Ecclesiastes 10:13

Ecclesiastes 10:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.
• New International Version (NIV)At the beginning their words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness—
• English Standard Version (ESV)The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, And the end of his talk is raving madness.

Context of Ecclesiastes 10:13

11If the snake bites before it is charmed, then there is no advantage for the charmer. 12The words from the mouth of a wise person are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him. The beginning of the words from his mouth is folly, but the end of his speaking is evil madness; 14yet the fool multiplies words. No one knows what will happen, and who can tell anyone what will happen after him? 15The struggles of fools weary them, for they don’t know how to go to the city.

Ecclesiastes 10:13 word by word

תְּחִלַּ֥ת דִּבְרֵי־פִ֖יהוּ סִכְל֑וּת וְאַחֲרִ֣ית פִּ֔יהוּ הוֹלֵל֖וּת רָעָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The beginningתְּחִלָּהtechillâh · beginningH8462
• of the wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• of his mouthפֶּהpeh · lipH6310
• foolishnessסִכְלוּתsiklûth ώiklûth · follyH5531
• and the endאַחֲרִית'achărîyth · endH319
• of his talkפֶּהpeh · lip: wordH6310
• mischievousרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
• madnessהוֹלֵלוּתhôlêlûth · madnessH1948

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 10:13

• Judges 14:15On the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Persuade your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father’s family to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?”
• 1 Samuel 20:26Saul did not say anything that day because he thought, “Something unexpected has happened; he must be ceremonially unclean — yes, that’s it, he is unclean.”
• 1 Samuel 22:7Saul said to his servants, “Listen, men of Benjamin: Is Jesse’s son going to give all of you fields and vineyards? Do you think he’ll make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?
• 1 Samuel 25:10Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is Jesse’s son? Many slaves these days are running away from their masters.
• 2 Samuel 19:41Suddenly, all the men of Israel came to the king. They asked him, “Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, take you away secretly and transport the king and his household across the Jordan, along with all of David’s men?”
• 2 Samuel 20:1Now a wicked man, a Benjaminite named Sheba son of Bichri, happened to be there. He blew the ram’s horn and shouted: We have no portion in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son. Each man to his tent, Israel!
• 2 Kings 6:27He answered, “If the Lord doesn’t help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor or the winepress?”
• Proverbs 29:9If a wise person goes to court with a fool, there will be ranting and raving but no resolution.
• Matthew 2:7Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared.
• Luke 6:2But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
• Luke 11:38When the Pharisee saw this, he was amazed that he did not first perform the ritual washing before dinner.
• John 12:10But the chief priests had decided to kill Lazarus also,
• Acts 5:28“Didn’t we strictly order you not to teach in this name? Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
• Acts 6:9Opposition arose, however, from some members of the Freedmen’s Synagogue, composed of both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, and they began to argue with Stephen.
• Acts 7:54When they heard these things, they were enraged and gnashed their teeth at him.
• Acts 19:24For a person named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, provided a great deal of business for the craftsmen.

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 10:13

• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-15Verses 11-15 There is a practice in the East, of charming serpents by music. The babbler's tongue is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison; and contradiction only makes it the more violent. We must find the way to keep him gentle. But by rash, unprincipled, or slanderous talk, he brings open or secret vengeance upon himself. Would we duly consider our own ignorance as to future events, it would cut off many idle words which we foolishly multiply. Fools…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1313. Illustrating the folly and injuriousness of the fool's words; last clause of Ec 10:12.Read the comment

Topics related to Ecclesiastes 10:13

• Fool
• Slander
• Speaking
• Words

In the dictionaries

• Direct
• Idleness
• Prince
• Synagogue, the Great

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 10

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings