Ecclesiastes 10

KJ3 Literal Translation — Chapter 10 of 12

¹ As flies of death cause the perfumer's oil to stink and ferment; so a little foolishness is heavier than wisdom and honor.

² The heart of the wise one is toward his right, but the fool's heart toward his left.

³ And also, in the way in which a fool walks, his heart is lacking, and he says to all that he is a fool.

Chapter Summary

Observations of wisdom and folly: of riot, laziness, and money. Men's thoughts of kings ought to be reverent.

חׇכְמָה wisdom H2451 · TWOT 647a

סִכְלוּת folly H5531 · TWOT 1493c

כְּסִיל fool H3684 · TWOT 1011c

יִתְרוֹן advantage, profit H3504 · TWOT 936f

מֶ֫לֶךְ king H4428 · TWOT 1199a

דָּבָר words H1697 · TWOT 399a

The Weight of Folly

Just as dead flies cause a perfumer's oil to stink, a little foolishness outweighs great wisdom and honor. A fool's heart leads him astray.

Ecclesiastes 10:1-3

Wisdom in Dealing with Rulers

If a ruler's spirit rises against a person in anger, they should not desert their post, because calmness pacifies great offenses.

Ecclesiastes 10:4-7

The Hazards of Labor and Value of Skill

Mundane tasks carry risks. Applying wisdom brings success and is much more effective than using brute strength with a blunt iron axe.

Ecclesiastes 10:8-11

Word-for-word literal translation with Hebrew interlinear, Strong's numbers, and audio.