The tongue of the fool (Ecclesiastes 10:11–15)

Thomas Miersma·2019-05-15

This article provides an exegetical study of Ecclesiastes 10:11–15, focusing on the biblical metaphor of the tongue as an untamable serpent and its spiritual implications for believers. Miersma examines Solomon's wisdom teaching about foolish speech and the fool's self-disclosure through ungoverned words, connecting Old Testament wisdom literature with New Testament parallels in James 3, offering practical insights for Christian sanctification and the restraint of the tongue through God's grace.

Previous article in this series: April 15, 2019, p. 327. Ecclesiastes 10:11-15 Earlier in chapter 10 we read, Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to everyone that he is a fool (Eccl. 10:3). The walk of the fool has been found among rulers. That walk is also found by ignoring God's ordering of things under the sun. It is with that in view that the text now turns to the speech of the fool and his tongue: he saith to everyone that he is a...

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The tongue of the fool (Ecclesiastes 10:11–15)

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