Ecclesiastes 10:5There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler.
The setting
Solomon's palace, Jerusalem, ~950 BC. The king who has everything watches the inevitable corruption that power brings, seeing how even wise rulers make terrible personnel decisions...
The emotion here: grieved recognition of leadership's inevitable human failures
The original word
shegagah (שְׁגָגָה) — unintentional error, mistake made through oversight, not malice
Why it matters
Solomon himself made the error described here by promoting foreign wives' influence, leading to Israel's division
Read with care
What most readers miss in Ecclesiastes 10:5
Solomon isn't condemning the ruler as evil — he's observing that even good leaders make catastrophic mistakes
Common misconceptionPeople think Solomon is criticizing wicked rulers, but he's describing the tragedy of good rulers making unintentional errors that hurt many people.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Ecclesiastes 10:5
Bible Genome reading
Ecclesiastes 10:5 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Ecclesiastes 10:5 comes from the book of Ecclesiastes, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Solomon. The dominant emotion in this verse is grieving, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the teaching genre of biblical literature. Key themes include injustice, leadership failure. Notable phrases: evil which I have seen; error which proceeds from the ruler.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same grieving
“By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you…”
— Genesis 3:19
“Jesus wept.”
— John 11:35
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?”
— Psalms 22:1
“They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.”
— Psalms 22:18
“for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;”
— Romans 3:23
Your reflection
What does Ecclesiastes 10:5 mean to you, today?
A short note. A question. A prayer. Saved privately to your Soul Garden, dated, and tied to this verse forever.
Speak your heart →Get 3 verses for "grieving"
Delivered to your inbox right now. Free.