--- title: "Ecclesiastes 8 - Study King James Bible with trapps complete commentary" description: "Read Ecclesiastes 8 with trapps complete commentary commentary. 1 Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be ch" image: "/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg" url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/8" --- [ Read](/kjv/ecclesiastes/8)[ Commentary](/study/ecclesiastes/8)[ Interlinear](/interlinear/ecclesiastes/8) Audio 1 Who *is* as the wise *man*? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.* 2 I *counsel thee* to keep the king’s commandment, and *that* in regard of the oath of God. 3 Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him. 4 Where the word of a king *is, there is* power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou? 5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.* 6 ¶ Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man *is* great upon him. 7 For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?* 8 *There is* no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither *hath he* power in the day of death: and *there is* no discharge in *that* war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.* 9 All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: *there is* a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt. 10 And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this *is* also vanity. 11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. 12 ¶ Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his *days* be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: 13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong *his* days, *which are* as a shadow; because he feareth not before God. 14 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just *men*, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked *men*, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also *is* vanity. 15 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun. 16 ¶ When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also *there is that* neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:) 17 Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek *it* out, yet he shall not find *it;* yea further; though a wise *man* think to know *it*, yet shall he not be able to find *it*. [Ecclesiastes 7](/study/ecclesiastes/7) [Ecclesiastes 9](/study/ecclesiastes/9) ## Commentary To verse 1 ** [Ecc 8:1](/kjv/ecc/8/1) *Who [is] as the wise [man]? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.* Ver. 1. **Who is as the wise man?** ] *q.d.,* He is a matchless man, a peerless paragon, outshining others as much as the moon doth the lesser stars. *a* Plato could say that no gold or precious stone doth glister so gloriously, ωσπερ αγαθων ανδρων νοος συμφραδμων , as the prudent spirit of a good man. "Thou art a prince of God amongst us," said the Hittites to Abraham. "Can we find such a man as this Joseph, in whom the Spirit of God is?" said Pharaoh to his counsellors.[Gen 41:38](/kjv/-gen/41/38) "Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth?"[Job 1:8](/kjv/-job/1/8) "My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all my house," and shall be of my cabinet council.[Num 12:7](/kjv/-num/12/7) To him God said, *Tu vero hic sta mecum,* "But do thou stand here by me."[Exo 34:5](/kjv/-exo/34/5) *Sapiens Dei comes est,* saith Philo. Look how kings have their favourites, whom they call *comites,* their cousins and companions; so hath God. Nay, the righteous are "princes in all lands,"[Psa 45:16](/kjv/-psa/45/16) kings in righteousness;[Mat 13:17](/kjv/-mat/13/17) **[Luk 10:24](/kjv/-luk/10/24) the "excellent ones of the earth,"[Psa 16:3](/kjv/-psa/16/3) the worthies of the world,[Heb 11:5](/kjv/-heb/11/5) fitter to be set as stars in heaven, and to be continually before the throne of God. Chrysostom *b* calls some holy men of his time, αγγελους , earthly angels; and speaking of Babylac the martyr, he saith of him, *c* *Magnus atque admirabilis vir,* He was an excellent and an admirable man, &c. And Tertullian, writing to some of the martyrs, says, *Non tantus sum ut vos alloquar,* I am not good enough to speak unto you. Oh that my life, and a thousand such wretches more, might go for yours! Oh, why doth God suffer me and other such caterpillars to live, saith John Careless, martyr, in a letter to that angel of God, Mr Bradford, as Dr Taylor called him, that can do nothing but consume the alms of the Church, and take away you, so worthy a workman and labourer in the Lord’s vineyard. *d* **** **And who knoweth the interpretation of a thing?** ] Wise a man may be, and yet not so apt and able to wise others. Those wise ones that can wise others, so as to "turn them to righteousness, shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, yea, as the stars";[Dan 12:3](/kjv/-dan/12/3) they do so while upon earth. Wisdom makes their very faces to shine, as St Stephen’s did,[Act 6:15](/kjv/-act/6/15) and as holy Job’s, while he was in a prosperous condition.[Job 29:8-10](/kjv/-job/29/8-10) Jobab he was then (the same, some think,[that is mentioned Gen 36:33](/kjv/-that-is-mentioned-gen/36/33) ), as when in distress his name was contracted into Job. And then, though himself were otherwise wise, he might want "an interpreter, one of a thousand" - for such are rare,[every man cannot sell us this precious oil Mat 25:9](/kjv/-every-man-cannot-sell-us-this-precious-oil-mat/25/9) - "to show unto him his righteousness," - that is, the righteousness of his own experience - how himself hath been helped and comforted in like case, or, to clear up to an afflicted Job his spiritual estate, and to show him his evangelical righteousness. Oh "how beautiful are the feet" of such an interpreter! "I have seen thy face," saith the poor soul to such, "as though I had seen the face of God."[Gen 33:10](/kjv/-gen/33/10) A man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine.] Godliness is venerable and reverend. "Holy and reverend is his name."[Psa 111:9](/kjv/-psa/111/9) God’s image is amiable and admirable, Natural conscience cannot but stoop and do obeisance to it, What a deal of respect did Nebuchadnezzar and Darius put upon Daniel! Alexander the Great upon Jaddus the high priest! Theodosius upon Ambrose! Constantine upon Paphnutius, kissing that eye of his that was bored out for the cause of Christ! &c. Godly men have a daunting presence, as Athanasius had, and Basil, to whom when Valens the Arian emperor came, while he was in holy exercises, it struck such a terror into him that he reeled, and had fallen had he not been upheld by those that were with him. *e* Henry II of France being present at the martyrdom of a certain tailor, burnt by him for religion, was so terrified by the boldness of his countenance, and the constance of his sufferings, that he swore at his going away that he would never any more be present at such a sight. *f* **** **And the boldness of his face shall be changed.** ] Or, Doubled; his conscience bearing him out, and making him undaunted, as it did David,[Psa 3:1-8](/kjv/-psa/3/1-8) and the Dutch martyr Colonus, who, calling to the judge that had sentenced him to death, desired him to lay his hand upon his heart, and then asked him whose heart did most beat, his or the judge’s? By this boldness Jonathan and his armourbearer set upon the garrison of the Philistines, David upon Goliath their champion, The Black Prince was so called, not of his colour, but of his valour and dreaded acts in battle. *g* *a* *Velut inter stellas luna minores.* *b* Hom. 55, in Matth. *c* *Orat. Contra Gentiles.* *d* *Acts and Mon.,* 1744 *e* Greg., *Orat. de Laude Basilii.* *f* *Epit. Hist. Gal, 82* *g* Speed, 688. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/8#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg","width":672,"height":448,"caption":"Real Bible Believers"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/8#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/8","name":"Ecclesiastes 8 - Study King James Bible with trapps complete commentary","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/8#primaryimage"},"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"Read Ecclesiastes 8 with trapps complete commentary commentary. 1 Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be ch","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/8#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/8"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/8#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study","name":"Study Bible"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary","name":"trapps complete commentary"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes","name":"Ecclesiastes"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/8","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/8","name":"8"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]} ```