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Ecclesiastes 5:3

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5:3Just as dreams come when there are many cares,7

so8 the rash vow9 of a fool occurs10 when there are many words.

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Footnotes

  1. 7 The term עִנְיַן (’inyan) means “business; affair; task; occupation” ( עִנְיָן; 775 עִנְיָן). nuances עִנְיַן בְּרֹב (bérov ̑inyan) as “excessive activity” ( עִנְיָן). Here, it is used as a metonymy of cause (i.e., tasks) for effect (i.e., cares). The term is nuanced variously: (1) literal sense: “business” (, , , , ) and “effort” (), and (2) metonymical: “cares” (, , ), “concerns” (, ), “worries” () and “brooding” (). The mistakenly related עִנְיַן to the root II עָנַה (’anah) “to afflict,” and rendered it as πειρασμοῦ (peirasmou, “trial”).
  2. 8 The juxtaposition of the two lines joined by vav (“just as … so …”) suggests a comparison ( 253 ו 1.j); see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 71, §437.
  3. 9 Heb “voice.” The Hebrew term קוֹל (qol, “voice”) is used as a metonymy of cause (i.e., voice) for the contents (i.e., the thing said), e.g., Gen 3:17; 4:23; Exod 3:18; 4:1, 9; Deut 1:45; 21:18, 20; 1 Sam 2:25; 8:7, 9; 2 Sam 12:18); see קוֹל 4.b; 877 קוֹל 3.a; also E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, . Contextually, this refers to a rash vow made by a fool who made a mistake in making it because he is unable to fulfill it.
  4. 10 The word “occurs” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

A dream comes when there are many cares,

and many words mark the speech of a fool.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Just as dreams accompany much labor, so also a fool’s voice comes with many words.

NLTNew Living Translation

Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

For a dream comes with many cares,

and the voice of a fool with many words.

KJV 1900King James Version

For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.