"He That Diggeth A Pit Shall Fall Into It"
I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.
He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it: and whoso breaketh a hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.
This passage from Ecclesiastes illustrates the unpredictability and inherent risks in life. The Preacher observes a world where social hierarchies are turned upside down, depicting servants riding horses while princes walk on foot. These topsy-turvy images suggest that life doesn't always reward individuals according to their status or efforts. The subsequent warnings about the dangers associated with various tasks—digging, breaking, and cleaving—serve as metaphors for the unintended consequences of human actions. This might imply that those who engage in duplicitous or harmful behavior may ultimately face the consequences of their actions. The saying "He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it" underscores a moral lesson about the potential self-destructiveness of one's schemes. The passage as a whole reflects on the futility and inherent risks in human endeavors, aligning with the broader themes of vanity and uncertainty in the text.
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