Bible Strands
Ecclesiastes 10:2
A wise man’s heart inclines to the right, but the heart of a fool to the left.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Qoheleth addresses readers in Ecclesiastes 10, following his warning that minor folly can outweigh wisdom and honor.
The words — The Hebrew lev (heart) denotes the inner faculty of will and judgment, while yemin (right) and smol (left) provide a spatial metaphor for moral orientation.
The thread — This contrast between wise and foolish dispositions echoes the broader biblical pattern seen in Ecclesiastes 10:14 and Proverbs 14:8, where folly is consistently linked to reckless speech and self-deception.
Why it lands — The text presents a direct observation of human character rather than a command, requiring readers to examine which path their own decisions consistently follow.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left.
Cross-references
- Ecclesiastes 10:14 Yet the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming, and who can tell him what will come after him?
- Luke 12:18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods.
- Proverbs 14:8 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools deceives them.
- Proverbs 17:16 Why should the fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom?
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 If the axe is dull and the blade unsharpened, more strength must be exerted, but skill produces success.
- Luke 14:28 Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it?
- Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.