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 Standard Bible As dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs 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. 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. New American Standard Bible Dead flies turn a perfumer’s oil rancid, so a little foolishness is more potent than wisdom and honor. NASB 1995 Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor. NASB 1977 Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor. Legacy Standard Bible Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink, so a little simpleminded folly is weightier than wisdom and honor. Amplified Bible Dead flies make the oil of the perfumer give off a foul odor; so a little foolishness [in one who is esteemed] outweighs wisdom and honor. Christian Standard Bible Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil ferment and stink; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. Holman Christian Standard Bible Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil ferment and stink; so a little folly outweighs 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. Aramaic Bible in Plain English Like dead flies putrefy a vessel of sweet oil, a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and than great glory Brenton Septuagint Translation Pestilent flies will corrupt a preparation of sweet ointment: and a little wisdom is more precious than great glory of folly. Contemporary English Version A few dead flies in perfume make all of it stink, and a little foolishness outweighs a lot of wisdom. Douay-Rheims Bible Dying flies spoil the sweetness of the ointment. Wisdom and glory is more precious than a small and shortlived folly. 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. 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. Good News Translation Dead flies can make a whole bottle of perfume stink, and a little stupidity can cancel out the greatest wisdom. 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. JPS Tanakh 1917 Dead flies make the ointment of the perfumer fetid and putrid; So doth a little folly outweigh wisdom and honour. Literal Standard Version Dead flies cause a perfumer’s perfume | To send forth a stink; The precious by reason of wisdom—By reason of honor—a little folly! Majority Standard Bible As dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. New American Bible Dead flies corrupt and spoil the perfumer’s oil; more weighty than wisdom or wealth is a little folly! NET Bible One dead fly makes the perfumer's ointment give off a rancid stench, so a little folly can outweigh much wisdom. New Revised Standard Version Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a foul odor; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. 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. 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 produce 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! Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context 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 sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be a sacred 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. 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 WisdomEcclesiastes 10 1. observations of wisdom and folly7. death in life 9. and the day of judgment in the days of youth, are to be thought on 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." Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew As deadמָ֔וֶת (mā·weṯ) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 4194: Death, the dead, their place, state, pestilence, ruin flies זְב֣וּבֵי (zə·ḇū·ḇê) Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 2070: A fly bring יַבִּ֖יעַ (yab·bî·a‘) Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 5042: To gush forth, to utter, to emit a stench יַבְאִ֥ישׁ (yaḇ·’îš) Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 887: To smell bad, to be offensive to the perfumer’s רוֹקֵ֑חַ (rō·w·qê·aḥ) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 7543: To mix or compound oil or ointment oil, שֶׁ֣מֶן (še·men) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 8081: Grease, liquid, richness so a little מְעָֽט׃ (mə·‘āṭ) Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 4592: A little, fewness, a few folly סִכְל֥וּת (siḵ·lūṯ) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 5531: Silliness outweighs יָקָ֛ר (yā·qār) Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 3368: Precious, rare, splendid, weighty wisdom מֵחָכְמָ֥ה (mê·ḥā·ḵə·māh) Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 2451: Wisdom and honor. מִכָּב֖וֹד (mik·kā·ḇō·wḏ) Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3519: Weight, splendor, copiousness Links Ecclesiastes 10:1 NIVEcclesiastes 10:1 NLT Ecclesiastes 10:1 ESV Ecclesiastes 10:1 NASB Ecclesiastes 10:1 KJV Ecclesiastes 10:1 BibleApps.com Ecclesiastes 10:1 Biblia Paralela Ecclesiastes 10:1 Chinese Bible Ecclesiastes 10:1 French Bible Ecclesiastes 10:1 Catholic Bible OT Poetry: Ecclesiastes 10:1 Dead flies cause the oil (Ecclesiast. 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