Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take a warning.
Parallel translations
- WEB Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who doesn’t know how to receive admonition any more.
- KJV Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.
- NKJV Better a poor and wise youth Than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more.
- NASB A poor yet wise youth is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction—
- NLT It is better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who refuses all advice.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A poor but wise young person is better than an old king too foolish to heed correction. It matters because wisdom and teachability outrank status, age, and power.
Overview
The Preacher begins a small parable contrasting humble wisdom with proud folly. The old king's fatal flaw is that he 'no longer knows how to receive admonition,' having grown deaf to counsel (Proverbs 12:15). Scripture consistently exalts the teachable over the powerful, a reversal climaxing in the gospel, where God exalts the humble and resists the proud (James 4:6).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- 2 Chr 25:16While he was still speaking, the king asked, “Have we made you the counselor to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my advice.”
- Prov 19:1Better a poor man who walks with integrity than a fool whose lips are perverse.
- 2 Chr 16:9–10For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in this matter. From now on, therefore, you will be at war.”
- Prov 28:15–16Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.
- 1 Kgs 22:8The king of Israel answered, “There is still one man who can ask the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.
- Eccl 9:15–16Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he saved the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man.
- Gen 37:2This is the account of Jacob. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flock with his brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
- Prov 28:6Better a poor man who walks with integrity than a rich man whose ways are perverse.
- 2 Chr 24:20–22Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood up before the people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken you.’”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The search that finds everything 'under the sun' to be vapor exposes the emptiness of life without God and drives us to the one who alone gives meaning, the resurrection that makes our labor not in vain.
How Ecclesiastes 4:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.