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—
• New King James Version (NKJV)The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, And the end of his talk is raving madness.
• New Living Translation (NLT)Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, so their conclusions will be wicked madness;

Context of Ecclesiastes 10:13

11If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer. 12The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness. 14A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be, and who can tell him what will be after him? 15The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way 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, "Entice your husband to tell us what the riddle is, lest we burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?"
• 1 Samuel 20:26Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, "Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely he is not clean."
• 1 Samuel 22:7And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, "Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds,
• 1 Samuel 25:10And Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters.
• 2 Samuel 19:41Then all the men of Israel came to the king and said to the king, "Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away and brought the king and his household over the Jordan, and all David's men with him?"
• 2 Samuel 20:1Now there happened to be there a worthless man, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite. And he blew the trumpet and said, "We have no portion in David, and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; every man to his tents, O Israel!"
• 2 Kings 6:27And he said, "If the Lord will not help you, how shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the winepress?"
• Proverbs 29:9If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.
• Matthew 2:7Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.
• Luke 6:2But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?"
• Luke 11:38The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner.
• John 12:10So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well,
• Acts 5:28saying, "We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us."
• Acts 6:9Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.
• Acts 7:54Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.
• Acts 19:24For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to 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