Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.
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.
- BSB Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take a warning.
- 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 25:16And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Art thou made of the king’s counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.
- Prov 19:1Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.
- 2 Chr 16:9–10For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
- Prov 28:15–16As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.
- 1 Kgs 22:8And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.
- Eccl 9:15–16Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.
- Gen 37:2These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
- Prov 28:6Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.
- 2 Chr 24:20–22And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also 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
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