Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment,.... See Jer 8:17. Or rather, "without a whisper" ; without hissing, or any noise, giving no warning at all: so the Vulgate Latin version renders it, "in silence"; some serpents bite, others sting, some both; see Pr 23:32; some hiss, others not, as here;and a babbler is no better; a whisperer, a backbiter, a busy tattling body, that goes from house to house, and, in a private manner, speaks evil of civil governments, of ministers of the word, and of other persons; and; in a secret way, defames men, and detracts from their characters: such an one is like a venomous viper, a poisonous serpent or adder; and there is no more guarding against him than against such a creature that bites secretly.
Bible Commentary
Ecclesiastes 10:11
Ecclesiastes 10:11
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible · John Gill (1697–1771) · Public Domain
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