Ecclesiastes 10:13

Geneva Bible (1560)

The beginning of the wordes of his mouth is foolishnesse, and the latter ende of his mouth is wicked madnesse.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

תְּחִלַּ֥ת דִּבְרֵי־פִ֖יהוּ סִכְל֑וּת וְאַחֲרִ֣ית פִּ֔יהוּ הוֹלֵל֖וּת רָעָֽה׃

Transliteration

təḥillat dibrê-pîhû siklût wə-ʾaḥărît pîhû hôlēlût rāʿâ

Grammar Details

• *təḥillat*: feminine singular construct - beginning of
• *dibrê-pîhû*: masculine plural construct + masculine singular noun with 3rd masculine singular suffix - words of his mouth
• *siklût*: feminine singular noun - foolishness
• *wə-ʾaḥărît*: conjunction + feminine singular construct - and end of
• *pîhû*: masculine singular noun with 3rd masculine singular suffix - his mouth
• *hôlēlût*: feminine singular noun - madness
• *rāʿâ*: feminine singular adjective - evil/harmful

Word Meanings

• *təḥillat*: beginning/start
• *dibrê-pîhû*: words of his mouth/his speech
• *siklût*: foolishness/folly/stupidity
• *ʾaḥărît*: end/outcome/latter part
• *hôlēlût*: madness/insanity/senselessness
• *rāʿâ*: evil/harmful/wicked

Referenced Verses

• Judg 14:15 : 15 And when the seuenth day was come, they said vnto Samsons wife, Entise thine husband, that he may declare vs the riddle, lest wee burne thee and thy fathers house with fire. Haue ye called vs, to possesse vs? is it not so?
• 1 Sam 20:26-33 : 26 And Saul sayde nothing that day: for hee thought, Some thing hath befallen him, though he were cleane, or els because he was not purified. 27 But on the morowe which was the second day of the moneth, Dauids place was emptie againe: and Saul sayde vnto Ionathan his sonne, Wherefore commeth not the sonne of Ishai to meate, neither yesterday nor to day? 28 And Ionathan answered vnto Saul, Dauid required of me, that he might goe to Beth-lehem. 29 For he sayde, Let me goe, I pray thee: for our familie offreth a sacrifice in the citie, & my brother hath sent for me: therfore now if I haue found fauour in thine eyes, let me goe, I pray thee, and see my brethren: this is the cause that he commeth not vnto the Kings table. 30 Then was Saul angrie with Ionathan, and sayde vnto him, Thou sonne of the wicked rebellious woman, doe not I know, that thou hast chosen the sonne of Ishai to thy confusion, and to the confusion and shame of thy mother? 31 For as long as the sonne of Ishai liueth vpon the earth, thou shalt not be stablished, nor thy kingdome: wherefore now send and fet him vnto me, for he shall surely die. 32 And Ionathan answered vnto Saul his father, and said vnto him, Wherefore shal he die? What hath he done? 33 And Saul cast a speare at him to hit him, whereby Ionathan knew, that it was determined of his father to slay Dauid.
• 1 Sam 22:7-8 : 7 And Saul said vnto his seruants that stood about him, Heare now, ye sonnes of Iemini, wil the sonne of Ishai giue euery one of you fields & vineyardes: will he make you all captaines ouer thousands, and captaines ouer hundreths: 8 That all ye haue conspired against me, and there is none that tellerh mee that my sonne hath made a couenant with the sonne of Ishai? and there is none of you that is sory for me, or sheweth mee, that my sonne hath stirred vp my seruant to lie in wayte against me, as appeareth this day?
• 1 Sam 22:16-18 : 16 Then the King sayd, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy fathers house. 17 And the King sayde vnto the sergeantes that stoode about him, Turne, & slay the Priestes of the Lorde, because their hand also is with Dauid, and because they knewe when he fled, and shewed it not vnto mee. But the seruantes of the King would not moue their hands to fall vpon the Priests of the Lord. 18 Then the King sayde to Doeg, Turne thou and fall vpon the Priests; Doeg the Edomite turned, and ran vpon the Priestes, and slewe that same daye foure score and fiue persons that did weare a linen Ephod.
• 1 Sam 25:10-11 : 10 Then Nabal answered Dauids seruantes, & sayd, Who is Dauid? And who is the sonne of Ishai? There be many seruantes nowe a dayes, that breake away euery man from his master. 11 Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I haue killed for my sherers, and giue it vnto men, whom I know not whence they be?
• 2 Sam 19:41-20:1 : 41 And behold, all the men of Israel came to the King, and sayd vnto the King, Why haue our brethren the men of Iudah stollen thee away, & haue brought the King and his houshold, and all Dauids men with him ouer Iorden? 42 And all the men of Iudah answered the men of Israel, Because the King is neere of kin to vs: and wherefore now be ye angry for this matter? Haue we eaten of the Kings cost, or haue wee taken any bribes? 43 And the men of Israel answered the men of Iudah, and saide, Wee haue ten partes in the King, and haue also more right to Dauid then ye: Why then did ye despise vs, that our aduise should not bee first had in restoring our King? And the wordes of the men of Iudah were fiercer then the wordes of the men of Israel. 1 Then there was come thither a wicked man (named Sheba the sonne of Bichri, a man of Iemini) and hee blew the trumpet, and saide, Wee haue no part in Dauid, neither haue we inheritance in the sonne of Ishai: euery man to his tents, O Israel.
• 2 Kgs 6:27 : 27 And he said, Seeing the Lord doeth not succour thee, howe shoulde I helpe thee with the barne, or with the wine presse?
• 2 Kgs 6:31 : 31 And he saide, God doe so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the sonne of Shaphat shall stande on him this day.
• Prov 29:9 : 9 If a wise man contend with a foolish man, whether he be angry or laugh, there is no rest.
• Matt 2:7-8 : 7 Then Herod priuily called the Wisemen, and diligently inquired of them the time of the starre that appeared, 8 And sent them to Beth-leem, saying, Goe, and searche diligently for the babe: and when ye haue founde him, bring mee worde againe, that I may come also, and worship him.
• Matt 2:16 : 16 Then Herod, seeing that he was mocked of the Wisemen, was exceeding wroth, and sent foorth, and slew all the male children that were in Beth-leem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two yeere old and vnder, according to the time which he had diligently searched out of the Wisemen.
• Luke 6:2 : 2 And certaine of the Pharises sayde vnto them, Why doe ye that which is not lawfull to doe on the Sabbath dayes?
• Luke 6:11 : 11 Then they were filled full of madnes, and communed one with another, what they might doe to Iesus.
• Luke 11:38 : 38 And when the Pharise saw it, he marueiled that he had not first washed before dinner.
• Luke 11:53-54 : 53 And as he sayde these things vnto them, the Scribes and Pharises began to vrge him sore, and to prouoke him to speake of many things, 54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catche some thing of his mouth, whereby they might accuse him.
• John 12:10 : 10 The hie Priestes therefore consulted, that they might put Lazarus to death also,
• Acts 5:28-33 : 28 Saying, Did not we straightly commaund you, that ye should not teach in this Name? & behold, ye haue filled Hierusale with your doctrine, and ye would bring this mans blood vpon vs. 29 Then Peter and the Apostles answered, & sayd, We ought rather to obey God then men. 30 The God of our fathers hath raised vp Iesus, whom ye slewe, and hanged on a tree. 31 Him hath God lift vp with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Sauiour, to giue repentance to Israel, and forgiuenes of sinnes. 32 And we are his witnesses concerning these things which we say: yea, & the holy Ghost, whome God hath giuen to them that obey him. 33 Now when they heard it, they brast for anger, and consulted to slay them.
• Acts 6:9-9 : 9 Then there arose certaine of the Synagogue, which are called Libertines, and Cyrenians, and of Alexandria, & of them of Cilicia, and of Asia, and disputed with Steuen. 10 But they were not able to resist the wisdome, and the Spirit by the which he spake. 11 Then they suborned men, which saide, We haue heard him speake blasphemous wordes against Moses, and God.
• Acts 7:54-59 : 54 But when they heard these thinges, their heartes brast for anger, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he being full of the holy Ghost, looked stedfastly into heauen, and sawe the glory of God, & Iesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 And said, Beholde, I see the heauens open, and the Sonne of man standing at the right hand of God. 57 Then they gaue a shoute with a loude voyce, and stopped their eares, and ranne vpon him violently all at once, 58 And cast him out of the citie, and stoned him: and the witnesses layd downe their clothes at a yong mans feete, named Saul. 59 And they stoned Steuen, who called on God, and said, Lord Iesus, receiue my spirit.
• Acts 19:24-28 : 24 For a certaine man named Demetrius a siluersmith, which made siluer temples of Diana, brought great gaines vnto the craftesmen, 25 Whom he called together, with the workemen of like things, and saide, Syrs, ye knowe that by this craft we haue our goods: 26 Moreouer ye see and heare, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia this Paul hath perswaded, and turned away much people, saying, That they be not gods which are made with handes. 27 So that not onely this thing is dangerous vnto vs, that this our portion shall be reproued, but also that the temple of the great goddesse Diana should be nothing esteemed, and that it would come to passe that her magnificence, which all Asia & the world worshippeth, should be destroyed. 28 Now when they heard it, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.