Ecclesiastes Chapter Ten, Choosing One's Words

Ecclesiastes 10:12 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool shall swallow him up. [13] The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, and the end of his talk is raving madness. [14a] A fool also multiples words.

Again it seems like a verse from Proverbs as we approach this passage. There is a simple contrast between the wise man whose mouth, or words, is gracious. Meanwhile, the fool’s lips (or words) swallow him up. A wise man knows what to say, when to say it, and when to keep silent. Yes, there is such a time to keep silent rather than speak. We read, “He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit,” Proverbs 17:27. Elsewhere we are instructed, “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath,” James 1:19.

We also read, “He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him,” Proverbs 18:13. Finally, in our current letter the preacher reminds his readership that there is indeed, “A time to keep silence, and a time to speak,” Ecclesiastes 3:7. A wise man chooses his words carefully. Picture an artist considering what he is painting. He is deliberate with every stroke of the brush; he wants his painting to represent on the canvas the vision that has coalesced in his mind. If there is an errant stroke, the whole of the painting is ruined. Artful speech is just as deliberate and meticulous.

It is written, “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones,” Proverbs 16:24. Also, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one,” Colossians 4:6. So then, those who are wise will speak right words at the right time to the right person. The preacher defines this as being gracious.

Conversely, the fool will speak the opposite. His words are not deliberate, unless they are chosen especially to deliver his opinions to whoever is fearless or foolish enough to indulge him. His words are careless, hurtful, selfish, petty, and, as the preacher warns, will ultimately be his undoing. They swallow him up. James warns us that, “the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity,” James 3:6. James may have had the preacher’s warning in mind when he went on about the tongue and its expressions. With it we bless God and curse man, and this paradoxical status quo harms what the apostle calls the course of nature, verse 6. We can understand with great clarity why the fool’s lips swallow him up when we learn from James that the tongue of man is set on fire by Hell. Foolishness is Hell’s language, and the fool is fluent in it. It leads to folly, which leads to sin, which may lead to death. John cautions us, “there is sin leading to death,” 1 John 5:16. This death is not spiritual, but physical in the context of John’s epistle. There are errant brethren sinning, and some sins lead to death.

Words can have tremendous power. Just look at our Lord. Jesus preached to the people, and His convicting words moved sinful hearts and caused the listeners to cleave to Him in love. Conversely, take heed to the hateful speeches presented by people great and small, and how they can incite hate and animosity in the human soul. Hitler’s words were said to be hypnotic in scale; he could entrance listeners by the force of his speech. But while Christ our Lord brought the comfort of salvation to untold millions, Hitler (and all like him) brought petty, spiteful, hateful diatribe, whose venom weakened nations.

The fool begins with foolishness. Though his beginning is already awful, he concludes with raving madness. The KJV renders “raving,” as, “mischievous.” The HCSB renders the term “evil.” The Hebrew word is, “ra,” and has a somewhat lengthy meaning. Used 663 times in the OT, it is defined thus: “The word combines together in one the wicked deed and its consequences. It generally indicates the rough exterior of wrongdoing as a breach of harmony, and as breaking up of what is good and desirable in man and in society.” The sum or end of a fool’s talk breaches or breaks what is good and desirable in man and the society he dwells in. His language is not designed to be constructive; it is a weapon of destruction, and the person wielding it is a proverbial child. Like a gun given to a little child, the purpose of the item is lost, and all that is left is the semblance of a toy whose trigger can visit immense harm to both the user and the listener.

Finally, the fool is accused of multiplying words. This idea simply connotes the notion that he speaks for the sake of speaking. When something multiplies, it simply increases numerically; it is otherwise in no way of any greater value than when it began. And for many things, when something becomes less common it’s value plummets. More words does not always equate into better speech. It is reminiscent of the false teachers Peter warns the flock of, writing that these men speak, “great swelling words of emptiness,” 2 Peter 2:18. Picture a balloon. A round, bright sphere on a string, appearing to occupy much space. But it lacks gravity or substance; within is airy space, and the veneer is painfully easy to puncture, revealing the absence of anything substantial behind it. This is why we as believers must be careful in our speech in both what we say, and how much we say.