Ecclesiastes 10:1
WEB
Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to produce an evil odor; so does a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor.
BSB
As dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
KJV
Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.
Matthew Henry
Hebrew interlinear
H2070
n-m — fly
Derivation: from an unused root (meaning to flit);
a fly (especially one of a stinging nature)
KJV: fly.
n.m — fly
זְבוּב n.m. fly (as moving to and fro in the air?);—lit. only Ec 10:1 i.e. dead flies
H4194
n-m — death, dead, pestilence, ruin
Derivation: from 4191;
death (natural or violent); concretely, the dead, their place or state (hades); figuratively, pestilence, ruin
KJV: (be) dead(-ly), death, die(-d).
n.m — death
מָ֫וֶת 161 n.m. death
1. death, opp. life
2. death by violence
3. state of death or place of death
H887
v — smell, be offensive
Derivation: a primitive root;
to smell bad; figuratively, to be offensive morally
KJV: (make to) be abhorred (had in abomination, loathsome, odious), (cause a, make to) stink(-ing savour), × utterly.
vb — have a bad smell
בָּאַשׁ vb. have a bad smell, stink
Qal stink
Niph. only fig. make oneself odious, become odious
Hiph.
1. emit a stinking odour
2. cause to stink
Hithp. they had made thmselves odious
H5042
v — gush forth, utter, emit
Derivation: a primitive root;
to gush forth; figuratively, to utter (good or bad words); specifically, to emit (a foul odor)
KJV: belch out, flowing, pour out, send forth, utter (abundantly).
vb — flow
[נָבַע] vb. flow, spring, bubble up, poet. and late
Qal a flowing wady
Hiph. pour out, emit, cause to bubble, belch forth
H8081
n-m — grease, richness
Derivation: from 8080;
grease, especially liquid (as from the olive, often perfumed); figuratively, richness
KJV: anointing, × fat (things), × fruitful, oil(-ed), ointment, olive, pine.
n.m — fat
שֶׁ֫מֶן 192 n.m. fat, oil
H7543
v — to perfume
Derivation: a primitive root;
to perfume
KJV: apothecary, compound, make (ointment), prepare, spice.
vb — mix
[רָקַח] vb. mix, or compound oil, ointment (perh. denom.);—
Qal mix, compound; pt. as subst. compounders of the ointment; as a professional name, mixer, perfumer
Pu. mixed as ointment
Hiph. spice the spicing (?), i.e. spice (the meat) well, but very dub.
H3368
a — valuable
Derivation: from 3365;
valuable (objectively or subjectively)
KJV: brightness, clear, costly, excellent, fat, honourable women, precious, reputation.
adj — precious
יָקָר adj. precious, rare, splendid, weighty
H2451
n-f — wisdom
Derivation: from 2449;
wisdom (in a good sense)
KJV: skilful, wisdom, wisely, wit.
n.f — wisdom
חָכְמָה n.f. wisdom
1. skill in war
2. wisdom, in administration
3. shrewdness, wisdom
4. wisdom, prudence in religious affairs
5. wisdom, ethical and religious
H3519
n-m — weight, splendor, copiousness
Derivation: rarely כָּבֹד; from 3513;
properly, weight, but only figuratively in a good sense, splendor or copiousness
KJV: glorious(-ly), glory, honour(-able).
n.m — abundance
כָּבוֹד n.m. and f. abundance, honour, glory
1. abundance, riches
2. honour, splendor, glory, of external condition and circumstances
3. honour, dignity of position
4. honour, reputation, of character
5. my honour, poet. of the seat of honour in the inner man, the noblest part of man
6. honour, reverence, glory, as due to one or ascribed to one
7. glory as the object, of honour, reverence and glorifying
H5531
n-f — silliness
Derivation: or שִׂכְלוּת; (Ecclesiastes 1:17), from 5528;
silliness
KJV: folly, foolishness.
n.f — folly
סִכְלוּת, שִׂכְלוּת n.f. folly
H4592
n-m — little, few
Derivation: or מְעָט; from 4591;
a little or few (often adverbial or comparative)
KJV: almost (some, very) few(-er, -est), lightly, little (while), (very) small (matter, thing), some, soon, × very.
subst — a little
מְעַט 101 subst. a little, fewness, a few
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Verses 1–3
Ecclesiastes 10:1–3
In these verses Solomon shows,
I. What great need wise men have to take heed of being guilty of any instance of folly; for a little folly is a great blemish to him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour, and is as hurtful to his good name as dead flies are to a sweet perfume, not only spoiling the sweetness of it, but making it to send forth a stinking savour. Note, 1. True wisdom is true honour, and will gain a man a reputation, which is like a box of precious ointment, pleasing and very valuable. 2. The reputation that is got with difficulty, and by a great deal of wisdom, may be easily lost, and by a little folly, because envy fastens upon eminency, and makes the worst of the mistakes and miscarriages of those who are cried up for wisdom, and improves them to their disadvantage; so that the folly which in another would not be taken notice of in them is severely censured. Those who make a great profession of religion have need to walk very circumspectly, to abstain from all appearances of evil, and approaches towards it, because many eyes are upon them, that watch for their halting; their character is soon sullied, and they have a great deal of reputation to lose.
II. What a deal of advantage a wise man has above a fool in the management of business (Ecc 10:2): A wise man's heart is at his right hand, so that he goes about his business with dexterity, turns his hand readily to it, and goes through it with despatch; his counsel and courage are ready to him, whenever he has occasion for them. But a fool's heart is at his left hand; it is always to seek when he has any thing to do that is of importance, and therefore he goes awkwardly about it, like a man that is left-handed; he is soon at a loss and at his wits' end.
III. How apt fools are at every turn to proclaim their own folly, and expose themselves; he that is either witless or graceless, either silly or wicked, if he be ever so little from under the check, and left to himself, if he but walk by the way, soon shows what he is; his wisdom fails him, and, by some impropriety or other, he says to every one he meets that he is a fool (Ecc 10:3), that is, he discovers his folly as plainly as if he had told them so. He cannot conceal it, and he is not ashamed of it. Sin is the reproach of sinners wherever they go.
Cross-references: Eccl 10:2 · Eccl 10:3