Discovery BoxEcclesiastes 4:13-14 
Context4:13 A poor but wise youth is better than an old and foolish king
who no longer knows how to receive advice.
4:14 For he came out of prison 1 to become king,
even though he had been born poor in what would become his 2 kingdom.
Ecclesiastes 9:16
Context9:16 So I concluded that wisdom is better than might, 3
but a poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens 4 to his advice. 5
1 tn Heb “came from the house of bonds.”
2 tn The phrase “what would become” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. However, it is not altogether clear whether the 3rd person masculine singular suffix (“his”) on בְּמַלְכוּתוֹ (bÿmalkhuto, “his kingdom”) refers to the old foolish king or to the poor but wise youth of 4:13.
3 tn Or “power.”
4 tn The participle form נִשְׁמָעִים (nishma’im, Niphal participle mpl from שָׁמַע, “to listen”) is used verbally to emphasize a continual, durative, gnomic action.
5 tn Heb “his words are never listened to.”
