◄ Ecclesiastes 9:17 ►
The calm words of the wise are heeded over the shouts of a ruler among fools.
Study Bible
The calm words of the wise
This phrase emphasizes the value of wisdom spoken with tranquility and composure. The Hebrew word for "calm" (nachath) suggests a sense of quietness and gentleness. In a world often filled with noise and chaos, the calmness of wise words stands out. Historically, wisdom literature in the Bible, such as Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, often contrasts the peacefulness of wisdom with the tumult of folly. The wise person, grounded in God's truth, speaks with a serenity that commands attention and respect, reflecting the peace that comes from a deep relationship with God.

are heeded
The Hebrew root for "heeded" (shama) means to hear, listen, or obey. This implies not just passive listening but active engagement and response. In the biblical context, to heed wisdom is to align one's life with God's principles. The wise person's words, though spoken softly, carry weight and authority because they resonate with truth and understanding. This echoes the biblical theme that true wisdom, rooted in the fear of the Lord, leads to life and blessing.

over the shouts of a ruler
The contrast here is stark. "Shouts" (za'aq) conveys loud, often chaotic noise, while "ruler" (mashal) indicates someone in a position of authority. Historically, rulers were expected to lead with wisdom and justice, but the text suggests that not all who hold power possess true wisdom. The imagery of a ruler shouting among fools highlights the futility and disorder that can arise when leadership is not grounded in godly wisdom. This serves as a cautionary reminder that authority without wisdom can lead to folly and destruction.

among fools
The term "fools" (kesil) in Hebrew refers to those who are morally and spiritually deficient, lacking in understanding and discernment. In the wisdom literature of the Bible, fools are often depicted as those who reject God's ways and pursue their own paths, leading to ruin. The presence of fools amplifies the chaos and noise, making the calm wisdom of the wise even more precious and necessary. This phrase underscores the biblical truth that wisdom is not just intellectual but deeply moral and spiritual, guiding one towards righteousness and away from folly.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Wise
Represents those who possess godly wisdom, often characterized by calmness and discernment.

2. The Ruler
Symbolizes authority figures who may lack wisdom, often leading with loudness and force rather than understanding.

3. Fools
Represents those who reject wisdom and understanding, often characterized by loud and reckless behavior.

4. Solomon
Traditionally considered the author of Ecclesiastes, known for his wisdom and reflective insights on life.

5. Ancient Israel
The cultural and historical context in which Ecclesiastes was written, providing a backdrop of a society familiar with both wise and foolish leadership.
Teaching Points
The Power of Calmness
In a world often dominated by noise and chaos, the calm words of the wise can bring clarity and peace. As believers, we are called to embody this calmness, reflecting the peace of Christ in our interactions.

Wisdom Over Authority
True authority is not about volume or force but about wisdom and understanding. We should seek to influence others through godly wisdom rather than relying on positional power or loudness.

Discernment in Leadership
Whether in the church, workplace, or home, discernment is crucial. We should pray for and seek leaders who exemplify the calm wisdom described in Ecclesiastes 9:17.

The Value of Listening
The verse underscores the importance of listening to wise counsel. As followers of Christ, we should prioritize listening to those who speak with godly wisdom, even if their voices are not the loudest.

Cultivating a Wise Heart
Wisdom is not just about knowledge but about the heart's posture. We should continually seek to cultivate a heart that values and produces wisdom, aligning with God's truth.
Bible Study Questions
1. How can we identify the "calm words of the wise" in our daily lives, and what steps can we take to prioritize these voices over louder, less wise influences?

2. Reflect on a time when calm wisdom prevailed over loud authority in your life. What did you learn from that experience?

3. In what ways can we cultivate a spirit of calmness and wisdom in our interactions with others, especially in conflict situations?

4. How does the concept of wisdom in Ecclesiastes 9:17 relate to the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament, particularly in the Sermon on the Mount?

5. What practical steps can we take to ensure that we are listening to and heeding wise counsel in our decision-making processes?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Proverbs 15:1
This verse highlights the power of gentle words in diffusing anger, similar to the calm words of the wise in Ecclesiastes 9:17.

James 3:13-18
Discusses the characteristics of true wisdom, contrasting it with earthly, unspiritual wisdom, paralleling the wise and the foolish in Ecclesiastes.

1 Kings 3:16-28
The account of Solomon's wise judgment, illustrating the effectiveness of wisdom over loud or forceful authority.

Proverbs 29:11
Contrasts the behavior of a fool who gives full vent to his spirit with the wise who quietly holds it back, echoing the themes of Ecclesiastes 9:17.

Matthew 5:9
Jesus' teaching on peacemakers, who are blessed, aligns with the value of calm and wise words in bringing peace and understanding.
Sermons
The Praise of WisdomD. Thomas Ecclesiastes 9:13-18
Wisdom and StrengthW. Clarkson Ecclesiastes 9:13-18
The Little City and the Poor Wise ManW. H. M. H. Aitken, M. A.Ecclesiastes 9:14-18
The Poor Wise ManW. Jones, M. A.Ecclesiastes 9:14-18
The Destructiveness of SinHomiletic ReviewEcclesiastes 9:17-18
The Superiority of Moral to Military ForceHomilistEcclesiastes 9:17-18
People
Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Acceptable, Better, Cry, Ear, Foolish, Fools, Heeded, Noted, Quiet, Quietly, Quietness, Ruler, Rules, Ruleth, Shouting, Shouts, Spoken, Wise
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ecclesiastes 9:17

     5196   voice
     5549   speech, positive
     8328   quietness
     8760   fools, characteristics

Ecclesiastes 9:13-18

     5457   power, human

Library
The Lapse of Time.
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."--Eccles. ix. 10. Solomon's advice that we should do whatever our hand findeth to do with our might, naturally directs our thoughts to that great work in which all others are included, which will outlive all other works, and for which alone we really are placed here below--the salvation of our souls. And the consideration of this great work, …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII

A Home Mission Sermon
"What a dear Saviour we have found," and heralding the coming of our Master. We are here as the salt to preserve a world, which else would become putrid and destroyed. We are here as the very pillars of this world's happiness: for when God shall take away his saints, the universal moral fabric "shall tumble to its fall; and great shall be the crash, when the righteous shall be removed, and the foundations shall be shaken. Taking it therefore as granted that the people of God are here to do something …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

Three Youths Save Constantinople
Now there was found in that city a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no one remembered that same poor man. Eccl. ix. 15. After these events it really seems as if Gaïnas, to use a modern expression, had completely lost his head, or, to give the view of it taken by himself and his contemporaries, as if a demon had begun to trouble him; for his conduct became aimless and uncertain. Discontent, revenge, ambition, and evil counsels destroyed in him all capacity for wise …
Frederic William Farrar—Gathering Clouds: A Tale of the Days of St. Chrysostom

Annunciation to Joseph of the Birth of Jesus.
(at Nazareth, b.c. 5.) ^A Matt. I. 18-25. ^a 18 Now the birth [The birth of Jesus is to handled with reverential awe. We are not to probe into its mysteries with presumptuous curiosity. The birth of common persons is mysterious enough (Eccl. ix. 5; Ps. cxxxix. 13-16), and we do not well, therefore, if we seek to be wise above what is written as to the birth of the Son of God] of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed [The Jews were usually betrothed ten or twelve months …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Moral Depravity.
In discussing the subject of human depravity, I shall,-- I. Define the term depravity. The word is derived from the Latin de and pravus. Pravus means "crooked." De is intensive. Depravatus literally and primarily means "very crooked," not in the sense of original or constitutional crookedness, but in the sense of having become crooked. The term does not imply original mal-conformation, but lapsed, fallen, departed from right or straight. It always implies deterioration, or fall from a former state …
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Epistle cxxvii. From S. Columbanus to Pope Gregory .
From S. Columbanus to Pope Gregory [89] . To the holy lord, and father in Christ, the Roman [pope], most fair ornament of the Church, a certain most august flower, as it were, of the whole of withering Europe, distinguished speculator, as enjoying a divine contemplation of purity (?) [90] . I, Bargoma [91] , poor dove in Christ, send greeting. Grace to thee and peace from God the Father [and] our [Lord] Jesus Christ. I am pleased to think, O holy pope, that it will seem to thee nothing extravagant …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Relation v. Observations on Certain Points of Spirituality.
1. "What is it that distresses thee, little sinner? Am I not thy God? Dost thou not see how ill I am treated here? If thou lovest Me, why art thou not sorry for Me? Daughter, light is very different from darkness. I am faithful; no one will be lost without knowing it. He must be deceiving himself who relies on spiritual sweetnesses; the true safety lies in the witness of a good conscience. [1] But let no one think that of himself he can abide in the light, any more than he can hinder the natural …
Teresa of Avila—The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus

Epistle xxxiv. To Venantius, Ex-Monk, Patrician of Syracuse .
To Venantius, Ex-Monk, Patrician of Syracuse [1331] . Gregory to Venantius, &c. Many foolish men have supposed that, if I were advanced to the rank of the episcopate, I should decline to address thee, or to keep up communication with thee by letter. But this is not so; since I am compelled by the very necessity of my position not to hold my peace. For it is written, Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet (Isai. lviii. 1). And again it is written, I have given thee for a watchman …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Jewish views on Trade, Tradesmen, and Trades' Guilds
We read in the Mishnah (Kidd. iv. 14) as follows: "Rabbi Meir said: Let a man always teach his son a cleanly and a light trade; and let him pray to Him whose are wealth and riches; for there is no trade which has not both poverty and riches, and neither does poverty come from the trade nor yet riches, but everything according to one's deserving (merit). Rabbi Simeon, the son of Eleazer, said: Hast thou all thy life long seen a beast or a bird which has a trade? Still they are nourished, and that …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Thoughts Upon Worldly-Riches. Sect. Ii.
TIMOTHY after his Conversion to the Christian Faith, being found to be a Man of great Parts, Learning, and Piety, and so every way qualified for the work of the Ministry, St. Paul who had planted a Church at Ephesus the Metropolis or chief City of all Asia, left him to dress and propagate it, after his departure from it, giving him Power to ordain Elders or Priests, and to visit and exercise Jurisdiction over them, to see they did not teach false Doctrines, 1 Tim. i. 3. That they be unblameable in …
William Beveridge—Private Thoughts Upon a Christian Life

Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
or, Gospel Light Fetched out of the Temple at Jerusalem, to Let us More Easily into the Glory of New Testament Truths. 'Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Isreal;--shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out hereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof.'--Ezekiel 43:10, 11 London: Printed for, and sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgate, …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

"But Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God," &C.
Matth. vi. 33.--"But seek ye first the kingdom of God," &c. II. The Christian's chief employment should be to seek the kingdom of God, and the righteousness thereof. "Seek first," &c. Upon this he should first and chiefly spend his thoughts, and affections, and pains. We comprehend it in three things. First, He should seek to be clothed upon with Christ's righteousness, and this ought to take up all his spirit. This is the first care and the chief concern. Did not this righteousness weigh much …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Life and Death of Mr. Badman,
Presented to the World in a Familiar Dialogue Between Mr. Wiseman and Mr. Attentive. By John Bunyan ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. The life of Badman is a very interesting description, a true and lively portraiture, of the demoralized classes of the trading community in the reign of King Charles II; a subject which naturally led the author to use expressions familiar among such persons, but which are now either obsolete or considered as vulgar. In fact it is the only work proceeding from the prolific …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Second Great Group of Parables.
(Probably in Peræa.) Subdivision D. Parable of the Lost Son. ^C Luke XV. 11-32. ^c 11 And he said, A certain man had two sons [These two sons represent the professedly religious (the elder) and the openly irreligious (the younger). They have special reference to the two parties found in the first two verses of this chapter --the Pharisees, the publicans and sinners]: 12 and the younger of them [the more childish and easily deceived] said to his father, Father, give me the portion of thy substance …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Original Sin
Q-16: DID ALL MANKIND FALL IN ADAM'S FIRST TRANSGRESSION? A: The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity, all mankind descending from him, by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him in his first transgression. 'By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin,' &c. Rom 5:12. Adam being a representative person, while he stood, we stood; when he fell, we fell, We sinned in Adam; so it is in the text, In whom all have sinned.' Adam was the head …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Jesus' Feet Anointed in the House of a Pharisee.
(Galilee.) ^C Luke VII. 36-50. ^c 36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. [We learn from verse 40 that the Pharisee's name was Simon. Because the feast at Bethany was given in the house of Simon the leper, and because Jesus was anointed there also, some have been led to think that Luke is here describing this supper. See Matt. xxvi. 6-13; Mark xiv. 3-9; John xii. 1-8. But Simon the leper was not Simon the Pharisee. The name Simon was one of the most common among the Jewish …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Ecclesiastes
It is not surprising that the book of Ecclesiastes had a struggle to maintain its place in the canon, and it was probably only its reputed Solomonic authorship and the last two verses of the book that permanently secured its position at the synod of Jamnia in 90 A.D. The Jewish scholars of the first century A.D. were struck by the manner in which it contradicted itself: e.g., "I praised the dead more than the living," iv. 2, "A living dog is better than a dead lion," ix. 4; but they were still more …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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