The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips.
Parallel Translations
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The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips.
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The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.
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The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.
Cross-references (31)
Passages linked to Ecclesiastes 10:12 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
- Luke 4:22 All testified about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”
- Proverbs 15:2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of fools gush out folly.
- Proverbs 22:11 He who loves purity of heart and speaks gracefully is the king’s friend.
- Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.
- Proverbs 10:13-14 Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has discernment, but a rod is for the back of him who is void of understanding. Wise men lay up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near ruin.
- Proverbs 10:20-21 The tongue of the righteous is like choice silver. The heart of the wicked is of little worth. The lips of the righteous feed many, but the foolish die for lack of understanding.
- Job 4:3-4 Behold, you have instructed many, you have strengthened the weak hands. Your words have supported him who was falling, You have made firm the feeble knees.
- Proverbs 10:31-32 The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.
- Proverbs 22:17-18 Turn your ear, and listen to the words of the wise. Apply your heart to my teaching. For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips.
- 2 Samuel 1:16 David said to him, “Your blood be on your head; for your mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have slain Yahweh’s anointed.’ ”
- 1 Kings 20:40-42 As your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” The king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be. You yourself have decided it.” He hurried, and took the headband away from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets. He said to him, “Yahweh says, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life will take the place of his life, and your people take the place of his people.’ ”
- Job 16:5 but I would strengthen you with my mouth. The solace of my lips would relieve you.
- Psalms 37:30 The mouth of the righteous talks of wisdom. His tongue speaks justice.
- Psalms 40:9-10 I have proclaimed glad news of righteousness in the great assembly. Behold, I will not seal my lips, Yahweh, you know. I have not hidden your righteousness within my heart. I have declared your faithfulness and your salvation. I have not concealed your loving kindness and your truth from the great assembly.
- Psalms 64:8 Their own tongues shall ruin them. All who see them will shake their heads.
- Psalms 71:15-18 My mouth will tell about your righteousness, and of your salvation all day, though I don’t know its full measure. I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord Yahweh. I will make mention of your righteousness, even of yours alone. God, you have taught me from my youth. Until now, I have declared your wondrous works. Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, don’t forsake me, until I have declared your strength to the next generation, your might to everyone who is to come.
- Psalms 140:9 As for the head of those who surround me, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
- Proverbs 10:8 The wise in heart accept commandments, but a chattering fool will fall.
- Proverbs 10:10 One winking with the eye causes sorrow, but a chattering fool will fall.
- Proverbs 12:13-14 An evil man is trapped by sinfulness of lips, but the righteous shall come out of trouble. A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth. The work of a man’s hands shall be rewarded to him.
- Proverbs 12:18 There is one who speaks rashly like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise heals.
- Proverbs 15:23 Joy comes to a man with the reply of his mouth. How good is a word at the right time!
- Proverbs 16:21-24 The wise in heart shall be called prudent. Pleasantness of the lips promotes instruction. Understanding is a fountain of life to one who has it, but the punishment of fools is their folly. The heart of the wise instructs his mouth, and adds learning to his lips. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
- Proverbs 18:6-8 A fool’s lips come into strife, and his mouth invites beatings. A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are a snare to his soul. The words of a gossip are like dainty morsels: they go down into a person’s innermost parts.
- Proverbs 19:5 A false witness shall not be unpunished. He who pours out lies shall not go free.
- Proverbs 25:11-12 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover to an obedient ear.
- Proverbs 26:9 Like a thorn bush that goes into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
- Proverbs 31:26 She opens her mouth with wisdom. Kind instruction is on her tongue.
- Matthew 12:35 The good man out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings out evil things.
- Luke 19:22 “He said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant! You knew that I am an exacting man, taking up that which I didn’t lay down, and reaping that which I didn’t sow.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (14 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Ecc 10:12 The words of a wise man’s mouth…
Ecc 10:12 The words of a wise man’s mouth [are] gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.
Ver. 12. The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious.] Heb., Are grace; they are nothing but grace, so the French translator hath it; {a} such as render him gracious with God and men, so Lyra glosseth it, as being usually "seasoned with salt, and ministering grace to the hearers." {Col 4:6}
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But the lips of a fool swallow up himself.] Suddenly, utterly, unavoidably, as the whale did Jonah, as the devouring sword doth those that fall under it, as the grave doth all the living. How many of all sorts in all ages have perished by their unruly tongues, blabbing or belching out words Quae reditura per iugulum, as Pliny phraseth it that were driven down their throats again by the wronged and aggrieved parties! Take heed, saith the Arabic proverb, lest thy tongue cut thy throat; it is compared to "a sharp razor working deceitfully," {Psa 52:3} which, instead of cutting the hair, cuts the throat. {b}
{a} Ne sont que grace.
{b} Cave ne feriat lingua tua collum tuum. - Scal. Ar. Prov.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Gracious, Heb. grace; as profitable, so also acceptable to…
Gracious, Heb. grace; as profitable, so also acceptable to others, procuring him favour with those who hear him.
Will swallow up himself; his discourses are ungracious and offensive to others, and therefore pernicious to himself.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain Solomon, having shown the benefit of wisdom, and of…
Solomon, having shown the benefit of wisdom, and of what great advantage it is to us in the management of our affairs, here shows the mischief of folly and how it exposes men, which perhaps comes in as a reflection upon those rulers who set folly in great dignity.
I. Fools talk a great deal to no purpose, and they show their folly as much by the multitude, impertinence, and mischievousness of their words, as by any thing; whereas the words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, are grace, manifest grace in his heart and minister grace to the hearers, are good, and such as become him, and do good to all about him, the lips of a fool not only expose him to reproach and make him ridiculous, but will swallow up himself and bring him to ruin, by provoking the government to take cognizance of his seditious talk and call him to an account for it. Adonijah foolishly spoke against his own life, Kg1 2:23. Many a man has been sunk by having his own tongue fall upon him, Psa 64:8. See what a fool's talk is. 1. It takes rise from his own weakness and wickedness: The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, the foolishness bound up in his heart, that is the corrupt spring out of which all these polluted streams flow, the evil treasure out of which evil things are brought. As soon as he begins to speak you may perceive his folly; at the very first he talks idly, and passionately, and like himself. 2. It rises up to fury, and tends to the hurt and injury of others: The end of his talk, the end it comes to, is madness. He will presently talk himself into an indecent heat, and break out into the wild extravagancies of a distracted man. The end he aims at is mischief; as, at first, he appeared to have little government of himself, so, at last, it appears he has a great deal of malice to his neighbours; that root of bitterness bears gall and wormwood. Note, It is not strange if those that begin foolishly end madly; for an ungoverned tongue, the more liberty is allowed, grows the more violent. 3. It is all the same over and over (Ecc 10:14): A fool also is full of words, a passionate fool especially, that runs on endlessly and never knows when to leave off. He will have the last word, though it be but the same with that which was the first. What is wanting in the weight and strength of his words he endeavours in vain to make up in the number of them; and they must be repeated, because otherwise there is nothing in them to make them regarded. Note, Many who are empty of sense are full of words; and the least solid are the most noisy. The following words may be taken either, (1.) As checking him for his vainglorious boasting in the multitude of his words, what he will do and what he will have, not considering that which every body knows that a man cannot tell what shall be in his own time, while he lives (Pro 27:1), much less can one tell what shall be after him, when he is dead and gone. Would we duly consider our own ignorance of, and uncertainty about, future events, it would cut off a great many of the idle words we foolishly multiply. Or, (2.) As mocking him for his tautologies. He is full of words, for if he do but speak the most trite and common thing, a man cannot tell what shall be, because he loves to hear himself talk, he will say it again, what shall be after him who can tell him? like Battus in Ovid:
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- Sub illis
Montibus (inquit) erant, et erant sub montibus illis -
Under those mountains were they,
They were under those mountains, I say -
whence vain repetitions are called Battologeō, Mat 6:7.
II. Fools toil a great deal to no purpose (Ecc 10:15); The labour of the foolish, to accomplish their designs, wearies every one of them. 1. They weary themselves in that labour which is very foolish and absurd. All their labour is for the world and the body, and the meat that perishes, and in this labour they spend their strength, and exhaust their spirits, and weary themselves for very vanity, Hab 2:13; Isa 55:2. They choose that service which is perfect drudgery rather than that which is perfect liberty. 2. That labour which is necessary, and would be profitable, and might be gone through with ease, wearies them, because they go about it awkwardly and foolishly, and so make their business a toil to them, which, if they applied themselves to it prudently, would be a pleasure to them. Many complain of the labours of religion as grievous, which they would have no reason to complain of if the exercises of Christian piety were always under the direction of Christian prudence. The foolish tire themselves in endless pursuits, and never bring any thing to pass, because they know not how to go to the city, that is, because they have not capacity to apprehend the plainest thing, such as the entrance into a great city is, where one would think it were impossible for a man to miss his road. Men's imprudent management of their business robs them both of the comfort and of the benefit of it. But it is the excellency of the way to the heavenly city that it is a high-way, in which the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err (Isa 35:8); yet sinful folly makes men miss that way.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious,....…
The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious,.... Or "grace" (u). He speaks kind and good things in favour of the characters of men, and not as the babbling detractor: he speaks well of civil magistrates and rulers in the state; of the ministers of the word in the church; and of all his fellow creatures, as far as can with truth be said: and a truly good and gracious man, who is Solomon's wise man, in opposition to a fool and wicked man; his discourse will run upon the grace of God, upon the doctrines of grace, and upon the experience of the truth of grace on his heart: upon the grace of God the Father, in loving and choosing men; in contriving their salvation; in making a covenant of grace with them in Christ; in sending him to die for them, and in accepting his satisfaction and righteousness for them: and on the grace of the Son, in becoming their surety; assuming their nature, dying in their room and stead, interceding for them, taking care of them, and supplying them with grace out of his fulness: and on the grace of the Spirit, in regeneration and sanctification; working in them faith, hope, and love; applying precious promises to them, and sealing them up to the day of redemption: of these things they speak often one to another, and cannot but talk of the things they have felt and seen: and such words and discourses are gracious, graceful, and grateful to truly pious souls, and minister grace unto them; and are also well pleasing and acceptable to God and Christ, as well as gain them favour among men; see Pro 22:11;
but the lips of a fool swallow up himself; his words are not only able and displeasing to others, but bring ruin upon himself; by talking too freely of rulers and others, he brings himself into trouble, and plunges himself into difficulties, out of which he cannot easily get; yea, is swallowed up in them, and destroyed. Or, his "lips swallow up him" (w); the wise man, whose words are gracious; and, by his calumny and detraction, his deceit and lies, brings him into disgrace and danger: or, "swallows it up", or "that" (x); the grace of the wise man, or his gracious words; and hinders the edification of others by them, and the good effects of them. Though the first sense seems best.
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(u) "gratia", Montanus, Mercerus, Drusius, Cocceius, Rambachius. (w) "deglutiet eum", Montanus; "absorbent eum", Piscator, Rambachius. (x) "Illam", Munster, Cocceius; "quam labia stulti velut absorbendo sufferunt", Tigurine version.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Gracious - Procure him favour with those who hear…
Gracious - Procure him favour with those who hear him.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 12. The words of a wise man's mouth]…
Verse 12. The words of a wise man's mouth] Every thing that proceeds from him is decent and orderly, creditable to himself, and acceptable to those who hear him. But the lips of the fool, which speak every thing at random, and have no understanding to guide them, are not only not pleasant to others, but often destructive to himself.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Ecc 10:12-15. The words of a wise man are…
Ecc 10:12-15. The words of a wise man are gracious — Hebrew, חן, grace: as they are profitable, so they are acceptable to others, procuring him favour with those that hear him. But the lips of a fool will swallow up himself — His discourses are ungracious and offensive to others, and therefore pernicious to himself. The beginning of his words is foolishness, &c. — All his talk, from the beginning to the end, is foolish and sinful; the more he talks the more his folly and wickedness appear; and the end is mischievous madness — He proceeds from evil to worse, and adds wilfulness to his weakness, and never desists till he hath done mischief to himself or others. A fool also is full of words — Forward to promise and boast what he will do; which is the common practice of foolish men, and running on endlessly, and never knowing when to cease; for he will have the last word, though it be but the same with that which was the first. A man cannot tell what shall be — What he will say next; his talk is so incoherent. And what shall be after him, who can tell? — That is, what mischief his foolish talk may produce. The labour of the foolish wearieth, &c. — Fools discover their folly by their wearisome and fruitless endeavours after things which are too high for them. Because he knoweth not, &c. — He is ignorant of those things which are most easy, as of the way to the great city whither he is going.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Grace. Pleasing and instructive. (Calmet)
Grace. Pleasing and instructive. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain gracious--Thereby he takes precaution against sudden injury (Ecc 10:11).
gracious--Thereby he takes precaution against sudden injury (Ecc 10:11).
swallow up himself-- (Pro 10:8, Pro 10:14, Pro 10:21, Pro 10:32; Pro 12:13; Pro 15:2; Pro 22:11).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 12. Gracious — Hebrew, Conciliating. They win upon the…
12. Gracious — Hebrew, Conciliating. They win upon the offended ruler, and incline him to clemency, while the talk of the fool would aggravate his case into utter hopelessness.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 12. The words of a wise man’s mouth] The…
12. The words of a wise man’s mouth] The mention of the babbling eloquence of “the master of tongue” in the previous verse is naturally followed by precepts fashioned after the type of those in Pro_10:8; Pro_10:14; Pro_10:32; Pro_12:13; Pro_15:2; Pro_17:7 as to that which is of the essence of true eloquence. In “are gracious” (literally are grace itself) we find a parallel to the “gracious words” (literally words of grace) of Luk_4:22. They describe the quality in speech which wins favour, what the Greeks called the ἠθικὴ πίστις (moral suasion), which conciliates the good will of the hearers (Aristot. Rhet. i. 2, § 3).
the lips of a fool will swallow up himself] The English version rightly preserves the vivid force of the original, instead of weakly paraphrasing it by “destroy” or “consume.” Who has not heard orators who, while they thought they were demolishing their opponents, were simply demolishing themselves, swallowing up their own reputation for honesty or consistency, greeted by the ironical cheers of their opponents, while those of their own party listen in speechless dismay? Our own familiar phrase, when we speak of an imprudent orator having “to eat his own words,” expresses another aspect of the same idea.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Vers. 12-15. Section 14. The mention of "the master…
Vers. 12-15. Section 14. The mention of "the master of the tongue" in ver. 11 leads the author to introduce some maxims concerned with the contrast between the words and acts of the wise, and the worthless prating and useless labors of the fool. The words of a wise man"s mouth are gracious; literally, are grace (cariv, Septuagint); i.e. they net only are pleasing in form and manner, but they conciliate favor, produce approbation and good will, convince and, what is more, persuade. So of our blessed Lord it was said, "All bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words (toiv logoiv thv caritov) which proceeded out of his mouth" (Luk_4:22; cutup. Psa_45:2) In distinction from the unready man, who, like the snake-charmer in the preceding verse, suffers-by reason of his untimely silence, the wise man uses his speech opportunely and to good purpose. (A different result is given in Ecc_9:11) But the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. This is a stronger ex-prosaic, than "ruin" or "destroy." Speaking without due forethought, he compromises himself says what he has shamefully to withdraw, and brings punishment on his own head. (cutup Pro_10:8, 21 18:7)
JRhma para kairon rJifqepei bion.
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Untimely speech has ruined many a life.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious
The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious
Here the wise man's speech is represented by his "mouth." AT: "The things that a wise man says are gracious" (See: Metonymy)
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the lips of a fool consume him
Here the fool's speech is represented by his "lips." This speaks of the fool destroying himself by his speech as if it were eating him. AT: "The things that a foolish man says destroy him" (See: Metonymy and Metaphor)
translationWords
word
grace
fool
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 10:12 Fools are destroyed by such things as foolish…
10:12 Fools are destroyed by such things as foolish promises, getting caught in false testimony, and making the wrong people angry (see 5:6; Prov 17:20; 18:6-7; 19:5, 9).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.