Perhaps the theme continues, as Solomon extends the axe metaphor from the previous section, moving logically on to highlight the need to train personnel to understand the importance of safety and also the efficient implementation of established procedures – as well as enabling them to work smarter rather than simply harder in general.

An axe would have been used to split the logs in the previous section, and in a simple log-cleaving operation it is when the unsharpened edge has become dull that it has a tendency to bounce dangerously of the wood, rather than slicing into it. If the operator then swings even harder to make up for the lack of sharpness, the blade may well penetrate, but if encountering a badly knotted section it could bounce off even more violently. The solution is to sharpen the axe, thereby reducing risk and increasing productivity at the same time.

Perhaps, also, Solomon is using the unsharpened edge of the axe to represent the inefficiency of a business or individual, a metaphor that is well understood and still widely used, as in the phrase “cutting edge technology”.

The wise manager invests time and money into both training programmes and research work in order to sharpen the competitive edge of the business by unlocking the creative genius potential resident in each employee. Wise individuals apply the same principles in their own lives. Perhaps the adage of working smarter rather than harder applies here.

Although formal education and training are important, so is continuous personal growth and self-development achieved informally and intuitively by subjecting daily practical experience to deep analytical thought and meditation, by learning from mistakes and preventing their repetition by mental rehearsal.

Perhaps this is the approach Paul has in mind when he urges the young evangelist Timothy, Quote: “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:14-15)