Ecclesiastes 10:12

THOUGHTS REGARDING FOOLS

"The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness. A fool also multiplieth words: yet man knoweth not what shall be; and that which shall be after him, who can tell him? The labor of fools wearieth every one of them; for he knoweth not how to go to the city."

"The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, etc." (Ecclesiastes 10:12). Delitzsch rendered this verse: "The words of the wise are heart-winning, and those of the fool self-destructive."[13] Of all the dangers that confront us, that of unwise speech is perhaps the greatest. "By the words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Matthew 12:37). How many kind words which are never spoken would have blessed and encouraged some struggling brother! How many critical or flippant remarks have left indelible marks upon aching hearts! O God, help us properly to control and to use the tongue!

"The beginning of the words (of the fool) is foolishness ... and the end mischievous madness" (Ecclesiastes 10:13). This verse makes it clear why the words of the fool are self-destructive. "In scripture, the fool is not dull but wicked. His speech begins, not with God, but with foolishness, and the end of it is wicked madness."[14] "His words are folly from the start, and they end in mad mischief."[15]

"A fool also multiplieth words, yet man knoweth not what shall be, etc." (Ecclesiastes 10:14). Waddey gave the meaning here as a warning that, "The fool talks too much about things of which he is ignorant."[16]

"The labor of fools wearieth every one of them; for he knoweth not how to go to the city" (Ecclesiastes 10:15). Rankin rendered this: "Fool's labor wears him out, for he does not know how to go to town."[17]

Another bit of wisdom in connection with speech is that silence is better that talk. "President Abraham Lincoln gave us his own proverb on this: `It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak up and remove all doubt'!"[18]