Ecc 10:12 | NETfull | STEP | The words of a wise person win him favor, but the words of a fool are self-destructive.

Ecclesiastes 10:12

Words and Works of Wise Men and Fools

12 The words of a wise person ^{▼▼ Heb “of a wise man’s mouth.”} win him ^{▼▼ The phrase “win him” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.} favor, ^{▼▼ Or “are gracious.” The antithetical parallelism suggests that חֵן (khen) does not denote “gracious character” but “[gain] favor” (e.g., Gen 39:21; Exod 3:21; 11:3; 12:36; Prov 3:4, 34; 13:15; 22:1; 28:23; Eccl 9:11); cf. HALOT 332 s.v. חֵן 2; BDB 336 s.v. חֵן 2. The LXX, on the other hand, rendered חֶן with χάρις (caris, “gracious”). The English versions are divided: “are gracious” (KJV, YLT, ASV, NASB, NIV) and “win him favor” (NEB, RSV, NRSV, NAB, MLB, NJPS, Moffatt).}
but the words ^{▼▼ Heb “lips.”} of a fool are self-destructive. ^{▼▼ Heb “consume him”; or “engulf him.” The verb I בלע (“to swallow”) creates a striking wordplay on the homonymic root II בלע (“to speak eloquently”; HALOT 134-35 s.v בלע). Rather than speaking eloquently (II בלע, “to speak eloquently”), the fool utters words that are self-destructive (I בלע, “to swallow, engulf”).}