Hebrew word · H5531

סִכְלוּת

sikhlut

folly

Foolishness, senselessness. From the root s-k-l, 'to act foolishly', used for blundering and self-defeating acts: Saul's disobedience ('you have acted foolishly', 1 Sam 13:13), David's census (2 Sam 24:10), Laban's complaint against Jacob (Gen 31:28).

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

folly, foolishness

Also means: sikh.lut (שִׂכְלוּת "folly" H5531A)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Ecclesiastes 10:13

Range of meaning

Foolishness, senselessness. From the root s-k-l, 'to act foolishly', used for blundering and self-defeating acts: Saul's disobedience ('you have acted foolishly', 1 Sam 13:13), David's census (2 Sam 24:10), Laban's complaint against Jacob (Gen 31:28). The noun appears only in Ecclesiastes (2:3, 2:12, 2:13, 7:25, 10:1, 10:6, 10:13, and 1:17 with a variant spelling). The related noun for the fool, sākhāl, also belongs to Qohelet's vocabulary (2:19; 7:17; 10:3; 10:14).

Against the English

English 'folly' and 'foolishness' are close. Modern English can hear 'folly' as harmless silliness, or 'foolish' as low intelligence. The Hebrew word is about bad judgment that leads to ruin, not about low IQ.

Used elsewhere in the period

Hebrew sound-play links s-k-l (with samekh, 'folly') to ś-k-l (with sin, 'insight, prudence'). The two roots sound almost the same and mean opposites, and 1:17 seems to play on this with its spelling. The Greek Septuagint translates the word as aphrosynē, 'senselessness'.

From the study of Ecclesiastes 2:13

Range of meaning

Folly, stupidity: the quality of the kesil or sakhal, the dense, unteachable person whose choices harm himself and others. The related verb in Hiphil means 'to act foolishly' (1 Sam 13:13; 2 Sam 24:10), often with moral weight.

Against the English

Modern 'folly' can sound quaint or light-hearted (an architectural folly, youthful folly). In the Hebrew wisdom books it is a serious and dangerous failure to perceive.

How it drifted

In English, 'folly' has softened over time into something whimsical. The Hebrew word never had that softness.

Used elsewhere in the period

The noun occurs only in Ecclesiastes (2:3, 12, 13; 7:25; 10:1, 13). In 1:17 the related word is spelled with sin instead of samekh (śikhlut), a spelling variation within the same book. The Septuagint uses aphrosynē, 'senselessness.'

From the study of Ecclesiastes 2:3

Range of meaning

Folly: the conduct and mindset of the kesil or sakhal, the fool who acts recklessly and ignores consequences. The related verb sakal is used of Saul's and David's grave misjudgments (1 Samuel 13:13; 2 Samuel 24:10).

Against the English

Versions have 'folly' or 'foolishness'. These are accurate, but modern 'folly' or 'foolishness' can sound like light-hearted silliness.

How it drifted

English 'folly' has softened over time towards harmless fun ('a bit of folly'). The Hebrew word names a way of life that ends badly.

Used elsewhere in the period

The noun belongs almost only to Ecclesiastes (1:17; 2:3, 12, 13; 7:25; 10:1, 13). In 1:17 it is spelled with a different letter (שׂ instead of ס), which makes it look and sound like sekhel, 'insight'. Many see this as a deliberate play on wisdom and its opposite.

Where it appears

Ecclesiastes · 7

  1. Ecclesiastes 1:17 וְשִׂכְל֑וּת and folly

    So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.

  2. Ecclesiastes 2:3 בְּסִכְל֔וּת on folly

    I sought to cheer my body with wine and to embrace folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—until I could see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.

    Here: The reckless, self-indulgent way of life that wisdom teachers set against wisdom. Here it is the pleasure-seeking that comes in 2:4–10.

  3. Ecclesiastes 2:12 וְסִכְל֑וּת and folly

    Then I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what more can the king’s successor do than what has already been accomplished?

  4. Ecclesiastes 2:13 הַסִּכְל֑וּת <the> folly

    And I saw that wisdom exceeds folly, just as light exceeds darkness:

    Here: Senseless, self-destructive stupidity. It is not harmless silliness: it ruins its owner. The noun appears only in Ecclesiastes, and in 2:12 it is paired with "madness" (holelot).

  5. Ecclesiastes 7:25 וְהַסִּכְל֖וּת and the folly

    I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness.

    Here: "And the folly," a word found only in Ecclesiastes. The word "the" marks it as the subject of a second statement: folly, the thing he has been studying since chapter 1.

  6. Ecclesiastes 10:1 סִכְל֥וּת folly

    As dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

  7. Ecclesiastes 10:13 סִכְל֑וּת [is] folly

    The beginning of his talk is folly, and the end of his speech is evil madness.

    Here: Foolishness: thinking and acting without sense, more practical and moral than intellectual. His talk is foolish from the first sentence.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.