Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. New Living Translation As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor. English Standard Version Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. Berean Study Bible As dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. New American Standard Bible Dead flies make a perfumer's oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor. New King James Version Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, And cause it to give off a foul odor; So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor. King James Bible 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. Christian Standard Bible Dead flies make a perfumer's oil ferment and stink; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. Contemporary English Version A few dead flies in perfume make all of it stink, and a little foolishness outweighs a lot of wisdom. Good News Translation Dead flies can make a whole bottle of perfume stink, and a little stupidity can cancel out the greatest wisdom. Holman Christian Standard Bible Dead flies make a perfumer's oil ferment and stink; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. International Standard Version As dead flies cause the perfumer's ointment to stink, so also does a little foolishness to one's reputation of wisdom and honor. NET Bible One dead fly makes the perfumer's ointment give off a rancid stench, so a little folly can outweigh much wisdom. New Heart English Bible Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to send forth an evil odor; so does a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor. A Faithful Version As dead flies make the perfumer?s ointment to fetid and putrid; so does a little folly to him who has a reputation for wisdom and honor. GOD'S WORD® Translation Dead flies will make a bottle of perfume stink, and then it is spoiled. A little foolishness outweighs wisdom [and] honor. JPS Tanakh 1917 Dead flies make the ointment of the perfumer fetid and putrid; So doth a little folly outweigh wisdom and honour. New American Standard 1977 Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor. King James 2000 Bible Dead flies cause the ointment of the perfumer to send forth a foul odor: so does a little folly to him that is respected for wisdom and honor. American King James Version Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking smell: so does a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor. American Standard Version Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to send forth an evil odor;'so doth a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor. Brenton Septuagint Translation Pestilent flies will corrupt a preparation of sweet ointment: and a little wisdom is more precious than great glory of folly. Douay-Rheims Bible Dying flies spoil the sweetness of the ointment. Wisdom and glory is more precious than a small and shortlived folly. Darby Bible Translation Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to stink [and] ferment; [so] a little folly is weightier than wisdom [and] honour. English Revised Version Dead flies cause the ointment of the perfumer to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly outweigh wisdom and honour. Webster's Bible Translation Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth an offensive odor: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor. World English Bible Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to send forth an evil odor; so does a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor. Young's Literal Translation Dead flies cause a perfumer's perfume To send forth a stink; The precious by reason of wisdom -- By reason of honour -- a little folly! Study Bible Wisdom and Folly1As dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.2A wise man’s heart inclines to the right, but the heart of a fool to the left.… Cross References Exodus 30:25 Prepare from these a holy anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be a holy anointing oil. Job 6:3 For then it would outweigh the sand of the seas--no wonder my words have been rash. Treasury of Scripture Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking smell: so does a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor. Exodus 30:34,35 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: … a little 2 Chronicles 19:2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD. Nehemiah 6:13 Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me. Nehemiah 13:26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin. Lexicon As deadמָ֔וֶת (mā·weṯ) Noun - masculine singular Strong's Hebrew 4194: Death, the dead, their place, state, pestilence, ruin flies זְב֣וּבֵי (zə·ḇū·ḇê) Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's Hebrew 2070: A fly bring יַבִּ֖יעַ (yab·bî·a‘) Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's Hebrew 5042: To gush forth, to utter, to emit a stench יַבְאִ֥ישׁ (yaḇ·’îš) Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's Hebrew 887: To smell bad, to be offensive to the perfumer’s רוֹקֵ֑חַ (rō·w·qê·aḥ) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's Hebrew 7543: To mix or compound oil or ointment oil, שֶׁ֣מֶן (še·men) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's Hebrew 8081: Grease, liquid, richness so a little מְעָֽט׃ (mə·‘āṭ) Adjective - masculine singular Strong's Hebrew 4592: A little, fewness, a few folly סִכְל֥וּת (siḵ·lūṯ) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's Hebrew 5531: Silliness outweighs יָקָ֛ר (yā·qār) Adjective - masculine singular Strong's Hebrew 3368: Precious, rare, splendid, weighty wisdom מֵחָכְמָ֥ה (mê·ḥā·ḵə·māh) Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular Strong's Hebrew 2451: Wisdom and honor. מִכָּב֖וֹד (mik·kā·ḇō·wḏ) Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular Strong's Hebrew 3519: Weight, splendor, copiousness Verses 1-3. - Section 11. A little folly mars the effect of wisdom, and is sure to make itself conspicuous. Verse 1. - Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor. This is a metaphorical confirmation of the truth enunciated at the end of the last chapter, "One sinner destroyeth much good." It is like the apostle's warning to his converts, "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" (1 Corinthians 5:6). The Hebrew expression is literally, "flies of death," which may mean either "dead flies," as in our version and the Vulgate (muses morientes), or "deadly, poisonous flies," as in the Septuagint (μυῖαι θανατοῦσαι). The latter rendering seems preferable, if we regard the use of similar compound phrases, e.g., "instruments of death" (Psalm 7:14: [13]); "snares of death" (Psalm 18:5); and in New Testament Greek, ἡ πληγὴ τοῦ θανάτου, "the death-stroke" (Revelation 13:3, 12). The flies meant are such as are poisonous in their bite, or carry infection with them. Such insects corrupt anything which they touch - food, ointment, whether they perish where they alight or not. They, as the Hebrew says, make to stink, make to ferment, the oil of the perfumer. The singular verb is here used with the plural subject to express the unity of the individuals, "flies" forming one complete idea. The Septuagint rendering omits one of the verbs: Σαμπιοῦσι σκευασίαν ἐλαίου ἡδύσματος, "Corrupt a preparation of sweet ointment." The point, of course, is the comparative insignificance of the cause which spoils a costly substance compounded with care and skill. Thus little faults mar great characters and reputations. "A good name is better than precious ointment" (Ecclesiastes 7:1), but a good name is ruined by follies, and then it stinks in men's nostrils. The term, "ointment of the apothecary," is used by Moses (Exodus 30:25, etc.) in describing the holy chrism which was reserved for special occasions. So doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor. The meaning of the Authorized Version is tolerably correct, but the actual rendering will hardly stand, and one wants some verb to govern "him that," etc. The other versions vary. Septuagint, "A little wisdom is more precious (τίμιον) than great glory of folly;" Vulgate, "More precious are wisdom and glory than small and short-lived folly;" Jerome, "Precious above wisdom and glory is a little folly." This last interpretation proceeds upon the idea that such "folly" is at any rate free from pride, and has few glaring faults. "Dulce est desipere in loco," says Horace ('Carm.,' 4:12. 28). But the original is best translated thus: "More weighty than wisdom, than honor, is a little folly." It is a painful fact that a little folly, one foolish act, one silly peculiarity of manner or disposition, will suffice to impair the real value of a matt's wisdom and the estimation in which he was held. The little clement of foolishness, like the little insect in the ointment, obscures the real excellence of the man, and deprives him of the honor that is really his due. And in religion we know that one fault unchecked, one Secret sin cherished, poisons the whole character, makes a man lose the grace of God. (For the same effect from another cause, see Ezekiel 3:20; Ezekiel 33:13.) Jerome sees in the "dead flies" wicked thoughts put into the Christian's mind by Beelzebub, "the lord of flies." Jump to Previous Apothecary Bad Cause Dead Evil Flies Folly Foolishness Forth Glory Great Honor Honour Little Odor Offensive Oil Ointment Outweigh Outweighs Perfume Perfumer Precious Putrid Reason Reputation Savour Stink Valued Weightier WisdomJump to Next Apothecary Bad Cause Dead Evil Flies Folly Foolishness Forth Glory Great Honor Honour Little Odor Offensive Oil Ointment Outweigh Outweighs Perfume Perfumer Precious Putrid Reason Reputation Savour Stink Valued Weightier WisdomLinks Ecclesiastes 10:1 NIVEcclesiastes 10:1 NLT Ecclesiastes 10:1 ESV Ecclesiastes 10:1 NASB Ecclesiastes 10:1 KJV Ecclesiastes 10:1 Bible Apps Ecclesiastes 10:1 Biblia Paralela Ecclesiastes 10:1 Chinese Bible Ecclesiastes 10:1 French Bible Ecclesiastes 10:1 German Bible Alphabetical: a and As bad dead flies folly foolishness give honor is little make oil outweighs perfume perfumer's smell so stink than weightier wisdom OT Poetry: Ecclesiastes 10:1 Dead flies cause the oil (Ecclesiast. Ec Ecc Eccles.) 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