קהלת 10:12

Hebrew Modern Translation

דברי פי חכם חן ושפתות כסיל תבלענו׃

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Aleppo Codex
דברי פי חכם חן ושפתות כסיל תבלענו

Biblia Hebrica Stuttgartensia (1967/77)
דִּבְרֵ֥י פִי־חָכָ֖ם חֵ֑ן וְשִׂפְתֹ֥ות כְּסִ֖יל תְּבַלְּעֶֽנּוּ ׃

Westminster Leningrad Codex
דִּבְרֵי פִי־חָכָם חֵן וְשִׂפְתוֹת כְּסִיל תְּבַלְּעֶֽנּוּ ׃

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

words: Job 4:3, Job 4:4, Job 16:5, Psalms 37:30, Psalms 40:9, Psalms 40:10, Psalms 71:15-18, Proverbs 10:13, Proverbs 10:20, Proverbs 10:21, Proverbs 10:31, Proverbs 10:32, Proverbs 12:13, Proverbs 12:14, Proverbs 12:18, Proverbs 15:2, Proverbs 15:23, Proverbs 16:21-24, Proverbs 22:17, Proverbs 22:18, Proverbs 25:11, Proverbs 25:12, Proverbs 31:26, Matthew 12:35, Luke 4:22, Ephesians 4:29, Colossians 4:6

gracious: Heb. grace

but: 2 Samuel 1:16, 1 Kings 20:40-42, Psalms 64:8, Psalms 140:9, Proverbs 10:8, Proverbs 10:10, Proverbs 10:14, Proverbs 18:6-8, Proverbs 19:5, Proverbs 26:9, Luke 19:22

Reciprocal: Judges 12:6 - there fell 1 Kings 2:23 - spoken 1 Kings 12:13 - answered Proverbs 10:11 - but Proverbs 12:23 - but Proverbs 15:28 - the mouth Proverbs 17:20 - and he Proverbs 18:21 - and Ecclesiastes 5:3 - a fool's Luke 12:3 - whatsoever

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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 Proverbs 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.

u חן "gratia", Montanus, Mercerus, Drusius, Cocceius, Rambachius. w חבלענו "deglutiet eum", Montanus; "absorbent eum", Piscator, Rambachius. x "Illam", Munster, Cocceius; "quam labia stulti velut absorbendo sufferunt", Tigurine version.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ecclesiastes 10:12. 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.