Translation
He who pulls stones out of a quarry may be hurt by them; and he who splits wood may be cut
Go to footnote numberby it.
Paraphrase
If you do work that is risky, keep in mind what those risks are. Almost anything you do can come back to bite you.
Footnotes
1: “cut”
This word comes meant “to endanger” but it came from a root meaning “knife or cut.” If we take this word to mean “cut” instead of the more common “endanger,” we see that Solomon has once again employed a play on words as he was fond of doing. This one indicates that life is full of ironies. The one who cuts wood into pieces (splits wood) may get cut (nicked) by pieces that fly off of the pieces he has cut.
Risks
Life is full of risks. Life requires wisdom. Don’t get into something without understanding what it’s all about and then complain because things don’t work out the way you expected them to. Be wise and be prepared.