(9.) =And the profit= (as this is joined by a conjunction with the former, we must look upon it as a further argument in the same chain of reasoning; the meaning will then be ‘and besides the produce’) =of earth= (not _the_ earth, the article is wanting) =in all= (the LXX. render this by ἐπὶ with a dative, hence they understood the preposition here to mean ‘for all,’ which our version follows) =it is= (feminine, in close apposition therefore with the noun, but this noun must be יתרון, which is feminine, and the meaning is that it exists subjectively, or is always there playing its part) =a king= (again, not _the_ king: any king, therefore, however great,――Solomon himself, or any other) =to a field= (again, not _the_ field, equivalent to some field; the LXX. render by the simple genitive) =is served= (niphal; this occurs only twice in the past tense, here and at Ezekiel xxxvi. 9, both in the sense of tilling; and the niphal future twice, at Deuteronomy xxi. 4 and Ezekiel xxxvi. 34, again with the same meaning――no doubt עבד is used with the signification ‘to serve generally’ in a vast number of places. It must be observed, however, that a niphal is not exactly the same as a passive, but has an objective signification, so that it is often nearer in meaning to the Greek middle voice than our passive. Bearing this in mind, we can have no further doubt over this passage as to its principal scope,――‘the king is served of,’ or ‘a subject to the field.’ The idea is that the very highest are really in a state of abject dependence――a single day’s starvation would have been sufficient to have brought to the dust Solomon or Nebuchadnezzar. The other possible rendering, that ‘_the king is served by the field_,’ is only the other side of the same truth, and the sentence is equivocal, being ingeniously constructed so as to read either way). 10 He that loveth silver │ (ii.) A lover of money no shall not be satisfied with │ money ever satisfied; and silver; nor he that loveth │ who that loved profusion abundance with increase: this │ ever had sufficient income? _is_ also vanity. │ Another instance of the │ evanescent.