---
title: סִכְלוּת — folly · The Tanakh dictionary
description: סִכְלוּת (5531), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 7 times: folly. BDB 1906: n.f. folly. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# סִכְלוּת

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«סִכְלוּת» in the Tanakh dictionary: **folly** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 7 times · **Key:** 5531 · **BDB:** סִכְלוּת

### Glosses

folly (6); \[is\].folly (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

folly [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/5531/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.f. folly [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/5531/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.f. folly;—ס׳ Ec 2:3, 12, 13; 7:25; 10:1, 13; שׂ׳ Ec 1:17 (שׂ erroneously for ס).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 7 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (2 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «סִכְלוּת» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/5531/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Ecclesiastes 10:13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC.10.13/)

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תְּחִלַּ֥ת דִּבְרֵי־פִ֖יהוּ סִכְל֑וּת וְאַחֲרִ֣ית פִּ֔יהוּ הוֹלֵל֖וּת רָעָֽה׃

*Word for word:* the.beginning of.the.words his.mouth his \[is\].folly and the.end his.mouth his \[is\].madness evil

*JPS 1917:* The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is grievous madness.

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[Ecclesiastes 10:1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC.10.1/)

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זְב֣וּבֵי מָ֔וֶת יַבְאִ֥ישׁ יַבִּ֖יעַ שֶׁ֣מֶן רוֹקֵ֑חַ יָקָ֛ר מֵחָכְמָ֥ה מִכָּב֖וֹד סִכְל֥וּת מְעָֽט׃

*Word for word:* flies of.death it.causes.to.stink it.ferments \[the\].oil of.a.perfumer \[is\].weighty more than.wisdom more than.honor folly a.little

*JPS 1917:* Dead flies make the ointment of the perfumer fetid and putrid; so doth a little folly outweigh wisdom and honour.

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- ← previous: [סָכָל](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/5530.md)
- next →: [סָכַן](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/5532.md)
- ↑ back to [ס](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1505-2.md)