קהלת 10:2

Hebrew Modern Translation

לב חכם לימינו ולב כסיל לשמאלו׃

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Aleppo Codex
לב חכם לימינו ולב כסיל לשמאלו

Biblia Hebrica Stuttgartensia (1967/77)
לֵ֤ב חָכָם֙ לִֽימִינֹ֔ו וְלֵ֥ב כְּסִ֖יל לִשְׂמֹאלֹֽו ׃

Westminster Leningrad Codex
לֵב חָכָם לִֽימִינוֹ וְלֵב כְּסִיל לִשְׂמֹאלֹֽו ׃

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

wise: Ecclesiastes 9:10, Proverbs 14:8, Luke 14:28-32

but: Ecclesiastes 10:10, Ecclesiastes 10:14, Proverbs 17:16, Luke 12:18-20

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 12:8 - General 2 Chronicles 10:8 - he forsook Ecclesiastes 2:14 - wise Ecclesiastes 8:5 - a wise

Gill's Notes on the Bible

A wise man's heart [is] at his right hand,.... This is not designed to express the direct position and situation of the heart of man, wise or foolish, which is the same in both; and which, according to anatomists, is in the middle of the body, inclining to the left side; but the understanding and wisdom of men, as Aben Ezra observes; which, with a wise man, is ready a hand to direct and assist him in any affair; and which under the influence of it, he goes about with great readiness and dexterity, and performs it with great ease and facility, without sinister ends and selfish views; it inclines him to pursue the true way to honour, heaven, and happiness, which lies to the right; to seek things that are above, at the right hand of God; and, in all, his honour and glory;

but a fool's heart [is] at his left; he is at a loss for wisdom and understanding to direct him, when he has an affair of any moment upon his hand; which he goes about in an awkward manner, as left handed persons do, and has sinister ends in what he does; and he is to every good work reprobate and unfit, and seeks earth and earthly things, which lie to the left, and in all himself. The Targum is,

"the heart of a wise man is to get the law, which was given by the right hand of the Lord; and the heart of a fool to get the goods of gold and silver:''

so Jarchi,

"his wisdom is ready to incline him (the wise man) to the right hand way for his good; but the heart of a fool to pervert him from it.''

The ancients o used to call things wise and prudent the right hand and things foolish the left hand.

o Suidas in voce δεξια.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The metaphor perhaps means “A wise man’s sense is in its place, ready to help and protect him; but a fool’s sense is missing when it is wanted, and so is useless.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ecclesiastes 10:2. A wise man's heart is at his right hand — As the right hand is ordinarily the best exercised, strongest, and most ready, and the left the contrary, they show,

1. The command which the wise man has over his own mind, feelings, passions, c., and the prudence with which he acts. And,

2. The want of prudence and management in the fool, who has no restraint on his passions, and no rule or guard upon his tongue. The right hand and the left are used in Scripture to express good and evil. The wise man is always employed in doing good the fool, in nonsense or evil.