A poor yet wise youth is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction—
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.
- 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.
- 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 25:16As he talked with him, the king said to him, “Have we made you one of the king’s counselors? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” Then the prophet stopped, and said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this, and have not listened to my counsel.”
- Prov 19:1Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in his lips and is a fool.
- 2 Chr 16:9–10For Yahweh’s eyes run back and forth throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. You have done foolishly in this; for from now on you will have wars.”
- Prov 28:15–16As a roaring lion or a charging bear, so is a wicked ruler over helpless people.
- 1 Kgs 22:8The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Yahweh, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” Jehoshaphat said, “Don’t let the king say so.”
- Eccl 9:15–16Now a poor wise man was found in it, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.
- Gen 37:2This is the history of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought an evil report of them to their father.
- Prov 28:6Better is the poor who walks in his integrity, than he who is perverse in his ways, and he is rich.
- 2 Chr 24:20–22The Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you disobey Yahweh’s commandments, so that you can’t prosper? Because you have forsaken Yahweh, he has also forsaken you.’”
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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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