I say, “Keep the king’s command!” because of the oath to God. Don’t be hasty to go out of his presence. Don’t persist in an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him, for the king’s word is supreme. Who can say to him, “What are you doing?” Whoever keeps the commandment shall not come to harm, and his wise heart will know the time and procedure.
⛓ Read Ecclesiastes 8 forward — the whole chapter and its afterlife →Where this passage surfaces again, sorted by the strength of the link. Each kind of reuse — formal quotation, deliberate allusion, faint echo, figural pattern — carries its own mark. Follow any reference to read it in place.
Echo2
A fainter, low-volume reuse, carried by recurrence or thematic coherence.
'Keep the king's command... whoever keeps a command will not experience harm' — wisdom on prudent obedience to royal authority parallels Paul's 'be in subjection... do good and you will have praise' (vv.3-5).
Medium confidenceSubmission 'to the king as supreme' and to governors (2:13-14) reflects the wisdom counsel to keep the king's command (Eccl 8:2-5); a faint thematic backdrop to honoring civil authority.
Low confidence