Laughter of the fools

LAUGHTER OF THE FOOLS
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Ecclesiastes7:6 6Like the crackling of thorns under
the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is
meaningless.
New Living Translation
A fool’s laughter is quickly gone, like thorns crackling
in a fire. This also is meaningless.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
A Divine Paradox
Ecclesiastes7:2-4
D. Thomas
To many readers these statements appearstartling and incredible. The young
are scarcelylikely to receive them with favor, and to the pleasure-seeking and
the frivolous they are naturally repugnant. Yet they are the embodiment of
true wisdom; and are in harmony with the experience of the thoughtful and
benevolent.

I. FEASTING, LAUGHTER AND MIRTH ARE TOO GENERALLY
REGARDED BYTHE FOOLISH AS THE BEST PORTIONAND THE
ONLY JOY OF HUMAN LIFE.
1. It is not denied that there is a side of human nature to which merriment and
festivity are congenial, orthat there are occasionswhen they may be lawfully,
innocently, and suitably indulged in.
2. But these experiences are not to be regarded by reasonable andimmortal
beings as the choicestand most desirable experiences of life.
3. If they are unduly prized and sought, they will certainly bring
disappointment, and involve regret and distress of mind.
4. Constantindulgence of the kind describedwill tend to the deterioration of
the character, andto unfitness for the serious and weighty business of human
existence.
II. INTERCOURSE WITHTHE SORROWFULAND THE BEREAVED
YIELDS MORE TRUE PROFIT THAN SELFISH AND FRIVOLOUS
INDULGENCE.
1. Such familiarity with the house of mourning reminds of the common lot of
men, which is also our own. In a careerof amusement and dissipation there is
much which is altogetherartificial. The gay and dissolute endeavor, and often
for a time with success, to lose sight of some of the greatestand most solemn
realities of this earthly existence. Pain, weakness, andsorrow come, sooneror
later, to every member of the human race, and it is inexcusable folly to ignore
that with which every reflective mind must be familiar.
2. The house of mourning is peculiarly fitted to furnish themes of most
profitable meditation. The uncertainty of prosperity, the brevity of life, the
rapid approach of death, the urgency of sacredduties, the responsibility of
enjoying advantages and opportunities only to be used aright during health
and activity, - such are some of the lessons whichare too often unheeded by
the frivolous. Yet not to have learned these lessons is to have lived in vain.

3. The house of mourning is fitted to bring home to the mind the preciousness
of true religion. Whilst Christianity is concernedwith all the scenes and
circumstances ofour existence, andis as able to hallow our joys as to relieve
our sorrows, itis evident that, inasmuch as it deals with us as immortal
beings, it has a specialservice to render to those who realize that this earthly
life is but a portion of our existence, and that it is a discipline and preparation
for the life to come. Many have been indebted, under God, to impressions
receivedin times of bereavementfor the impulse which has animated them to
seek a heavenly portion and inheritance.
4. Familiarity with scenesofsorrow, and with the sources ofconsolation
which religion opens up to the afflicted, tends to promote serenity and purity
of disposition. The restlessnessandsuperficiality which are distinctive of the
worldly and pleasure-seekingmay, through the influences here described, be
exchangedfor the calm confidence, the acquiescencein the Divine will, the
cheerful hope, which are the precious possessionofthe true children of God,
who know whom they have believed, and are persuadedthat he is able to keep
that which they have committed to him againstthat day. - T.

Biblical Illustrator
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning. &&&
Ecclesiastes7:4
The advantages ofvisiting the mansions of distress
T. Secker.
For so valuable a purpose it is well worth while to bear with all the gloominess
of the house of mourning. Formost useful lessons willthe heart of the wise be
able to learn there; and excellent rules of conduct, with respectto himself, to
the memory of those who are deceased, andto such as they have left behind
them.
1. With respectto himself. "Deathis the end of all men, and the living will lay
it go his heart." It is because we do not lay it to our hearts that we most of us
go on just as if we imagined there was to be no end at all; and though we do
not, indeed, speculativelythink so, yet we live and actupon that supposition;
and our knowing it to be a false one hath no manner of influence for want of
reflecting upon it as such. This could not be would we but stop a little at the
house of mourning; and make the most obvious of all reflections there, from
contemplating the end of others, how very quickly our own end may come,
and how soonit must. Such thoughts will enliven our diligence in performing
our duty here; in working, while it is day, the works of Him that sentus. And
as the thoughts of death are excellently fitted to compose the vehemence of our
other passions, so they are fitted particularly to check that very sinful kind of
vehemence, which we are exceedinglyprone to express, one againstanother.
Another instruction, which the heart of the wise will learn in the house of
mourning, is, never to flatter himself with expectations ofany lasting goodin a
state so uncertain as this. You see, therefore, what improvement the heart of
the wise may receive from a generalconsiderationof the end of all men. But
the further view of the different ends of different men is a subjectof yet
further advantage.
2. The heart of the wise, whilst it dwells in the house of mourning, will not
only improve itself in a generalsense ofChristian piety, but also more

especiallyin such precepts of it as constitute a proper behaviour with respect
to the memory of those whose departure is at any time the objectof our
thoughts. The dead, indeed, are out of our reach:our goodness extends not to
them, and our enmity can do them no harm. But for the sake ofcommon
justice and humanity, we are bound to the amiable duties of stowing candour
in regard to their failings, and paying the honour which is due to their merit.
3. We may learn, from a considerate meditation on the examples of mortality,
very useful instructions for our behaviour, not only with respectto the
deceased, but those whom they have left behind any way peculiarly related to
them. The death of a wise and good, of a near and affectionate friend, is
unspeakablythe greatestofall calamities. Whoeveris capable of these
reflections, if he allows himself time to make them, will sincerelypity all that
have suffered such a loss, and equally esteemall that show they are sensible of
it.
(T. Secker.)
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Adam Clarke Commentary
For as the crackling ofthorns - They make a greatnoise, a greatblaze; and
are extinguished in a few moments. Such indeed, comparatively, are the joys
of life; they are noisy, flashy, and transitory.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography

Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes7:6". "The Adam Clarke
Commentary".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/ecclesiastes-7.html. 1832.
return to 'Jump List'
Albert Barnes'Notes onthe Whole Bible
As the crackling of thorns - Noisywhile it lasts, and quickly extinguished. See
Psalm58:9 note.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Barnes, Albert. "Commentaryon Ecclesiastes7:6". "Barnes'Notesonthe
New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/ecclesiastes-7.html. 1870.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
For as the crackling ofthorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool,.... As
thorns are weak, useless, andunprofitable; yea, hurtful and pernicious, and
only fit for burning; so are foolishand wickedmen, 2 Samuel 23:6; and as the
noise and sound of the one under a pot is very short, they make a blaze for a
while, and is soonover; so though the laughter of a fool is loud and noisy, it
makes no melody, no more than the noise of thorns; and is but for a moment,
and will be soonchangedfor weeping and howling, which will last for ever;
see Job20:5;
this also is vanity; the carnalmirth of wickedmen.

Copyright Statement
The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernisedand adapted
for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved,
Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.
A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard
Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855
Bibliography
Gill, John. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes7:6". "The New JohnGill
Exposition of the Entire Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/ecclesiastes-7.html. 1999.
Geneva Study Bible
For as the crackling ofd thorns under a pot, so [is] the laughter of the fool:
this also [is] vanity.
(d) Which crackle fora while and profit nothing.
Copyright Statement
Text Courtesyof BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Beza, Theodore. "Commentaryon Ecclesiastes7:6". "The 1599 Geneva Study
Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/gsb/ecclesiastes-
7.html. 1599-1645.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
crackling — answers to the loud merriment of fools. It is the very fire
consuming them which produces the seeming merry noise (Joel2:5). Their
light soongoes out in the black darkness. There is a paronomasia in the
Hebrew, {(Sirim} (“thorns”),{( Sir }(“pot&)rdquo;). The wickedare often
compared to &ldqu)o;thorns” (2 Samuel23:6; Nahum 1:10). Dried cow-dung
was the common fuel in Palestine;its slowness in burning makes the quickness
of a fire of thorns the more graphic, as an image of the sudden end of fools
(Psalm 118:12).
Copyright Statement
These files are a derivative of an electronic edition prepared from text
scannedby Woodside Bible Fellowship.
This expanded edition of the Jameison-Faussett-BrownCommentary is in the
public domain and may be freely used and distributed.
Bibliography
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.;Fausset,A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on
Ecclesiastes7:6". "CommentaryCritical and Explanatory on the Whole
Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfb/ecclesiastes-7.html.
1871-8.
Wesley's ExplanatoryNotes
For as the crackling ofthorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this
also is vanity.
Thorns — Which for a time make a great noise and blaze, but presently go
out.

Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that
is available on the Christian ClassicsEtherealLibrary Website.
Bibliography
Wesley, John. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 7:6". "JohnWesley's
Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/wen/ecclesiastes-7.html. 1765.
John Trapp Complete Commentary
Ecclesiastes7:6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so [is] the laughter
of the fool: this also [is] vanity.
Ver. 6. For as the crackling ofthorns under a pot.] Much noise, little fire;
much light, little heat. So here is much mirth, little cause;a blaze it may yield,
but is suddenly extinct; this blaze is also under a pot; the gallantry of it is
checkedwith troubles and terrors; it is insincere many times; it is but the
"hypocrisy of mirth," as one calls it. It is truly and trimly here comparedto a
handful of brushwood, or searthorn, under the pot. Ecquando vidisti
flammam stipula exortam, claro strepitu, largo fulgore, cito incremento, sed
enim materia levi, caduco incendio, nullis reliquiis, saith Apuleius - a very
dainty descriptionof carnaljoy, and agreeable to this text. And herewith also
very well suits that of the Psalmist, "Before your pots can feelthe thorns, he
shall take them awaywith a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath."
[Psalms 58:9] Fools themselves are but thorns twisted and folded together;
[Nahum 1:10] "briars"; [Micah7:4] "brambles." [ 9:14] Their laughter is also
fitly comparedto thorns, because it chokes goodmotions, scratcheththe
conscience, harbours the vermin of base and baggagelusts. And as
themselves, like thorns, shall be thrust awayand utterly burnt with fire in the
same place, [2 Samuel 23:6-7] so their joy soonexpireth, and proves to be
rather desolationthan consolation - as lightning is followedwith rending and
roaring, as comets outblaze the very stars, but when their exhaled matter is
wasted, they vanish and fill the air with pestilent vapours. The prophet Amos

telleth the wickedthat "their sun shall go down at noonday." [Amos 8:9]
Surely as metals are then nearestmelting when they shine brightest in the fire,
and as the fishes swim merrily down the silver streams of Jordan till they
suddenly fall into the DeadSea, where presently they perish, so it fares with
these merry Greeks thatfleer (a) when they should fear, and laugh when they
should lament. "Woe to you that laugh," [Luke 6:25] saith Christ; how
suddenly are they put out as the fire of thorns! [Psalms 118:12]
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Trapp, John. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 7:6". JohnTrapp Complete
Commentary. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/ecclesiastes-
7.html. 1865-1868.
Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible
The crackling ofthorns, which for a time make a greatnoise and blaze, but
presently waste themselves, and go out without any considerable effectupon
the meat in the pot.
So; so vanishing and fruitless.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography

Poole, Matthew, "Commentaryon Ecclesiastes7:6". Matthew Poole's English
Annotations on the Holy Bible.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mpc/ecclesiastes-7.html. 1685.
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
6. Crackling ofthorns — The reasonwhy. The usual fuel mentioned in the
Old Testamentis charcoal, comparedwith which dry thorn bushes though
quicker to kindle, are brief and ineffectual. The Hebrew words for pot and
thorns sound queerly together, like the English “noisynettles under kettles”
— imitating a shallow laughter.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Whedon, Daniel. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 7:6". "Whedon's
Commentary on the Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/whe/ecclesiastes-7.html. 1874-
1909.
George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary
Wise man. Much prudence is requisite to correctwith fruit, and to persuade
the sinner that he is under a mistake. (Calmet)
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Haydock, George Leo. "Commentaryon Ecclesiastes 7:6". "George
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hcc/ecclesiastes-7.html. 1859.
Mark Dunagan Commentary on the Bible
"Foras the crackling ofthorn bushes under a pot, so is the laughter of a fool,
and this too is futility."
In the Hebrew, there is a pun or play on words here. "Foras the crackling of
thorns (nesseln)under the pot (kessel). In the East, and where wood is scarce,
thorns, hay and stubble are used for fuel (Matthew ). Such materials are
quickly kindled, blaze up for a time with much noise, and soondie away. The
point of comparisonis the loud crackling and the short duration of the fire
with small results. So the fool"s mirth is boisterous and noisy, but comes to a
speedy end, and is spent to no goodpurpose" (P.P. Comm. p. 157). The pun in
English would be something like, "as nettles under the kettle".
You May As Well Face Facts
Concerning this sectionKidner notes, "There are almost as many moods and
standpoints here as there are sayings, but a certain low-keyapproachto the
subject marks most of them….In verse 7 we can recognize the essenceofa law
which, in modern times, Lord Acton formulated as "All powertends to
corrupt…"" (pp. 66-67).
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Dunagan, Mark. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 7:6". "Mark Dunagan
Commentaries on the Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dun/ecclesiastes-7.html. 1999-
2014.
E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes
crackling. Same wordas "voice" (Genesis3:8), used of any sound.
thorns . . . pot. Note Figure of speechParonomasia (App-6). Hebrew. hassirim
. . . hassir. May be Englished by "nettles . . . kettles".
vanity. See note on Ecclesiastes1:2.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Bullinger, Ethelbert William. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 7:6". "E.W.
Bullinger's Companion bible Notes".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bul/ecclesiastes-7.html. 1909-
1922.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged
also is vanity.
As the crackling of thorns ... The "crackling"answering to the loud
merriment of fools. It is the very fire consuming them which produces the

seeming merry noise (Joel2:5). Their light soongoes out in the black
darkness. There is a paronomasia in the Hebrew ciyriym (Hebrew #5518)
(thorns) ... ciyr (Hebrew #5518)(pot). The wickedare often compared to
"thorns" (2 Samuel23:6; Nahum 1:10). Dried cow dung was the common fuel
in Palestine;its slowness inburning makes the quickness ofa blazing fire of
thorns the more graphic, as an image of the sudden end of fools (Psalms
118:12).
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.;Fausset,A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on
Ecclesiastes7:6". "CommentaryCritical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
- Unabridged".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfu/ecclesiastes-7.html. 1871-
8.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(6) There is againa play on words, which German translators representby
“the crackling ofnettle under the kettle,” and Plumptre “the crackling of
stubble which makes the pot bubble.” The reference plainly is to the quick
blazing up and quick going out of the flame.
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Ellicott, Charles John. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 7:6". "Ellicott's
Commentary for English Readers".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ebc/ecclesiastes-7.html. 1905.
Treasuryof Scripture Knowledge
also is vanity.
as
2:2; Psalms 58:9; 118:12;Isaiah 65:13-15;Amos 8:10; Luke 6:25; 16:25;2
Peter2:13-17;Jude 1:12,13
crackling
Heb. sound. the laughter.
Proverbs 29:9
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Torrey, R. A. "Commentary on Ecclesiastes 7:6". "The Treasuryof Scripture
Knowledge". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tsk/ecclesiastes-
7.html.

Ecclesiastes7:6. The words—Foras the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is
the laughter of fools—are basedonPsalms 118:12, where Israel, being under
the rule of the Persians, says—"They(the heathen) compassedme about like
bees, they are quenched as the fire of thorns: in the name of the Lord will I
destroy them." Betweenthe happiness or good fortune of the heathen and the
fire of thorns, the point of comparisonis that both alike violently blaze up,
and are quickly extinguished. In the fundamental passage justquoted we find
yalp eht ekil ;drow eht no yalp ehtfo esuacebnesohc si ‫סירים‬ ereH.‫קוצים‬ ‫אש‬
between‫ןמש‬ and ‫םש‬ in Ecclesiastes7:1, where a passage found ready to hand
in Proverbs is made somewhatmore concise andpointed. More point is
perhaps gained also by the description of the happiness of fools as laughter.
Betweencrackling andgiggling there is a certain similarity of sound; there is
significance therefore in the designation, "the voice of thorns." Under the pot,
which J. D. Michaelis consideredintolerable, serves to render the description
more vivid and real, because thorn fires were usually made in such a position.
See Psalms 58:9, "Before your pots canfeel the thorns:" where thorns are
evidently used for making a fire under the pots. And also this, namely, the
laughter of fools, the happiness of the heathen, is vanity, like so much else in
this world of illusions, and is consequentlynot a fit object of envy. Considered
more carefully Israel is happier than the heathen world, "for the exultation of
the wickedis short, and the joy of the impious is but for a moment. Though
his greatnessmount up to the heavens, and his head reachunto the clouds, yet
he perishes for ever like his own dung, and they which see him say—where is
he?" (Job 20:5; Job 20:7). The words, "this also is vanity," have been
historically fulfilled and confirmed in the utter and complete disappearance of
the Persianmonarchy, whereas Israelstill blooms and nourishes on in the
Christian Church. Luther remarks—"Virgilius says, fire in the stubble
cracklesvery much hut has no force, contains no heat, and is soonextinguish.
So also is the laughter and the mirth of fools:it looks as if it would last for
ever, and blazes up high, but is nothing at all. One moment they have their
consolation;the next comes a misfortune which casts them down to the
ground: and so all the joy lies in the ashes. This, therefore, accords admirably
with that which was said shortly before, "and this also is vanity." The joy and

false worldly consolationofthe flesh do not lastlong, and all such joy ends in
sadness and evil."
END OF STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
"Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This
too is meaningless."I'm sure most of you will know what I mean, when I use
the word "kindling." When you start a fire -- you gatherup some dry twigs,
and use them to getthe fire going. What happens is, the kindling makes a loud
popping noise or crackling sound... but it doesn't lastvery long. That's the
way Solomondescribes the laughter that is typical of parties -- LOUD AND
ENTERTAINING, but TEMPORARY. Ofcourse, there is more permanence
and value in the funeral -- and the thoughts generatedby the reality of death
can do more for us than the laughter of fools. Let is take this to heart, and do
what Solomonrecommends at the end of this marvelous book:FEAR GOD,
AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS.
http://www.bible.ca/ef/expository-Ecclesiastes-7-2-6.htm
Ecclesiastes7:6 "Foras the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter
of the fool: this also is vanity."
Again we find a play on words in the Hebrew text; The word for "crackling"
and "voice" are the same, as we see in Genesis 3:8. God is comparing the
crackling noise of thorns burning under a pot to that of the constantlaughter
of fools. Both are empty and just don't make any sense. There is a greatdeal
of difference betweenbeing happy and having peace ofmind, than one who is
a fool and never seeking wisdomin anything. When you listen to a fool, it's
like listen to the crackling ofthe thorn chips under a fire.

It's sortof like sitting around all day listen to your breakfastfood, "snap
crackle and pop" over and over, and you learn nothing from the noise.
https://www.theseason.org/ecclesiastes/ecclesiastes7.htm
(6.) For as the crackling ofthorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool.
This, also, is vanity.
The comparisonpoints not only to the empty, unmeaning nature of the fool’s
laugh, but to the short continuance of his hilarity, which is “quenchedas the
fire of thorns” (Ps. 118:12), or goes out quick, like the fire which rages fiercely
among stubble. He may persist in turning life into a caperand a merry song;
but like dry twigs or grass, ora handful of shavings, burning under a pot, his
frantic joys will sooncome to an end. This truly, is vanity.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/the-book-of-ecclesiastes-explained#716
Verse 6 Where there are few big trees, people must use thin, small branches as
fuel for their fires. These burn very quickly and they may make a lot of noise.
But they do not make much heat in order to cook things. The small branches
burn too quickly and the pot does not boil. This is not useful. The foolish
person laughs loudly for no reasonand that benefits nobody.
v6 When a fool laughs, it has no value.
It sounds like woodin a fire.
It is like small, thin branches that are burning under a pot.
Their noise tells us nothing.
https://www.easyenglish.bible/bible-commentary/ecclesiastes-lbw.htm

"The wise will inherit glory, but shame will be the promotion of fools."―
Proverbs 3:35
"The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom."―
Proverbs 10:21
"A prudent man keeps his knowledge, but the hearts of fools proclaim
foolishness."― Proverbs 12:23
"Longing fulfilled is sweetto the soul, but fools detestturning from evil."―
Proverbs 13:19
"One who walks with wise men grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers
harm."― Proverbs 13:20
"The wisdom of the prudent is to think about his way, but the folly of fools is
deceit."― Proverbs 14:8
"Fools mock atmaking atonement for sins, but among the upright there is
goodwill."― Proverbs 14:9
"The crown of the wise is their riches, but the folly of fools crowns them with
folly."― Proverbs 14:24
"Like a thornbush that goes into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the
mouth of fools."― Proverbs 26:9
"The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in
the house of mirth."― Ecclesiastes 7:4
"It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hearthe song of
fools."― Ecclesiastes7:5

"Foras the crackling ofthorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool; this
also is vanity."― Ecclesiastes7:6
"A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are a snare to his soul."―
Proverbs 18:7
"A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back."―
Proverbs 26:3
"A stone is heavy, and sand is a burden; but a fool's provocationis heavier
than both."― Proverbs 27:3
"Foras a dream comes with a multitude of cares, so a fool's speechwith a
multitude of words."― Ecclesiastes5:3
"A wise man's heart is at his right hand, but a fool's heart at his left."―
Ecclesiastes10:2
"The heart of a foolis in his mouth, but the mouth of a wise man is in his
heart."― Benjamin Franklin
"A foolboasts of those who fear him; a wise man's pride is those who respect
him."― Philip R. Breeze
"Betterto remain silent and be thought a fool then to speak out and remove
all doubt."― Abraham Lincoln
"In the vain laughter of folly wisdom hears half its applause."― George Eliot
"There are two fools in this world. One is the millionaire who thinks that by
hoarding money he can somehow accumulate realpower, and the other is the
penniless reformer who thinks that if only he can take the money from one
class and give it to another, all the world's ills will be cured."― Henry Ford
"Who is more foolish, the child afraid of the dark, or the man afraid of the
light?"― Maurice Freehill

"No one but a fool would measure their satisfactionby what the world thinks
of it."― Oliver Goldsmith
"While intelligent people can often simplify the complex, a fool is more likely
to complicate the simple."― GeraldW. Grumet
"When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopicallythin line
betweenbeing brilliantly creative and acting like the most gigantic idiot on
earth."― Cynthia Heimel
"Fools build houses, and wise men buy them."― English Proverb
"Don't approacha goatfrom the front, a horse from the back, or a fool from
any side."― JewishProverb
"What a fooldoes in the end, the wise do in the beginning."― Spanish
Proverb
"A spoondoes not know the taste of soup, nor a learned fool the taste of
wisdom."― WelshProverb
"Wise people talk because they have something to say;fools, because they
have to say something."― Plato
https://quotabulary.com/fools-quotes-about-them
According to Ecclesiastes7:6?
What is the laughter of fools like?

3 following 12 answers
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Answers
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BestAnswer: The crackling of thorns under the pot.
Like throwing a pinecone into a fire. It makes a lot of noise, but it doesn't
produce any real fire the way a solid piece of wooddoes.
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for as the cracking of thorns under a pot so is the laughter of the fool this is
also vanity
meaning:vs 3 because they cause a man t reflectwisely on te brevity of life. the
laughter of the fool is comparedto the cracking of thorns in vs 6 since both
were characterisedby noise , volatility and transience.

ishameluvu · 1 decade ago
The Teacherspoint here is valid, as explained in verses 2-6, namely that
happy times generallyteachus much less than difficult times. The person who
laughs his or her way through life trying to stay awayfrom the very trials that
would make them strongerand a better person, become the fools that this
verse speaks of. Sort of like the class clownin school, always laughing it up
but never learning anything. Verse 4 points this out well----- "The heart of the
wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of
mirth."
They laugh at men who understands the ways of Yahweh better then they do.
That's the laughter of a fool. They laugh when they are being owned in the
very moment.
Ecc 7:6 For as the crackling ofthorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the
stupid one. And this also is vanity.
As the crackling of thorns - Noisywhile it lasts, and quickly extinguished.
(Albert Barnes)
BrotherMichael· 1 decade ago
the crackling ofthorns under a pot.
The NETBible makes the imagery a bit more clear - "Forlike the crackling of
quick-burning thorns under a cooking pot, so is the laughter of the fool"

Ever listen to the "crackling"oftinder / kindling when a fire is first being
built?
Source(s):
http://net.bible.org/verse.php?book=Ecc&...
Apologetic Avenger · 1 decade ago
Their laughter is like thorns crackling under a pot.
It is also vanity.
How true how true.
It doesn't matter because it is meaningless.
I got a thumbs down, but the answeris for the laughter of fools.
MichaelK · 1 decade ago
Fools are men without understanding. Just think about he who laughs to what
he doesn't understand.
Proverbs 18:2
J.J.Monk ·1 decade ago

The sound of the "stubble" feeding the flames of fire..
Laughter of Fools
Postedon May 10, 2019 | 2 Comments
Bible Reference:Ecclesiastes7.6
Possibly, Ecclesiasteswas writtenby Solomon, one of his offspring, or a
learned teacherin the Israelite assembly. Within Ecclesiastes, the writer
referred to himself as “Teacher.”One saying the Teacherwrote was, “Like
the crackling ofthorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is
meaningless” (Ecclesiastes7.6 NIV).
Israelite cooking fires were locatedin outer courtyards or inside homes. The
time of year influenced where the fire was located. In hot weather, the
cooking fire was outside the home. In cooleror coldweather, the fire was
locatedinside the home to give heath. Many poorer Israelites cookedovera
simple hole in the ground surrounded by rocks (a fire pit). Wealthier
Israelites had ovens, either inside the home or in the courtyard.
In ancient Israel, woodwas the primary fuel used for cooking;however, in
Ecclesiastes7.6, thorns fueled fire. Thorn bushes burn faster and with less
heat than dense wood, i.e., oak, olive. Many times when thorns were collected
and burned, green branches were present at the base, even when the thorn
bush appeareddry on top and in the middle. When burned, greenbranches
emitted a crackling sound. Thorns, as fuel, made the point of the Teacher’s
saying: The laughter of fools is like a short-lived fire fueled by thorns, not
dense wood. A fool’s laughter, although perhaps loud, doesn’t last very long.
It is relatively valueless ormeaningless.
In ancient Israel, woodwas the primary fuel used for cooking;however, in
Ecclesiastes7.6, thorns fueled fire. Thorn bushes burn faster and with less
heat than dense wood, i.e., oak, olive. Many times when thorns were collected
and burned, green branches were present at the base, even when the thorn

bush appeareddry on top and in the middle. When burned, greenbranches
emitted a crackling sound. Thorns, as fuel, made the point of the Teacher’s
saying: The laughter of fools is like a short-lived fire fueled by thorns, not
dense wood. A fool’s laughter, although perhaps loud, doesn’t last very long.
It is relatively valueless ormeaningless.
The thorn plant of Ecclesiastesis the Sarcopoteriumspinosum. Other names
are the thorny burnet and prickly burnet.9,10 On the female flower, ovaries
are setin four-or-five joined sepals so that female flowers resemble a covered
pot. These flowerpots are numerous on stems. When the female floweris
young, it is green, and turns red-orange at maturity and rusty brown as it
dries. In the heat of a fire, the flower “pots” produce a small explosive sound
when they pop open. The sound resembles crackling. Onthe thorny burnet,
thorns grow up to four inches. Individuals who harvest and prepare the
thorny burnet for fuel and other purposes have a high chance of being
scratchedby thorns.
In Ecclesiastes 7.6,the meaning of thorny burnet was futility. Futility implies
an action that has no use or purpose.3 Synonyms are ineffective, pointless, and
vainness;an antonym is useful. Although a thorny burnet fire can snap,
crackle, andpop, and be pleasing to the ears, the sound adds little to the heat.
Paul identified severalways and situations where man’s thoughts were futile,
i.e., useless and ineffective. Two points seemparticularly important today.
First, God is revealedthrough his creation, yet unrighteous men neither
glorified God, nor give him thanks. Instead their thinking becomes futile and
their foolish hearts darkened. They exchangedworship of the immortal God
for worship of man-made images such as birds, animals, and reptiles. Most
men and womenin the twenty-first century don’t worship animals, but,
sometimes, they hang onto the words of men/women rather than focusing on
God’s instruction for life.
Writing to the Corinthian church, Paul statedthat “if Christ has not been
raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sin” (1 Corinthians 15.17 NIV).
Redemption of our bodies, eternal life in Christ, depends on a risen Lord.
When I was in college, The PassoverPlot.11was required reading for anyone

trying to be intellectual. The book argued that Jesus and disciples
implemented an elaborate ruse to have Jesus declaredMessiah. Jesus never
died on the cross. He was takenfrom the cross and hidden by close associates.
Then, Jesus reappearedthree days later to fulfill Jews’expectationsfor the
Messiah.
The problem with The PassoverPlot’s argument is the lived experiences of
individuals who saw both Jesus’s deathand his resurrectedbody. Evidence of
Jesus’s deathcomes from eye-witness accounts ofnon-believers as wellas
believers. In his resurrectedbody, Jesus appearedat leasteleven times to over
500 people.
My reading The PassoverPlotallowedme to appear intellectual when I
discussedarguments againstJesus’s deathduring my college years. Yet, my
arguments were as the crackle ofthorn bushes in a cook fire—notof much
value. Recently, I read another book, None Like Him.12 The author said that
God is self-sufficient. That means that God doesn’tneed my arguments for or
againsthis existence. The phenomenon of Jesus’s deathand resurrection may
confound the wise, but, that doesn’tmake it any less real. My take away
messagefrom reading both books, one futile and one valuable for Christian
growth, is that reading and believing commentaries on the Bible should never
take the place of reading (and believing) God’s word.
Reflection:What are you spending your time doing that isn’t of much value?
Let me assure you that it didn’t take me more than a secondto come up with
severaltime-wasters in my life. How can you, more importantly, how are you
going to eliminate these time-wasters from your life? If you spent more time
promoting Christ’s message, how would that benefit the USA?
Copyright April 4, 2019. All rights reserved.
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Related
Futility and Fool's Laughter
In "Plants in the Wisdom Literature"
Meaningless Crackling Thorns
In "Plants in the Wisdom Literature"
Truth or Fiction: The Burning Bush
In "Plants & the Life of Moses"
This entry was postedin Plant Parables and taggedBible Study, crackling
thorn, Ecclesiastes, Godas a Gardener, Laughter of Fools, Sarcopoterium
spinosum. Bookmark the permalink.
2 responses to “Laughterof Fools”
Cynthia | May 16, 2019 at9:44 am | Reply
I have been scratchedby a few thorns trying to pick sweet, wildblackberries.
I often feel that waywhen I read too many bible commentaries or christian
books and need to put them awayand reachfor the Bible which rewards me
with sweetfruit
. Interesting post Carolyn, this is my first visit and will be back to read more.
Carolyn | May 16, 2019 at7:46 pm | Reply
Cynthia, I canidentify with your comments. My women’s Bible study group is
reading a book right now that causes me to want to just read what the Bible
says. By the way, a little aloe vera plant gelshould take awaythe sting os
blackberry bush thorns and minor burns.
Foolishsongs and laughter

Ecclesiastes7:5-6
The people in Israelloved to sing. They sang at home, and they sang at work.
They sang at weddings and they sang at funerals. Solomon had a collectionof
1005 songs (1 Kings 4:32).
Of course, the foolish people were not singing to praise God. Foolishpeople do
not do that. When they sing, it is for their own pleasure. That is how foolish
people behave. They think constantly about themselves;they care only about
their own feelings.
Usually, we do not like anyone to tell us that we are wrong. But that attitude is
foolish. It would offend those foolishpeople if someone complainedabout
their songs.
But the person who desires to be wise has a different attitude. He wants to
know about every wrong thing that he is doing. He needs to know these things
so that he can change his behaviour (Proverbs 9:8-9). That is how a person
becomes wise.
Those foolishpeople are at a party. They have finished their song, and now
they are laughing. But their laughter, like their song, has no purpose. It is just
a sound that they make. It does not even mean that they are happy. When
foolish people cannot laugh about something, they laugh at someone.
In the original language, the word for ‘pot’ in Ecclesiastes 7:6 is the same as
the word for ‘thorn’. The same word has two meanings. Thorns are bushes
with sharp points. They are a nuisance to collectand they do not even burn
well.
So the thorns are like the fools. They both make a lot of noise, but they
achieve no useful purpose. The thorns are fit only for the fire, even as the fool
is fit only for punishment.
© 2014, Keith Simons.

Fools, Foolishin Proverbs
Topics in Series! - Our Newsletter
The books ofProverbs and Ecclesiastes(both written by King Solomon)
introduces us to at leastfour different kinds or types of fools. Their are those
who are simple minded but still teachable and those who are have hardened
their hearts on foolishness. There are also those who are arrogantand reject
chances to be wise and those who are brutish fools.
The wise man has eyes in his head, while the fool walks in the darkness;but I
came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.
Then I thought in my heart, "The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What
then do I gain by being wise?" Isaid in my heart, "This too is meaningless"
For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered; in days to come
both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die! (Ecclesiastes
2:14 - 16).
How did God mock idolators?
Why not castpearls before swine?
Paul's correctionof fools in Corinth!
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom
and discipline (Proverbs 1:7).
How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? Forscorners delight in
their scorning, and fools hate knowledge (Proverbs 1:22).
Goodfortune
Albrecht Durer, c. 1502

Smart people keepquiet about what they know, but stupid people advertise
their ignorance (Proverbs 12:23).
How goodit is to getwhat you want! Stupid people refuse to turn awayfrom
evil (Proverbs 13:19).
The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge. She sits
at the door of her house, on a seatat the highestpoint of the city, calling out to
those who pass by, who go straight on their way.
"Let all who are simple come in here!" she says to those who lack judgment.
"Stolenwateris sweet;food eatenin secretis delicious!" But little do they
know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of the grave
(Proverbs 9:13 - 18).
As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speechof a fool when
there are many words (Ecclesiastes5:3).
What advantage has a wise man over a fool? What does a poor man gain by
knowing how to conduct himself before others? (Ecclesiastes6:8).
World's Wit and Wisdom
Those who never retracttheir
opinions love themselves more
than they love the truth.
JosephJoubert, 1754 - 1824
Mostfools think
they are only ignorant.

Benjamin Franklin, 1706 - 1790
The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.
Even as he walks along the road, the fool lacks sense andshows everyone how
stupid he is (Ecclesiastes 10:2 - 3).
The wise womanbuilds her house, but the foolishpulls it down with her hands
(Proverbs 14:1).
In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride, but the lips of the wise shall
preserve them (Proverbs 14:3).
Forsakethe foolishand live; and go in the way of understanding (Proverbs
9:6).
Go from the presence of a foolishman, When you do not perceive in him the
lips of knowledge (Proverbs 14:7).
A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, and a man of wickedintentions is hated.
The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge
(Proverbs 14:17 - 18).
He who says there is no such
thing as an honestman,
you may be sure
is himself a knave.
George Berkeley, 1685 - 1753

Jesters do oft prove prophets.
William Shakespeare,1564 - 1616
The wealthof the wise is their crown, but the folly of fools yields folly
(Proverbs 14:24).
A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolishman despises his mother
(Proverbs 15:20).
Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a fool
consume him . . . Yet the fool multiplies words. No man knows what will
happen, and who can tell him what will come after him? (Ecclesiastes10:12,
14).
A foolish sonis a grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bore him
(Proverbs 17:25).
Even a fool, when he is silent, is counted wise, and he who shuts his lips is
counted as a man of understanding (Proverbs 17:28).
He who answers before listening - that is his folly and his shame (Proverbs
18:13).
Betteris the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in his lips
. . (Proverbs 19:1).
The foolishness ofa man twists his way, and his heart frets againstthe Lord
(Proverbs 19:3).
A foolish sonis the ruin of his father . . . (Proverbs 19:13).
Judgments are prepared for scoffers, and beatings for the backs offools
(Proverbs 19:29).

Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, and whoeveris led astrayby it is
not wise (Proverbs 20:1).
There is desirable treasure, and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish
man squanders it (Proverbs 21:20).
The devising of foolishness is sin, and the scofferis an abomination to men
(Proverbs 24:9).
If a wise man contends with a foolish man, whether he rages orlaughs, there
is no rest(Proverbs 29:9).
If you have been foolish in exalting yourself, or if you have devisedevil, put
your hand on your mouth (Proverbs 30:32).
Do not answera fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him (Proverbs
26:4).
To be intimate with a
foolish friend is like going
to bed with a razor.
The wise man draws more
advantage from his enemies
than the foolfrom his friends.

The fool folds his hands and ruins himself (Ecclesiastes4:5).
Like the crackling ofthorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too
is meaningless (Ecclesiastes7:6).
https://www.biblestudy.org/bible-study-by-topic/proverbs/fools.html
Laughter, Fools, and Missions
I remember the first time I made someone laugh in French, after many failed
attempts. It felt like I had finally regaineda piece of myself. That period of
awkwardinability to make other people laugh during my first few months on
the missionfield helped me see that humor taps into something deeperand
more profound than I had realized.
Individual cultures develop a unique sense of humor. As sociologistPeter
Bergernotes, “Whatis funny on one side of the Pyrenees is not at all funny on
the other side” (48). Simply laughing at a joke togetherwith others is such a
milestone for new missionaries becauseit indicates understanding, not just of
language but of culture. Laughter is unifying, it signifies acceptanceand
inclusion, and it feels goodto share in something simple and human with
people from another culture.
“Simply laughing at a joke togetherwith others is such a milestone for new
missionaries becauseit indicates understanding, not just of language but of
culture.”
Missionaries,however, do not move overseasto make people double over in
laughter, but if the nature of humor and the nature of the gospeloverlap, then
it is worth digging a little deeper into the subject.
What Is Humor?

Unfortunately, describing the nature of humor is terribly unfunny. Just as no
one wants a joke explained to them, no one wants to have the mechanics of
humor explained to them either. This is partly because there is a wonderful
mystery and joy in the comic, and any attempt to demystify the hilarious
might rob us of some the joy we derive from it.
However, there is a central principle at work in humor that is essentialto
understand: incongruity. Humans have a basic tendency towards the
congruous, that is, towards ordered reality. Incongruity occurs when
something defies that order.
Someone going for a walk is supposed to stroll nicely along, and when they
trip and fall headlong into a stream, they defy the order of the walk. An
observerof the whole affair laughs at the incongruity. Something happened
that was not supposed to. This conceptis the basic building block of the comic
dimension.
The TheologicalDimensionof Humor
“Forthe word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who
are being savedit is the powerof God” (1 Cor. 1:18 ESV). Folly is “the comic
at its most intense” because it presents “a counter-world, an upside-down
world” (Redeeming Laughter, 207). Folly is not merely incongruous;folly
screams in defiance of ordered reality.
Human logic says that crucifixion is the ultimate shame; the foolishness of
God says that a crucifixion will free humanity of shame forever. That God
would become a fragile human, that God would willingly suffer, that God
would sacrifice himself for fallen humanity—this is foolishness. Yet Paul
reminds us that “the foolishness ofGod is wiserthan men” (1 Cor. 1:25 ESV).
The cross is incongruous. The death of the Son of God makes no sense. Butthe
resurrectionis the ultimate incongruity. Our ordered reality tells us that
death is inescapable. The resurrectionscreams in defiance of our ordered
reality, and it shows us an upside-down world where we are able to live
forever with our Creator. Little wonder that men and womenwalking closely
with Jesus have some of the most genuine smiles I have ever seen.

Reinhold Niebuhr summarizes the subject neatly, and he leads us to what this
all implies for missions:“The intimate relationship betweenhumor and faith
is derived from the factthat both deal with the incongruities of our existence.
Humor is concernedwith the immediate incongruities and faith with the
ultimate ones (“Humor and Faith,” 1).”
The Comic Dimension of Missions
Sharing the gospel, therefore, is similar to making someone laugh. When you
make someone laugh you are drawing someone’s attentionto an immediate
incongruity. Likewise, whenyou share the gospelyou are drawing their
attention to ultimate incongruities. We all die, yet we all long to live forever.
We all sin, yet we all feelguilt when we do. The gospelholds the key to these
incongruities that live within every human being.
Os Guinness observes, “[Humor’s] genius lies in its capacityto open up a
vantage point from which the world looks different” (75). A missionary
encouragespeople to look at the world a different way when they urge them to
considerwhat is possible in a world where Jesus rose from the dead. In a
world where Jesus conquereddeath, grace canbe real. But grace is not an
option within most peoples’ordered reality. So, part of the missionary’s job is
to oppose peoples’ordered reality, just like a joke does.
“Partof the missionary’s job is to oppose peoples’ordered reality, just like a
joke does.”
The Joyof Evangelism
And just like a person telling a goodjoke seems to always have a gleamin
their eye because theyknow the punchline, so the joy of knowing Jesus
personally should be evident when we present the gospel. We know that death
has been conquered. But as PeterBergeradmits, “There is a long line of grim
theologians” (198).Christians are often straight-facedand serious, especially
when going about the serious business of the Lord in their serious suits with
their serious methods. But giving joyful, life-changing news in a dour manner
is the kind of incongruity that will leadpeople awayfrom the gospel, not
toward it.

Clumsy Humor, Clumsy Evangelism
My early attempts to share the gospelon the mission field were just as clumsy
as my early attempts to make people laugh. But when I started regaining my
ability to make people laugh, I also started to have more nuanced and
effective gospelconversationswith people.
Looking back, I don’t see this as a coincidence. The same cultural exegesis
that was necessaryfor me to understand the localpeople’s sense ofhumor was
also necessaryfor me to understand how to share the goodnews effectively
with them.
Gaining the ability to draw someone’s attentionto a small incongruity and
make them laugh helped me to also draw their attention to a big incongruity:
We deserve death, yet Jesus died in our place. Eternity rings with the sound of
joyous laughter at this glorious, cosmic punchline. The world will see our joy
and think us fools. Do not be offended. Embrace it, for “we are fools for
Christ’s sake” (1 Cor. 4:10 ESV).
Thomas Sieberhagenis a church planter with the IMB in Belgium. He has
written in the pastat mereorthodoxy.com. You can find him on Twitter.
https://www.imb.org/2019/06/21/for-the-sake-of-the-call/
The Laughter of Fools:The Relevance ofWisdom in Today’s World
Katharine DellFaculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge, WestRoad,
Cambridge CB3 9BS, UK; kjd24@cam.ac.uk Academic Editor: PeterIver
Kaufman Received:20 April 2016;Accepted:18 July 2016;Published: 25
August 2016
Abstract: This paper explores different facets ofthe charactertype of the fool
in the book of Proverbs and looks at his primary characteristicsin the context
of some of the main themes of Proverbs. Particular concerns are with the
difﬁculties of parenting a fool and the idea of life as a path full of choices, with
problems with communication and with other characteristics ofthe fool such

as not listening to others, a tendency to hasty anger, wiliness and getting into
unsuitable socialsituations. This paper puts this discussionin the contextof
the wider wisdom quest and its theologicalthemes. It ends with images of the
fool from Ecclesiastesand some insights for modern application.
Keywords: fool; path; communication; anger; theology;wisdom; Woman
Wisdom; Proverbs; Ecclesiastes
1. Introduction I ﬁrst gave this paper to a church group on April Fools’Day
(1 April), an appropriate day to be addressing the nature of “the fool”. Who is
this unfortunate character? In addition, why does he feature so prominently
in the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament? There are over seventy
proverbs that mention him [1]. Further mentions occur in Ecclesiastes,
another wisdom book, notably where the author is citing proverbs [2]. My
questions of these biblical proverbs about the foolare as follows:What is the
fool accusedof? How might he mend his ways? His opposite number is the
wise person andso,whoishe? Whydothewisejudgefoolssovociferously?
Finally,doesanyofthishaveanything to say to our modern context? [3] “The
fool” as he is presentedin Proverbs is clearly a “type” [4,5]. Proverbs is full of
opposite characters, i.e., the righteous/the wicked;the friend/the enemy; the
hard-worker/the indolent and so on, and it seems that listing the two
alternatives is a way of characterizing ethical behavior at its opposite
extremes. Eachof us knows from our own experience of human nature that it
is in fact difﬁcult to classifyany one person as a complete fool, or indeed as
completely wise. Characters are complexand any such designationwould
probably be simply a hasty judgement on someone fora particular actionthat
has causedannoyance. Thus, I might saythat my neighbor was a fool because
he put his greendustbin out on a black dustbin week. However, thatdoes not
mean I generallythink of him as foolish all of the time or that the adjective
“foolish” was his overriding characteristic. Thus, “the fool” is a type rather
than a real person, but to study the different facets ofhis foolishness through
the lens of the wisdom writers is to tune in to a subtle portrayal of human
characterin its roundness and to experiential wisdom in its applicability to all
human beings and their characteristics. To study the fool is also to
contemplate what it means to be wise, for advice againstfoolishbehavior
always contains an admonition to do its opposite. Furthermore, this survey of

the nature of the fool provides an introduction to many of the main themes of
Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Whilstindividual proverbs tend to be rather
“black and white” in their judgements, the proverbs are an interesting vehicle
for conveying subtle insight into human behavior, which, after all, has not
changedsignificantly. Social
Religions 2016,7, 110;doi:10.3390/rel7090110
www.mdpi.com/journal/religions
Religions 2016,7, 110 2 of 10
contexts change of course, but essentialhuman behavior is the continuum that
links our world with that of the bible.
2. Parenting a FoolA prime concernseems to be with parenting a fool. The
very first proverb of the sayings section(Proverbs 10:1–22:16)is:“A wise
child makes a glad father, but a foolish child is a mother’s grief” (Prov. 10:1).
Thecontrastbetweenwiseandfoolishasdirectoppositesisoftenmade,asinthisprove
rb. Father and mother are equals here in the parenting role. Many proverbs
make this kind of contrastwith two halves linked by “but”. A variant of this
proverb is 15:20, which uses the same first line “A wise child makes a glad
father” but has a secondline which reads “but the foolishdespise their
mothers”. It is a well-knowntechnique of the wisdom writers [6] to lead you to
expecta duplicate and then make a subtle change in the secondhalf. This
secondline, “the foolish despise their mothers”,
suggestsamoreactivedislikeonthepartofthefool.
Theethicalnormisofcoursethatthewisepersonadmires and listens to their
mother (e.g., Prov. 6:20). The foolis used then to heighten the wrong attitude,
making a persona “fool” ratherthan “wise”. Two proverbs in chapter 17
address the same issue of parenting a fool notably verse 21 “the one who
begets a fool gets trouble: the parent of a fool has no joy” and then “Foolish
children are a grief to their father and bitterness to her who bore them”
(17:25). Both refer to the begetting role of the parents, the secondmore
specificallyto the childbearing role of the mother, and then to the emotional
bitterness that ensues when the fool’s true characteremerges. It is interesting
that this “type” seems to be recognizedfrom birth and that fools are then

trapped in that designation. No amount of goodparenting changes the
situation. Fools are describedas having an addiction to being foolish: “Crush
a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, but the folly will not
be driven out!” (Prov. 27:22)and “Like a dog that returns to its vomit, is a
fool who reverts to his folly” (Prov. 26:11). This suggests thatsuch
characteristicsare deeply ingrained
andmightleadamodernaudiencetoreflectonthenature/nurturedebate.
Arechildrensimplyborna certainway and how far can their behavior be
shaped? What is the role of the parent in that shaping? How does a parent
form their child towards appropriate moral behavior and responses inall
manner of different situations?
3. Life as a Path In order fully to understand the wise/fooldichotomy, one
needs to appreciate the wider context of thematic emphasis in the book of
Proverbs. Proverbs has the wider theme of life as a path on which one has to
tread but which involves choices [7,8]that both reveal wise or foolish
characterand lead to wise or foolish consequences. Akey text for path
imagery is Proverbs 4:10–19, anadmonition to the
childfromtheparenttokeeptothe“rightpath”alongthe“wayofwisdom”.
Theparentasksthechildtoaccept“mywords”(v10), teachingandexample(v11).
Thewarningis“do notenterthepathofthe wicked...avoidit...turn awayfrom it
and pass on” (v 14). The contrasthere is with “the wicked” but it could
equally have been “the fool” and the two descriptions are closelylinked. It is
an attractive idea in Proverbs that one decides on one’s direction in life, on the
choices forgoodor ill that one is going to make, and then one sets off on a
chosenpath: “the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines
brighter and brighter until full day” (v 18), unlike the way of the wicked(or
the foolish)which is “like deep darkness” (v 19). Every act has a consequence
that can more or less be known. Of course one might object that sometimes
unforeseencircumstances arise, but the confident answerof the wise is that if
one is on the right path, that of wisdom, one will be able to cope with whatever
comesalong. Armedwiththerightvalue-
system,therightcharacterandabilitytomakemoralchoices, the road is clearand
smooth; make the wrong choices as the fool does and the way is strewnwith
thorns, making life difficult (Prov. 15:19). And the path is not static.

Understanding increases withage, and converselyfoolishness becomesmore
setin so that the path is a journey through life which takes people inexorably
forwards [9]. The gradient is at times steep, at times smooth and straight and
at times downhill all the way, and at eachstage desires may change and
choices have to be made. The
Religions 2016,7, 110 3 of 10
importanceofplanningone’sdirectioninlifeisadvocatedbythewiseandofcoursepl
anningforgoodratherthanillisadvised. However,ultimatelyGodisincharge:
“Theplansofthemindbelongtoman, but the answerof the tongue is from the
Lord...Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
(Prov. 16:1,3). The idea of life as a path is an appealing one for a modern
audience and
talesof‘thejourney’proliferateinourliterature,aprimeexamplebeingTolkien’sLo
rdoftheRings. Life is an adventure that can potentially take people on many
different roads and so navigating choices and options is a challenging matter.
This is where some advice from those who have navigated the road before us
can be useful, or even invaluable.
4. Communication
OneofthekeythemesofthebookofProverbsisthenatureofcommunication,i.e.,thei
mportance of the carefulselectionof words, knowing when to speak and when
to be silent, avoiding gossipand too much [10]. The fool, unsurprisingly,
engagesin too much talk and does not know when to stop. Proverbs 10:8
contrasts the “wise ofheart” who “will heed commandments” and the
“babbling fool” who “will come to ruin”. The parallel betweenheeding
commandments and over-talking is not an exactone, but the implication is
that the fool is so busy listening to himself that he does not hear important
instruction or pay heed to external factors. Additionally in chapter 10, “The
wise lay up knowledge, but the babbling of a fool brings ruin near” (v 14),
which suggests thatthe overtalkative foolhas not got time to learn or heed the
knowledge that is being passeddown to him. Proverbs 14:3
movesontothethoughtthat“Thetalkoffoolsisarodfortheirbacks,
butthelipsofthewisepreserve them.” Imagery of lips and mouth is often used in
these “communication” contexts. The idea here is that the foolis making a rod

for his own back by his incessantchatter. He is not doing himself any favors,
whilst the wise person, who chooseshis words carefully and is sparing with
them, is living according to wise behavior as defined by these writers. Imagery
of the tongue is also used, as in 15:2,
“Thetongueofthewisedispensesknowledge,butthemouthsoffoolspouroutfolly”.
Finallyin18:6–7 there is a double proverb on the fool, with no contrasting
picture of the wise:“A fool’s lips bring strife, and a fool’s mouth invites a
flogging. The mouths of fools are their ruin, and their lips a snare to
themselves.” A wholly negative view of the verbal activity of the fool is given
here and discipline is the only way to control his waywardbehavior. Another
aspectof this communication theme is that the fool cannot manage fine speech
or eloquent proverbs for he is ignorant and any attempt to prove otherwise is
disastrous. Thus, Prov. 17:7 makes the point that “Fine speechis not
becoming to a fool; still less is false speechto a ruler.” Glib words are
ridiculous in the mouths of fools, but the more important point in this proverb
is the comparisonwith a ruler who has power and should know better than to
utter lies with his smooth speech. The wise show greatrespectfor their
betters, notably the king who is at the top of the socialscale.In addition, the
advice of Prov. 23:9 to the wise is “Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, who
will only despise the wisdom of your words.” Fools do not listen, so do not
waste your words. Along similar lines, proverbs are useless in a fool’s mouth.
Thus, 26:9 reads, “Like a thornbush brandished by the hand of a drunkard is
a proverb in the mouth of a fool”. A foolmay learn a proverb and even
proclaim it, but it is not clear that he has any real understanding of what he is
saying. Before leaving the communication theme a particularly insightful
proverb is found in Proverbs 17:28, “Evenfools who keepsilent are
consideredwise;when they close their lips, they are deemed intelligent.” This
brings out a certain contradictionin that if the fool choosesto shut his mouth
then you cannottell whether he is wise or foolishand of this one has to
beware. The fool could be trying to pass for what he is not. Contradictionis at
the heart of the proverbial worldview because experience itselfis often
contradictory. If a person is silent one does not know whether they are wise or
foolish and one needs to be wary. The communication theme brings this
contradiction out quite sharply. It is interesting that the wise latch on to
communication as such a key theme for a successfullife. It is seento be at the

heart of human relationship. So the importance of a careful choice ofwords,
of thinking through what one wants to say, of speaking conciselyand not too
often, of restraining oneselffrom
Religions 2016,7, 110 4 of 10
gossiping and spreading secrets is all emphasized over and overagain by the
wise. There are plenty of
warningsagainstevilwords,hastywords,foolishwordsandthebadconsequencesth
atwillinevitably ensue. Words have greatpowerand so their use and abuse is
of prime importance. Arguably, changes in how humans communicate with
eachother have dominated our lifestyles with the rise of the
internet,ofemail,oftextingandofsocialmedia.
Theadviceofthewiseoncommunicationispertinentto this in that the brevity of
our communications in a text or tweet means that even more care needs to be
takenin our choice of words and self-expression. There is also a chance to
reflecton whether the written word is always the bestmeans of
communication in that nothing replaces a face to face discussionand
interchange.
5. Further Characteristicsofthe FoolThe speechand other behaviors of the
fool arise from his charactertype, which is clearlyan over-drawn type for the
purposes of instruction. In narrative texts characters tendto be complex and
many-dimensional but in this kind of ethicalinstruction, a characteris
deliberately one-dimensionaland used as a paradigm [11]. Thus, a picture is
starting to emerge of this unfortunate fool [12]and there are various proverbs
that give awayclues as to the chief characteristicsthat canbe identified.
5.1. Self-Absorbtion Fools generallythink that they are right all the time. This
is in contrastwith the advice of the wisdom writers to “Trust in the Lord with
all your heart and do not rely on your owninsight” (3:5). In 12:15 this point is
used to make a contrastwith the wise and hence with the correctwayof
behaving—“Foolsthink their own way is right, but the wise listen to advice.”
Prov. 26:12 puts it the other way around: “Do you see persons wise in their
own eyes? There is more hope for fools than for them.” Whilst some self-
reliance might be seenas a goodthing in life, being overconfidentin one’s own

view and ability is seento be a false path. Prov. 28:26 puts it succinctly,
“Those who trust in their own wits are fools, but those who walk in wisdom
come through safely.” Fools then tend to be opinionated people who lack
deeper understanding. As Prov. 18:2 puts it, “A fool takes no pleasure in
understanding,butonlyinexpressingpersonalopinion.”Itisclearthatlisteningtoth
eadviceofothersis a key part of wisdom. Mostof us no doubt know others who
have high opinions of themselves and prefer to rely on their own insight
rather than listen to the advice of others. As people become more senior in
their careers and in societythat tendency is even greater. There is a balance to
be found betweenlistening to the advice of one’s elders and yet also being
allowedto shape one’s ownviews from one’s own experiences.
5.2. Quick-TemperednessOneaspectofthefoolisthatheisquicktorisetoanger.
Heishastyandill-judgedinhisreactions. Thus, Proverbs 12:16 reads, “Fools
show their angerat once, but the prudent ignore an insult”. Prov. 14:17
condemns quick-temperedness, “One who is quick-tempered acts foolishly,
and the schemeris hated.” The opposite to quick-temperedness is
recommended by the wise, “Whoeveris slow to angerhas great
understanding, but one who has a hasty temper exalts folly.” (14:26). One of
the keyattributes of God in the Old Testamentis that he is ‘slow to anger’
(Exod. 24:6; Num. 14:18;Ps 86:15;103:8; 145:8)and this is regardedas a
positive, praiseworthycharacteristic. Prov. 29:11 makes the point deﬁnitively,
“A fool gives full vent to anger, but the wise quietly holds it back.” It is clear
here that the fool even gets angry with God for things that he knows in his
heart are the result of his own ill-judged actions:“One’s ownfolly leads to
ruin, yet the heart rages againstthe Lord.” This is one of the few proverbs
about folly that brings God directly into the picture in that the rest of the time
God is behind the scenes and the main focus is on human experience. So, the
wise person uses restraint, and thinks about what he wants to say rather than
rising to a bait. The fool shows none of these characteristics for he likes to
pick arguments: “It is honorable to refrain from strife, but every fool is quick
to quarrel” (20:3).
Thewisewereverycautiousaboutangerandabouthastyjudgementsandrecommen
drestraint
Religions 2016,7, 110 5 of 10

in every context. Little has changedon this for our modern context. One
should always be cautious of those given to a hot temper and many ill-advised
deeds have been done in such a frame of mind. Restraintand careful thought
before acting has to be essentialadvice for all to learn of whatever age,
persuasion, religion, creedor color.
5.3. Lacking Receptivity and Sensitivity The wise were sensitive to the views of
others and showedrespectfor friends, family, neighbors and those in
authority and there are proverbs on all these relationships that one might
form in life. The fool is set up here as the opposite of such recommendations.
Ultimately, the fool is thick-skinnedand does not notice the subtlety of a
situation. He is unteachable in sharp contrastto those who exercise prudence
and understanding in their dealings (e.g., Prov. 2:11). As Prov. 17:10
instructs:
“Arebukestrikesdeeperintoadiscerningpersonthanahundredblowsintoafool.”L
ackofreceptivitycan be one of the most frustrating challenges foran educator.
Today’s teachers do not have the option of physical discipline and it all has to
be verbal (so linking up with the importance of communication). A carefully
chosenrebuke can hit hard and the wisdom is in knowing when and how to
speak out if the situation demands. The foolis also complacentand this can
only mean trouble: “Forwaywardness kills the simple, and the complacency
of fools destroys them” (Prov. 1:32). The fool is carelessand unrestrained:
“Thewisearecautiousandturnawayfromevil,butthefoolthrowsoffrestraintandis
careless”(14:16). It is as if the fool lacks a conscience. He certainly lacks
sensitivity and subtlety in relationto other people. Here, for the ﬁrst time, a
link is made with evil and, as mentioned earlier, at times foolishness and
wickednessare aligned, e.g., in 5:22–3:“The iniquities of the wickedensnare
them, and they are caught in the toils of their sin. They die for lack of
discipline and because oftheir great folly they are lost.” Whilst fools are
generallymore misguided than wicked, it is interesting that this link is made
with evil and wickedness as it is a short step from insensitive actions to actions
that are morally reprehensible. Lack of restraint is againthe keynote here and
sooneror later such a lack will lead an insensitive person into trouble.
5.4. Manipulative, Lazy and Proﬂigate with Money
Thefoollacksapplicationincontrasttothelisteningpupil(e.g.,Prov.

5:1),butcanbewilyandtry to manipulate situations. In Prov. 17:16 the fool
would rather try to buy wisdom than learn: “Why should fools have a price in
hand to buy wisdom, when they have no mind to learn?” Presumably real
wisdom is not for sale, but the fool cansee its worth from afarand tries to get
wisdom by underhand means. He does not want to work for gain. The wise
advice hard work but not working overhard in that they believe in a balanced
life. Work, though, is certainly high on their agenda for a fulfilling life. The
fool then is often lazy and indolent and looks for the quick fix rather than the
lasting gain. Fools often seemto have money, but they never keepit for long,
so Prov. 21:20 describes the fool spending money with rapidity, “Precious
treasure remains in the house of the wise, but the fool devours it.” The fool
has an appetite for spending, but no desire for the prudence of saving for a
rainy day. Moneywas a very important theme for the wise and they believed
in the need for a certain amount of wealth for security. They were critical of
excess,but believed in prudence and careful saving. They also believed in
helping others financially in a philanthropic way whilst at the same time being
wary of moneylenders.
Wealthandpovertyandtheinterrelationshipbetweenthetwoisakey,dominantthe
me of Proverbs [13,14]. These themes speak powerfullyto today in an age
where wealth and influence through successfulworking careers are highly
valued. Many are looking to “getrich quick” through lotteries and other
forms of gambling or by playing the stock marketor the property market.
Whilst some do put in hours of hard work, there are many who sit back and
let others work for them, who
dominateandmanipulateothersandwhoareaftertheirowngaintothedetrimentofo
thers. Attitudes
tomoneyopenuparangeofperspectivesandopportunitiesforconflict,andargumen
tsonsuchtopics
Religions 2016,7, 110 6 of 10
divide families, communities and nations. It is as well for us all to listen to the
advice of these ancient sagesonsuch topics.
6. Unnatural Living and Comparisonwith the Natural World Certain
situations are deemed inappropriate for fools, in 19:10: “It is not fitting for a

fool to live in luxury, much less for a slave to rule over princes.” Additionally,
in 26:1: “Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not ﬁtting for a
fool.” Inappropriate things are listed in other spheres of life so that a slave
ruling over princes would not be right, nor snow in summer. The point is
made that these behaviors are unnatural just as many characteristicsofthe
fool are unnatural. Luxurious living, honor and ruling should be linked with
wisdom instead. It is even deemedinappropriate that the foolovereatin a list
of inappropriate things in 30:21–3:“Under three things the earth trembles;
under four it cannot bear up; a slave when he becomes king, and a fool when
glutted with food; an unloved woman when she gets a husband, and a maid
when she succeedsher mistress.” All these things run againstthe natural
order that the wisdom writers perceive and so cause them grief. There is a
sense here of a “right” way of doing things, of the importance of a knownset
of boundaries, a knownsocialhierarchy, a known prioritization of suitable
activity. This links to a natural human desire for order, for knowing where
one ﬁts in and for boundaries and socialguidance. Human beings are
communal and enjoy relating to one anotherin community and yet it is
important that there is guidance as to the forms and procedures and moral
norms that should be followedin any communal or societalsystem. One might
notice here the use of either physical images such as snow or rain or wider
images from the natural world. The wisdom writers have a unique
relationship with the environment around them as they go about their
observations and the basic essentials ofeveryday life provide endless
illustrations for them [15,16]. Theysee the world as a created, ordered whole
and so inappropriate or
unnaturalhappeningsunderminethatordersetupbyGodandsustainedbyhim,but
alsoperpetuatedby human beings in the way they interact with the world.
Hence the fool is a part of the chaos that threatens the health of the natural
order of life and societyin relation to the natural world, which has its own
patterns. The fooldoes not heed such lessons. The orderliness oflife and
societyis mirrored in the natural world to which all human beings have an
essentialrelationshipand it is a pleasure to the human mind to perceive
harmony in all such areas oflife. In our modern cities and busy lifestyles we
all too often lose sight of our keyrelationship to the natural world and our

spirits are rejuvenated by the times when we do outdoor activities that bring
us back to our wider environment.
7. Wider Socialand TheologicalContextIt is time to step back to analyze the
original socialand theologicalcontextof all this wise advice. It is clearthat the
technique here being employed by the wise is to set the fool up as a type whose
path is not to be recommended. It is a means of educating those who are
listening in moral formation of their owncharacters [17]. By hearing of the
blunders of these hapless fools, the young learn what kind of behavior really
pays in life. They learn how to form relationships, how to communicate, how
not to offend people and on a deeper level how to tune in to a wider “order”
that is known through experience and through which societycanflourish
without descending into chaos. This is a more theologicaldimension, for the
whole idea of choices is grounded in “fearof the Lord” which promotes the
acquisition of wisdom (Prov. 2:1–11)[18]. So where does this proverbial
material originate and how did it come to be passeddown in the biblical
corpus? It is very unlike other material in the Old Testament—a genre allof
its own—and yet it deserves to be taken seriouslyon its ownterms. Its
relevance to our modern situation is clearand immediate in the light of the
unchanging nature of human beings and the way they behave. But how about
the origins of the quest? If one looks at almostany culture in the world one
will find the coining of proverbs. Whether it be the Sayings of the Vikings,
African proverbs, our own English proverbs, it seems to be a natural human
phenomenon. Although the socialcontexts of eachof these examples would be
very different, human beings seemto enjoy writing down truths that are
learned
Religions 2016,7, 110 7 of 10
from experience into pithy memorable sayings. Biblicalproverbs are pithy
sayings coinedover the years, their origins probably lostin the mists of time.
They may well have been coinedin an oral, pre-literary culture, back in the
earliesttimes of the Israelites, in nomadic circles, around the camp fire. Most
proverbs do not betray any particular context but there are a few which
indicate a city background(Prov. 1–9), or speak ofthe king, or mention God
and so clearly not all proverbs are primitive, some come from more developed

cultures [19]. So it seems that proverbs were probably circulating in Israel
over a long period of time, including the time of the monarchy when Israel
was a nationinitsownright.
InfactKingSolomon,thesonofDavid,hasaspecialreputationforhiswisdom(I
Kings 1–11)and may have acted as a magnet for the collectionofproverbial
material and writing downofthesayings.
InIKings10theQueenofShebaisdescribedasdeeplyimpressedbyhiswisdom
andtheyaresaidtohavespentsometimeriddlingwitheachother.
Whilsttheseaccountswerewrittenup later than the events they purport to
describe, they do provide an insight into the reputations that biblical
characters gainedwithin the biblical canon. Proverbs then seem to have had a
wide currency and have been owned by large sections ofthe uneducated
population. Yet wisdom was practicedat the courts of kings where scribes
(e.g., Hezekiah’s officials in Prov. 25:1) wrote them down and used them for
specific educationalpurposes within a broader ethicalcontext [20,21]. In this
material God is creatorof the world and sustainerof the order by which
societyand the natural world functions. He is the same Yahweh but his role is
much more “behind the scenes”as the one to whom fear and reverence is due
and who ultimately knows the answerto deeper questions that
humanbeingsseektodiscoverthroughwisdom(seeProverbs2:6–8).
Thisiswhatismeantbythe“fearofthe Lord” (which is “the beginning of
knowledge”(Prov. 1:7)). In this context Proverbs 8 provides
anencounterwithafemalepersonificationofWisdomwhoisdescribedashavingbee
ncreatedbyGodbut as delighting in his createdworld as he formed it. She is
the means through which God sustains this order and calls human beings to
wisdom. She is depicted as standing on street corners calling to passers-by
(Prov. 1:20–21)to “getwisdom” [22]. Thus, wisdom is associatedwith the
feminine and the path to wisdom is the path to life [23]. In true proverbial
style she also has her opposite—the femme fatale, the loose, strange orforeign
woman who is a seductress,also calling young men, but to her bedchamber,
which is perfumed with precious spices. Her path is ultimately the way to
death rather than life. Interestingly she is sometimes describedas foolish and
so aligned with the path of the fool. She is describedin 9:13–18:“The foolish
woman is loud; she is ignorant and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her
house, on a seatat the high places of the town, calling to those who pass by,

who are going straight on their way, ‘You who are simple, turn in here!’ To
those without sense she says ‘Stolenwater is sweet, and bread eatenin secret
is pleasant.’But they do not know that the dead are there, that her guests are
in the depths of Sheol.” The gullible foolwould probably be the first to rush to
savorher delights, but that would unwittingly lead him on the inexorable
downward path.
8. EcclesiastesonFools My title, “the laughter of fools”, comesnot (perhaps
surprisingly) from the book of Proverbs, but from another part of the wisdom
literature, the book of Ecclesiastes [24,25]. This is a much later book than
Proverbs coming probably from the post-exilic period when Israel was a
vassalstate to the
PersiansandthentheGreeks,butfoolsarejustasprevalentanditissolelyonthischar
acterthatIshallfocus here. The first proverb that airs this theme is this one:
“The wise have eyes in their head, but fools walk in darkness.” (2:14). The
author cites the proverb but provides some wider context. He introduces the
proverbs by the positive insight that wisdomexcels folly “as light excels
darkness”, but then he goes on to muse on the more negative point that
actually both wise people and fools will ultimately meet the same fate which is
death. What then is the point of being so wise, when in fact death will come to
both? The author decides that “this is vanity”, his most significant
catchphrase, [26]and he worries that ultimately not only will wise and fool
alike die, but they will also be long forgotten. This view of death as the great
relativizer of everything, then, makes him question the whole point of the
wisdom
Religions 2016,7, 110 8 of 10
quest. The tone here is very different from Proverbs, which simply accepts a
rather black and white
viewoftheworldandseesdifferentmoraloptionsasclearlyspeltout.
Heretheauthorisundermining the very point of doing wisdom at all, or of
being wise—this is why he has a reputation as a sceptic. He too airs familiar
themes about fools such as the point that they are generally too verbose as in
Eccl10:12–15:“The words of their mouths begin in foolishness, and their talk
ends in wickedmadness;yet fools talk on and on.” My title quotation comes

from Eccl7:6—“Forlike the crackling ofthorns under a pot, so is the
laughter of fools” followedby the author’s comment “this also is vanity”. This
is in the context of a wider point about sorrow being better than laughter.
Perhaps this is the author erring towards a pessimistic view, but he is making
the point that deeperfeeling for the cares oflife is better than a shallow mirth
at all aspects oflife. In this, as in all things, he is a realist, balancing the
extremes of optimism and pessimism. He writes, “Sorrow is better than
laughter, for by sadness ofcountenance the heart is made glad. The heart of
the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of
mirth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of
fools.” Thenour proverb “Forlike the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is
the laughter of fools.” This is a very apt image for conveying the sound of
cackling laughter. It suggestsa pointless, carelessmirth that lacks sense.
9. Insights for Today Relevance to today has been implicit in much that I have
already said and I have explored this
alreadyinrelationtomanyofthekeythemesunderdiscussion[27].
Whilstapplyingsuchstereotypicalcategoriesto people nowadays as these
biblical authors did may seeminappropriate, eachone of us can no doubt can
think of a few fools of our own acquaintance who may not fulfil all of these
criteria, but probably do fulfil some of them. This is to re-emphasize the point
that these characters are “types” in that they tend to be one-dimensionaluntil
seenin wider contexts of cumulative advice. We can perhaps think of
charactertypes in novels that we have read or films that we have seen. A good
book or film is often made successfulin the similar use of extreme character
types that are “largerthan life” and yet people can successfullyrelate to such
a type because ofour sharedhumanity and human experience. Just as
literature can be accessedon more than one level, and one of those levels can
be instruction and insight into moral issues ofappropriate behavior and
responses to situations, so this
proverbialwisdomfunctionsinthesamewaytoteachbyexampleusingcharactertyp
esandsituations that are familiar and every day. The point about shallowness
and cheaplaughs actually may have some resonance ina world of individuals
who are often self-concernedand frightened of addressing deeperissues. The
fool is

clearlyavehicleforteachingwhatitistobewiseandthatisultimatelylinkedupinthisli
teraturewith being God-fearing. Fools are addictedto being foolishand
basicallydo not understand wisdom and so generallychoose to ignore it or
even despise it. Wise people are calledto beware of associating with fools too
much as their behavior might “rub off” on them: “Whoeverwalks with the
wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm.” (Prov. 13:20).
This antithesis betweenwise and fool is a reminder to ourselves ofour own
consciences. Perhaps allof us have occasionaltendencies to act like a fool, to
explode in a situation and then regretour rash angerafterwards, or to be a bit
wily and seek a quick ﬁx rather than putting in the hard work, or to dress a
situation up with smoothwords to be something that it is not, and the list goes
on. In my view the wisdom literature is remarkably modern—it is timeless
and its insights into human nature are pearls that go on having a great price.
In today’s globalized world, it tunes into our common experience and gives us
teaching and moral instructions for our lives.
10. Conclusions and Further Implications Through the lens of discussionof
the fool, I have tried to draw out some of the deeper themes of concernto the
wise such as the importance of money, the place of work, the essentialnature
of communication and importance of goodrelationships, the place of restraint
and interaction with the
Religions 2016,7, 110 9 of 10
natural world. These themes all resonate stronglywith our modern context.
The proverbial material, despite its disparate and sometimes contradictory
nature, provides an ethicalframework for life that is built upon the
accumulatedwisdom of the sages overthe centuries. It is a pragmatic view of
the world that invites questioning, challenge and change for eachindividual.
Although it springs from a biblical context, it is easilyapplicable to a much
wider context of humanity as a whole, and indeed
mostreligioustraditionscontainsimilartypesofadvice.Thekeyisexperience.
Cumulativeexperience, probably that of many generations, was distilled by
the biblical sages into pithy, memorable sayings thatcouldbeeasilylearnt.
Thetopicsareeverydayandtheadviceispredominantlyaboutrelationshipwith
others, with God and with the world. The wise person canuse the maxims to

steeran ethical path through a baffling setof options. Reliance on one’s own
sense ofright and wrong, which is only learnt through our own experience
and through listening to the experiences ofothers, is what human beings do
and how they operate. This advice then strikes at the core of our nature as
humans facedwith everyday choices and decisions. Underlying the more
everyday themes are even deepertheologicalthemes of God as creatorand
orderer of the world, an order that, in the view of the sages, is reflectedin
human society. There is the idea of life in its fullest sense as the supreme good
and goalof all human endeavors;and the importance of the quest for wisdom,
knowledge, understanding and insight, all those qualities to which the wise
person aspires and which have their ultimate grounding in God’s Wisdom and
in God himself. I have shownhow the wise promoted the central idea of life as
a path and so ultimately it is your choice—getonto the right track of wisdom
and you will go far, getonto the path coveredwith thorns and you will find
your way to Sheol, the land of the dead, with the laughter of fools ringing in
your ears.
Conflicts of Interest: The author declares no conflict of interest.
Referencesand Notes 1. Isay“he”forthefool—andthatisthelanguageofthetext—
butofcourseonecouldeasilytranslatethatinto “she” in today’s world. So I shall
use “he” with both genders understood. 2. The author of Ecclesiastes,
Qoheleth(Eccl. 1:1), could well be citing pre-existent proverbs in his text but
since there is no knownsource for this material he could have made them up
for his own purposes. For the idea of quotation see RobertGordis.
“Quotations in Wisdom Literature.” JQR NS. 30 (1939–40):123–47. reprinted
in Poets, Prophets, Sages.Bloomingtonand London: Indiana University Press,
1971, pp. 160–97.3. I use the NRSVtranslation of the Bible throughout this
article. 4. See Christopher Ansberry. Be Wise My Son and Make My Heart
Glad: An Exploration of the Courtly Nature of the Book of Proverbs.
BZAW422. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2011, pp. 44, 76–78. 5. See William P.
Brown. “Introduction: ‘The Ethics and Ethos of Biblical Wisdom’.” In
Characterin Crisis:A FreshApproach to the Wisdom Literature of the Old
Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996. 6. The wisdom writers are those
sages or“wise men” who composedthe proverbs. They are also, attimes,
designated“the wise” (not to be confused with the “wise” charactertype in

the proverbs themselves). 7. See William P. Brown. Wisdom’s Wonder:
Character, Creationand Crisis in the Bible’s Wisdom Literature. Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014, p. 34. 8. See Christine Yoder. Abingdon Old
TestamentCommentaries:Proverbs. Nashville:Abingdon Press, 2009. pxxx
and in her commentary on the instruction texts of Proverbs 1–9 in particular.
9. Brown(1996)in his ﬁnal chapter, “The Journey of Character”, makes this
important point about journey and change in the formation of character. 10.
The powerof the spokenword in a more primitive culture than ours should
be stressed. Although there were written documents few could read, and so
ideas and messages were primarily verbally communicated.
Proverbslentthemselvestothisastheywerepithyandeasytoremember.
Educationlargelytooktheformofusing the memory and reciting rather than
excessive amounts of writing. Our culture is so “text-orientated” that one
tends to forget how important verbal communication was in biblical times.
Religions 2016,7, 110 10 of 10
11. See Brown(1996), chapter1 “Introduction: The Ethics and Ethos of
Biblical Wisdom” on different characterpresentations in varying genres of
literature. 12. Derek Kidner. Proverbs, Tyndale Old TestamentCommentary.
London: Tyndale Press, 1964. Kidner has a brief and insightful sectionon the
fool and his characteristics. 13. See TimothyJ. Sandoval. The Discourse of
Wealth and Povertyin the Book of Proverbs. Leiden: Brill, 2006. 14. See R.
Norman Whybray. Wealth and Poverty in the Book of Proverbs. Shefﬁeld:
JSOT Press, 1990 who has explored this keytheme in depth. 15. See
Katharine J. Dell. “The Use of Animal Imagery in the Psalms and Wisdom
Literature of Ancient Israel.” SJT 53 (2000):275–29. [CrossRef]16. See Tova
L. Forti. Animal Imagery in the Book of Proverbs. Leiden: Brill, 2008. 17. See
Sun Myung Lyu. Righteousnessin the Book ofProverbs. Tübingen: Mohr
Siebeck, 2012. (onthe educationalfunction of using “types” such as the fool)
18. On the theologicalnature of Proverbs, see Katharine J. Dell. The Book of
Proverbs in Socialand TheologicalContext. Cambridge:CUP, 2006,
especiallychapter4 “Mention of Yahweh in Proverbs”. 19. See discussionin
Dell (2006), notably chapters 1–3 on “Socialcontexts in Proverbs 1–9;10:1–
22:16 and 22:17–31:31” onthe different socialcontext(s)indicated by
different sections ofProverbs. 20. See Laura Quick. “RecentResearchon

Ancient Israelite Education.” Currents in Biblical Research13 (2014):9–33.
[CrossRef](fora recent summary of the state of play in the field) 21.
SeeJLCrenshaw.EducationinAncientIsrael:AcrosstheDeadeningSilence.
NewYorkandLondon:Doubleday, 1998. (fora shrewd assessmentof our lack
of definite information on the socialcontextof Proverbs and wisdom in
general)22. The admonition to “getwisdom” is repeatedthroughout Proverbs
1–9 in particular. See Katharine Dell. Get Wisdom. Get Insight: An
Introduction to Israel’s WisdomLiterature. London: Darton, Longman &
Todd, 2000. 23. See Claudia V. Camp.
WisdomandtheFeminineintheBookofProverbs. Sheffield:Almond Press, 1985.
(for a full analysis of the significance and scope ofthis female character)24.
There are three books that are assignedto the genre of wisdom, all of which
share a generalconcernwith human nature and experience. Having said that,
the books are very different, and Job is, in my view, the odd one out in its
discussionof the problem of innocent suffering in the context of the wisdom
view of retributive justice—i.e., goodthings to the righteous, punishment for
the wicked. The form of Job is mainly
ofadialoguebetweenthemaincharacterandthreefriendsandtheproverbialformis
almostentirelylacking in the book. Ecclesiasteshoweveris more like Proverbs
in that proverbs are often “cited” and they are refuted too by the author who
has his own “take” onlife, but he is arguably more steepedin the wisdom
tradition than the author of Job. See Katharine J. Dell. “Ecclesiastesas
MainstreamWisdom (without Job).” In Goochemin Mokum: Papers on
Biblical and RelatedWisdom Readat the Fifteenth Joint Meeting of The
Societyof
OldTestamentStudyandtheOudtestamentischWerkgezelschap,AmsterdamJuly
2012. EditedbyGeorgeJ.Brooke andPierre Van Hecke. Oudtestamentische
Stüdien (OTS)68. Leiden: Brill, 2016, pp. 43–52. 25. See also Mark Sneed, ed.
Was There a Wisdom Tradition? New Prospects in Israelite Wisdom Studies.
Atlanta: SBL Press, 2015. (onthe problems of defining wisdom) 26. The
conceptof “vanity” is key to Ecclesiastes anddominates the book. It is usually
takento give a negative sensetothemessage,
butIwouldarguethatitactuallyfunctionsasa“realitycheck”fromanauthorseeking
to weigh positives and negatives in life. 27. See Katharine Dell. Seeking a Life

that Matters:Wisdom for Todayfrom the Book ofProverbs. London: Darton,
Longman and Todd, 2002.
© 2016 by the author; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an
open accessarticle distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative
Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
LAUGHTER
Postedon 21 August 2009 by devotionalfortheday
Proverbs 15:12-15
Like the crackling ofthorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool.
Ecclesiastes7:6
Your dog may be a greatcompanion. You may hunt together, play together,
eat together, evensleepon th esame bed together. Yet, although you and your
dog may share life, you will never share a laugh. As far as we know, humans
are the only creatures of God who enjoy humor. Laughter is a distinctive of
human beings.
Laughter also can tell something about you. Show me what amuses you, and I
can make a goodguess about the sort of person you are. If you laugh at filthy
stories, you give yourself away. If you scoffat virtue, you have embraced vice.
If you laugh at another’s failure or misfortune, you have a cruel streak inside
of you. If you canlaugh at your own stupidities and mistakes, you handle life
with some skill.
I believe Christians have a greatercapacityto enjoy healthy laughter than
others. After all, we live with the promise of eternal life and with the
knowledge that God canuse even our setbacks to move us forward.
Proverbs 15:13 tells us that “a merry heart makes a cheerful countenance.”
But the Bible also says that the laughter of fools who are living only for this

life is like the “crackling ofthorns” that are burned in the fire (Ecclesiastes
7:6).
To know the Savior brings great joy, the kind that nothing can destroy; and
though a smile should light your face, coarsehumor surely has no place. —djd
https://devotionalfortheday.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/laughter/
Bruce Cockburn Lyrics
See Bruce Cockburn in concertnear Minneapolis
"Laughter"
A laugh for the waymy life has gone
A laugh for the love of a friend
A laugh for the fools in the eyes of the world
The love that will never end
Ha ha ha...
Let's hear a laugh for the man of the world
Who thinks he can make things work
Tried to build the new Jerusalem
And ended up with new york
Ha ha ha...

A laugh for the sun redballing
Through the thermal inversion haze
A laugh for the nucleargood-time boys
Numbering all our days
Ha ha ha...
A laugh for the newsprint nightmare
A world that never was
Where the questions are all "why?"
And the answers are all "because"
Ha ha ha...
A laugh for the dogs barking at our heels
They don't know where we've been
A laugh for the dirty window pane
Hiding the love within
Ha ha ha...
Tapping our feet to an ancient tune
A laugh for the time gone by
A laugh for me and kitty in the delivery room
Waiting for the child's first cry

Ha ha ha..
Laughter Isn't Just for Fools
Lisa Marie Potter
Apr 1, 2016
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Participants do group laughter exercises atthe Laughter Yoga Class atthe
OsherCenter for Integrative medicine in San Francisco. (Lisa Marie
Potter/KQED)
Teresa Corriganscansthe dozen or so people attending her Laughter Yoga
sessionin San Francisco. She tells us it’s time to warm up.

Laughter of the fools

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