The wordsדִּבְרֵיof the mouthפִיof a wise manחָכָםare favor,חֵןbut the lipsוְשִׂפְתוֹתof the senselessכְּסִילswallow him up.תְּבַלְּעֶנּוּ
Ecclesiastes 10:12
Study it in the app“The words of the mouth of a wise man are favor, but the lips of the senseless swallow him up.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Ecclesiastes 10:12, word by word
- The wordsדִּבְרֵיdivre
word
What someone says or announces, above all what YHWH says.
Where else “divre” appears- of the mouthפִיfi
mouth
The part of the face with which one speaks, eats and kisses.
Where else “fi” appears- of a wise manחָכָםchacham
wise
Someone who knows how to live well, revering YHWH.
Where else “chacham” appears- are favorחֵןchen
favor
Someone's goodwill toward another: looking on them kindly.
Where else “chen” appears- but the lipsשִׂפְתוֹתsiftot
lip
The part of the mouth with which one speaks, and so what one says.
Where else “siftot” appears- of the senselessכְּסִילkesil
senseless, fool
Fool: not someone who knows little, but someone who despises wisdom and trusts in himself.
Where else “kesil” appears- swallow him upתְּבַלְּעֶtevale
swallow
Swallow, swallow up; hence, destroy.
Where else “tevale” appears
The context
11If the snake bites without a charm, there is no profit for the owner of the tongue.
12 · This verse (above)
13The beginning of the words of his mouth is witlessness, and the end of his mouth is evil madness.