, and it is the only advantage in the series available beforehand.
And verse 11 closes on timing. A snake charmer's skill is worth nothing if the snake bites before it is charmed — competence that arrives late is not competence.
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