Ecclesiastes 8:4

Bible in Basic English (1941)

The word of a king has authority; and who may say to him, What is this you are doing?

Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

  • Job 9:12 : 12 If he puts out his hand to take, by whom may it be turned back? who may say to him, What are you doing?
  • Job 34:18-19 : 18 He who says to a king, You are an evil-doer; and to rulers, You are sinners; 19 Who has no respect for rulers, and who gives no more attention to those who have wealth than to the poor, for they are all the work of his hands.
  • Dan 4:35 : 35 And all the people of the earth are as nothing: he does his pleasure in the army of heaven and among the people of the earth: and no one is able to keep back his hand, or say to him, What are you doing?
  • Rom 13:1-4 : 1 Let everyone put himself under the authority of the higher powers, because there is no power which is not of God, and all powers are ordered by God. 2 For which reason everyone who puts himself against the authority puts himself against the order of God: and those who are against it will get punishment for themselves. 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear to the good work but to the evil. If you would have no fear of the authority, do good and you will have praise; 4 For he is the servant of God to you for good. But if you do evil, have fear; for the sword is not in his hand for nothing: he is God's servant, making God's punishment come on the evil-doer.
  • Luke 12:4-5 : 4 And I say to you, my friends, Have no fear of those who may put the body to death, and are able to do no more than that. 5 But I will make clear to you of whom you are to be in fear: of him who after death has power to send you to hell; yes, truly I say, Have fear of him.
  • Rom 9:20 : 20 But, O man, who are you, to make answer against God? May the thing which is made say to him who made it, Why did you make me so?
  • Prov 19:12 : 12 The king's wrath is like the loud cry of a lion, but his approval is like dew on the grass.
  • Prov 20:2 : 2 The wrath of a king is like the loud cry of a lion: he who makes him angry does wrong against himself.
  • Prov 30:31 : 31 The war-horse, and the he-goat, and the king when his army is with him.
  • Dan 3:15 : 15 Now if you are ready, on hearing the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all sorts of instruments, to go down on your faces in worship before the image which I have made, it is well: but if you will not give worship, that same hour you will be put into a burning and flaming fire; and what god is there who will be able to take you out of my hands?
  • Job 33:12-13 : 12 Truly, in saying this you are wrong; for God is greater than man. 13 Why do you put forward your cause against him, saying, He gives no answer to any of my words?
  • 1 Kgs 2:25 : 25 And King Solomon sent Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and he made an attack on him and put him to death.
  • 1 Kgs 2:29-34 : 29 And they said to King Solomon, Joab has gone in flight to the Tent of the Lord and is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, make an attack on him. 30 And Benaiah came to the Tent of the Lord and said to him, The king says, Come out. And he said, No; but let death come to me here. And Benaiah went back to the king and gave him word of the answer which Joab had given. 31 And the king said, Do as he has said and make an attack on him there, and put his body into the earth; so that you may take away from me and from my family the blood of one put to death by Joab without cause. 32 And the Lord will send back his blood on his head, because of the attack he made on two men more upright and better than himself, putting them to the sword without my father's knowledge; even Abner, the son of Ner, captain of the army of Israel, and Amasa, the son of Jether, captain of the army of Judah. 33 So their blood will be on the head of Joab, and on the head of his seed for ever; but for David and his seed and his family and the seat of his kingdom, there will be peace for ever from the Lord. 34 So Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, went up, and falling on him, put him to death; and his body was put to rest in his house in the waste land.
  • 1 Kgs 2:46 : 46 So the king gave orders to Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada; and he went out and, falling on him, put him to death. And Solomon's authority over the kingdom was complete.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • Eccl 8:1-3
    3 verses
    78%

    1 Who is like the wise man? and to whom is the sense of anything clear? A man's wisdom makes his face shining, and his hard face will be changed.

    2 I say to you, Keep the king's law, from respect for the oath of God.

    3 Be not quick to go from before him. Be not fixed in an evil design, because he does whatever is pleasing to him.

  • Eccl 8:5
    76%

    5 Whoever keeps the law will come to no evil: and a wise man's heart has knowledge of time and of decision.

  • Prov 16:10
    76%

    10 Decision is in the lips of the king: his mouth will not go wrong in judging.

  • Prov 21:1
    75%

    1 The king's heart in the hands of the Lord is like the water streams, and by him it is turned in any direction at his pleasure.

  • Prov 8:15-16
    2 verses
    74%

    15 Through me kings have their power, and rulers give right decisions.

    16 Through me chiefs have authority, and the noble ones are judging in righteousness.

  • Prov 16:13-14
    2 verses
    73%

    13 Lips of righteousness are the delight of kings; and he who says what is upright is dear to him.

    14 The wrath of the king is like those who give news of death, but a wise man will put peace in place of it.

  • Lam 3:37
    73%

    37 Who is able to say a thing, and give effect to it, if it has not been ordered by the Lord?

  • Dan 4:35
    73%

    35 And all the people of the earth are as nothing: he does his pleasure in the army of heaven and among the people of the earth: and no one is able to keep back his hand, or say to him, What are you doing?

  • Jer 38:5
    72%

    5 Then Zedekiah the king said, See, he is in your hands: for the king was not able to do anything against them.

  • Dan 4:31
    72%

    31 While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice came down from heaven, saying, O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is said: The kingdom has gone from you:

  • Job 34:18
    71%

    18 He who says to a king, You are an evil-doer; and to rulers, You are sinners;

  • Eccl 10:4-5
    2 verses
    71%

    4 If the wrath of the ruler is against you, keep in your place; in him who keeps quiet even great sins may be overlooked.

    5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, like an error which comes by chance from a ruler:

  • Job 9:12
    71%

    12 If he puts out his hand to take, by whom may it be turned back? who may say to him, What are you doing?

  • Isa 10:8
    71%

    8 For he says, Are not all my captains kings?

  • Prov 20:2
    71%

    2 The wrath of a king is like the loud cry of a lion: he who makes him angry does wrong against himself.

  • Eccl 8:9
    71%

    9 All this have I seen, and have given my heart to all the work which is done under the sun: there is a time when man has power over man for his destruction.

  • Prov 14:28
    70%

    28 A king's glory is in the number of his people: and for need of people a ruler may come to destruction.

  • Eccl 5:8
    70%

    8 It is good generally for a country where the land is worked to have a king.

  • Ps 99:4
    70%

    4 The king's power is used for righteousness; you give true decisions, judging rightly in the land of Jacob.

  • Jer 22:1-2
    2 verses
    70%

    1 This is what the Lord has said: Go down to the house of the king of Judah and there give him this word,

    2 And say, Give ear to the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, seated on the seat of David, you and your servants and your people who come in by these doors.

  • Esth 1:21
    70%

    21 And this suggestion seemed good to the king and the captains; and the king did as Memucan said;

  • Ps 29:4
    70%

    4 The voice of the Lord is full of power; the voice of the Lord has a noble sound.

  • Dan 2:37
    70%

    37 You, O King, king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory,

  • Isa 32:1
    70%

    1 See, a king will be ruling in righteousness, and chiefs will give right decisions.

  • Prov 29:2
    70%

    2 When the upright have power, the people are glad; when an evil man is ruler, grief comes on the people.

  • 2 Sam 14:10
    70%

    10 And the king said, If anyone says anything to you, make him come to me, and he will do you no more damage.

  • Dan 4:22
    70%

    22 It is you, O King, who have become great and strong: for your power is increased and stretching up to heaven, and your rule to the end of the earth.

  • 1 Chr 29:12
    70%

    12 Wealth and honour come from you, and you are ruler over all, and in your hand is power and strength; it is in your power to make great, and to give strength to all.

  • Job 37:12
    70%

    12 And it goes this way and that, round about, turning itself by his guiding, to do whatever he gives orders to be done, on the face of his world of men,

  • Prov 29:4
    70%

    4 A king, by right rule, makes the land safe; but one full of desires makes it a waste.

  • Prov 20:8
    70%

    8 A king on the seat of judging puts to flight all evil with his eyes.

  • 2 Kgs 22:18
    70%

    18 But to the king of Judah who sent you to get directions from the Lord, say, This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has said: As to the words which have come to your ears,

  • Prov 29:12
    70%

    12 If a ruler gives attention to false words, all his servants are evil-doers.

  • Prov 24:21
    69%

    21 My son, go in fear of the Lord and the king: have nothing to do with those who are in high positions:

  • Jer 22:4
    69%

    4 For if you truly do this, then there will come in through the doors of this house kings seated on the seat of David, going in carriages and on horseback, he and his servants and his people

  • Ps 138:4
    69%

    4 All the kings of the earth will give you praise, O Lord, when the words of your mouth come to their ears.

  • Ps 33:9
    69%

    9 For he gave the word, and it was done; by his order it was fixed for ever.

  • Hos 10:3
    69%

    3 Now, truly, they will say, We have no king, we have no fear of the Lord; and the king, what is he able to do for us?

  • Job 23:13
    69%

    13 But his purpose is fixed and there is no changing it; and he gives effect to the desire of his soul.

  • 1 Sam 12:25
    69%

    25 But if you still do evil, destruction will overtake you and your king.

  • 2 Sam 18:4
    69%

    4 And the king said to them, I will do whatever seems best to you. So the king took his place by the door of the town, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.