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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

Ecclesiastes 5:3

If you keep thinking about something, you will dream about it. If you talk too much, you will say the wrong thing.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Dream;   Speaking;   Words;   Thompson Chain Reference - Dreams;   Evil;   Folly;   Fools;   Silence-Speech;   Speaking, Evil;   Talk, Vain;   Vain Talk;   Wisdom-Folly;   The Topic Concordance - Foolishness;   Speech/communication;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Dreams;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Dream;   Gossip;   Tongue;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Word;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Incomprehensibility of God;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Man;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Jephthah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes, Book of;   Israel, History of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ecclesiastes;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Dream (2);   Temple (2);   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Business;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Business;   Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Church Fathers;   Jerome (Eusebius Hieronymus Sophronius);   Ḳorban;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for September 14;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Just as dreams accompany much labor, so also a fool’s voice comes with many words.
Hebrew Names Version
For as a dream comes with a multitude of cares, so a fool's speech with a multitude of words.
King James Version
For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words.
English Standard Version
For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words.
New American Standard Bible
For the dream comes through much effort, and the voice of a fool through many words.
New Century Version
The saying is true: Bad dreams come from too much worrying, and too many words come from foolish people.
Amplified Bible
For the dream comes through much effort, and the voice of the fool through many words.
World English Bible
For as a dream comes with a multitude of cares, so a fool's speech with a multitude of words.
Geneva Bible (1587)
For as a dreame commeth by the multitude of businesse: so the voyce of a foole is in the multitude of wordes.
Legacy Standard Bible
For the dream comes through abundant endeavor and the voice of a fool through abundant words.
Berean Standard Bible
As a dream comes through many cares, so the speech of a fool comes with many words.
Complete Jewish Bible
If you make a vow to God, don't delay in discharging it. For God takes no pleasure in fools, so discharge your vow!
Darby Translation
For a dream cometh through the multitude of business, and a fool's voice through a multitude of words.
Easy-to-Read Version
Bad dreams come from too many worries, and too many words come from the mouth of a fool.
George Lamsa Translation
For a dream comes because of the multitude of business; and a fools voice is known by a multitude of words.
Good News Translation
The more you worry, the more likely you are to have bad dreams, and the more you talk, the more likely you are to say something foolish.
Lexham English Bible
For a dream comes with many cares, and the voice of a fool with many words.
Literal Translation
For the dream comes through the greatness of the task; and the voice of the fool is known by the many words.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For where moch carefulnesse is, there are many dreames: & where many wordes are, there men maye heare fooles.
American Standard Version
For a dream cometh with a multitude of business, and a fool's voice with a multitude of words.
Bible in Basic English
As a dream comes from much business, so the voice of a foolish man comes with words in great number.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for He hath no pleasure in fools; pay that which thou vowest.
King James Version (1611)
For a dreame commeth through the multitude of businesse, and a fooles voyce is knowen by multitude of words.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For where much carefulnesse is, there are many dreames: and where many wordes are, there men may heare fooles.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Whenever thou shalt vow a vow to God, defer not to pay it; for he has no pleasure in fools: pay thou therefore whatsoever thou shalt have vowed.
English Revised Version
For a dream cometh with a multitude of business; and a fool's voice with a multitude of words.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Dremes suen many bisynessis, and foli schal be foundun in many wordis.
Update Bible Version
For a dream comes with a multitude of business, and a fool's voice with a multitude of words.
Webster's Bible Translation
For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice [is known] by a multitude of words.
New English Translation
Just as dreams come when there are many cares, so the rash vow of a fool occurs when there are many words.
New King James Version
For a dream comes through much activity, And a fool's voice is known by his many words.
New Living Translation
Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.
New Life Bible
For a dream comes with much work, and the voice of a fool comes with many words.
New Revised Standard
For dreams come with many cares, and a fool's voice with many words.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For a dream cometh through the multitude of business, - and, the voice of a dullard, is with a multitude of words.
Douay-Rheims Bible
(5-2) Dreams follow many cares: and in many words shall be found folly.
Revised Standard Version
For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words.
Young's Literal Translation
For the dream hath come by abundance of business, and the voice of a fool by abundance of words.
THE MESSAGE
Overwork makes for restless sleep. Overtalk shows you up as a fool.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For the dream comes through much effort and the voice of a fool through many words.

Contextual Overview

1 Be careful what you do when you enter the house of God. Some fools go there to offer sacrifices, even though they haven't sinned. But it's best just to listen when you go to worship. 2 Don't talk before you think or make promises to God without thinking them through. God is in heaven, and you are on earth, so don't talk too much. 3 If you keep thinking about something, you will dream about it. If you talk too much, you will say the wrong thing.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a fool's: Ecclesiastes 10:12-14, Proverbs 10:19, Proverbs 15:2

Reciprocal: Job 13:5 - and it Proverbs 14:23 - but Proverbs 17:28 - General Ecclesiastes 5:2 - for Ecclesiastes 5:7 - in the Ecclesiastes 10:3 - and he Ecclesiastes 10:14 - fool Matthew 6:7 - use James 1:19 - slow to speak

Cross-References

Genesis 4:25
Adam and his wife had another son. They named him Seth, because they said, "God has given us a son to take the place of Abel, who was killed by his brother Cain."
Genesis 5:3
When Adam was one hundred thirty, he had a son who was just like him, and he named him Seth. Adam had more children
Genesis 5:14
and died at the age of nine hundred ten.
Genesis 5:16
Mahalalel had more children
Job 14:4
There's no way a human can be completely pure.
Job 25:4
How can anyone be innocent in the sight of God?
Psalms 51:5
I have sinned and done wrong since the day I was born.
Luke 1:35
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come down to you, and God's power will come over you. So your child will be called the holy Son of God.
John 3:6
Humans give life to their children. Yet only God's Spirit can change you into a child of God.
Romans 5:12
Adam sinned, and that sin brought death into the world. Now everyone has sinned, and so everyone must die.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For a dream cometh through the multitude of business,.... Or, "for as a dream" q, so Aben Ezra; as that comes through a multiplicity of business in the daytime, in which the mind has been busied, and the body employed; and this brings on dreams in the night season, which are confused and incoherent; sometimes the fancy is employed about one thing, and sometimes another, and all unprofitable and useless, as well as vain and foolish;

and a fool's voice [is known] by multitude of words; either his voice in conversation, for a fool is full of words, and pours out his foolishness in a large profusion of them; or his voice in prayer, being like a man's dream, confused, incoherent, and rambling. The supplement, "is known", may be left out.

q כי בא "ut prodit somnium", Junius Tremellius "nam ut venit", Piscator; "quia sicut venit", Mercerus, Ramabachius, so Broughton.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ecclesiastes 5:3. For a dream cometh — That is, as dreams are generally the effect of the business in which we have been engaged during the day; so a multitude of words evidence the feeble workings of the foolish heart.


 
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