Discovery BoxEcclesiastes 9:16-18 
Context9:16 So I concluded that wisdom is better than might, 1
but a poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens 2 to his advice. 3
Wisdom versus Fools, Sin, and Folly
9:17 The words of the wise are heard in quiet,
more than the shouting of a ruler is heard 4 among fools.
9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner can destroy much that is good.
1 tn Or “power.”
2 tn The participle form נִשְׁמָעִים (nishma’im, Niphal participle mpl from שָׁמַע, “to listen”) is used verbally to emphasize a continual, durative, gnomic action.
3 tn Heb “his words are never listened to.”
4 tn The phrase “is heard” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness. Note its appearance in the previous line.
