The Meaning of Ecclesiastes 10:5 Explained

Ecclesiastes 10:5

KJV: There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:

YLT: There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As an error that goeth out from the ruler,

Darby: There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as an error that proceedeth from the ruler:

ASV: There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as it were an error which proceedeth from the ruler:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

There is  an evil  [which] I have seen  under the sun,  as an error  [which] proceedeth  from  the ruler: 

What does Ecclesiastes 10:5 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Ecclesiastes 10

1  observations of wisdom and folly
7  death in life
9  and the day of judgment in the days of youth, are to be thought on

What do the individual words in Ecclesiastes 10:5 mean?

There is an evil I have seen under the sun as an error proceeding from the ruler
יֵ֣שׁ רָעָ֔ה רָאִ֖יתִי תַּ֣חַת הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ כִּשְׁגָגָ֕ה שֶׁיֹּצָ֖א מִלִּפְנֵ֥י הַשַּׁלִּֽיט

יֵ֣שׁ  There  is 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יֵשׁ  
Sense: being, existence, substance, there is or are.
רָעָ֔ה  an  evil 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
רָאִ֖יתִי  I  have  seen 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
תַּ֣חַת  under 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ  the  sun 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: שֶׁמֶשׁ  
Sense: sun.
כִּשְׁגָגָ֕ה  as  an  error 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שְׁגָגָה  
Sense: sin, sin of error or inadvertence, inadvertent sin.
שֶׁיֹּצָ֖א  proceeding 
Parse: Pronoun, relative, Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
הַשַּׁלִּֽיט  the  ruler 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: שַׁלִּיט  
Sense: having mastery, domineering, master.