5531. sikluth
Lexical Summary
sikluth: Folly, foolishness

Original Word: סִכְלוּת
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: cikluwth
Pronunciation: sik-LOOTH
Phonetic Spelling: (sik-looth')
KJV: folly, foolishness
NASB: folly, foolishness
Word Origin: [from H5528 (סָכַל - acted foolishly)]

1. silliness

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
folly, foolishness

Or sikluwth (Eccl. 1:17) {sik-looth'}; from cakal; silliness -- folly, foolishness.

see HEBREW cakal

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from sakal
Definition
folly
NASB Translation
folly (5), foolishness (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
סִכְלוּת, שִׂכְלוּת noun feminine folly; — ׳ס Ecclesiastes 2:3,12,13; Ecclesiastes 7:25; Ecclesiastes 10:1,13; ׳שׁ Ecclesiastes 1:17 (שׂ erroneously for ס).

שִׂכְלוּת Ecclesiastes 1:17 see סִכְלוּת.



Topical Lexicon
Conceptual Overview

סִכְלוּת denotes practiced, observable folly—conduct and outlook that run counter to godly wisdom. It is not mere lack of information but an active, self-confident orientation that renders the heart unreceptive to truth. In Ecclesiastes it serves as Solomon’s foil for wisdom, illustrating the emptiness of life lived without reference to God.

Canonical Habitat

The noun appears seven times, all in Ecclesiastes (1:17; 2:3; 2:12; 2:13; 7:25; 10:1; 10:13). The confinement to this book is significant: Ecclesiastes, a meditation on life “under the sun,” probes every human pursuit and judges it by its capacity to endure before God. By concentrating סִכְלוּת here, the Spirit underscores folly as a recurring, inevitable reality in a fallen world.

Key Texts and Theological Trajectory

Ecclesiastes 1:17: “So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.”

Solomon’s deliberate investigation shows that even the analysis of folly—when divorced from fear of God—cannot satisfy. Intellectual curiosity alone proves transitory.

Ecclesiastes 2:13: “I saw that wisdom exceeds folly, just as light exceeds darkness.”

Wisdom is superior, yet the very need for comparison exposes the pervasiveness of folly. In a sin-marred world, wisdom must always contend with its antithesis.

Ecclesiastes 7:25: “I turned my heart to know wisdom and to observe—to search out wisdom and explanation, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.”

Folly here is intertwined with wickedness; moral rebellion and intellectual perversity reinforce each other.

Ecclesiastes 10:1: “As dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.”

Even a small outbreak of סִכְלוּת can neutralize a reputation painstakingly built, illustrating folly’s disproportionate destructive power.

Ecclesiastes 10:13: “The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly, and the end of his talk is wicked madness.”

Folly, if unchecked, progresses toward moral insanity, confirming the biblical pattern that sin intensifies when unrepented.

Historical and Cultural Resonance

In ancient Israel, wisdom literature functioned as covenant instruction, shaping the people to walk in the fear of the LORD. Folly, therefore, was not merely social embarrassment but covenant breach. The royal court—where Ecclesiastes likely took shape—demanded prudence for national stability; any presence of folly in leadership threatened communal well-being (compare Proverbs 14:34). Solomon’s reflections carry this political backdrop: a kingdom’s destiny hinges on whether its rulers embrace wisdom or succumb to folly (Ecclesiastes 10:5-7).

Inter-Biblical Connections

1. Proverbs often uses different Hebrew terms for “folly,” but the conceptual overlap is clear: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes” (Proverbs 12:15). Both books portray folly as self-assurance apart from divine counsel.
2. The New Testament gathers these threads into a christological climax. Whereas Ecclesiastes laments the stubborn presence of folly, Paul proclaims that in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). The gospel both exposes folly (1 Corinthians 1:20) and offers its cure.

Pastoral and Discipleship Implications

• Vigilance: Ecclesiastes 10:1 warns church leaders that a single unguarded moment can erode years of faithful service.
• Humility: Ecclesiastes 1:17 reminds believers that intellectual mastery without reverence ends in frustration.
• Repentance: Because folly escalates (Ecclesiastes 10:13), swift confession is vital to prevent deeper hardening.
• Instruction: Parents and teachers should contrast wisdom and folly concretely, as Solomon does, anchoring lessons in God’s character rather than in pragmatic success.

Homiletical Suggestions

1. “The Little Fly in the Ointment” (Ecclesiastes 10:1): a sermon illustrating how minor compromises corrupt godly fragrance.
2. “Two Lamps, One Room” (Ecclesiastes 2:13): contrasting light and darkness to depict the transforming superiority of wisdom.
3. “Folly’s Ladder” (Ecclesiastes 10:13): tracing the progression from careless speech to moral madness.

Conclusion

סִכְלוּת unmasks the hollowness of life detached from God. Ecclesiastes pictures it as pervasive, seductive, and ruinous—yet ultimately outshone by wisdom that begins with the fear of the LORD and culminates in the person of Jesus Christ, “our wisdom from God” (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Forms and Transliterations
בְּסִכְל֔וּת בסכלות הַסִּכְל֑וּת הסכלות וְהַסִּכְל֖וּת וְסִכְל֑וּת וְשִׂכְל֑וּת והסכלות וסכלות ושכלות סִכְל֑וּת סִכְל֥וּת סכלות bə·siḵ·lūṯ besichLut bəsiḵlūṯ has·siḵ·lūṯ hassichLut hassiḵlūṯ sichLut siḵ·lūṯ siḵlūṯ vehassichLut vesichLut wə·has·siḵ·lūṯ wə·siḵ·lūṯ wə·śiḵ·lūṯ wəhassiḵlūṯ wəsiḵlūṯ wəśiḵlūṯ
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Ecclesiastes 1:17
HEB: וְדַ֥עַת הוֹלֵל֖וֹת וְשִׂכְל֑וּת יָדַ֕עְתִּי שֶׁגַּם־
NAS: madness and folly; I realized
KJV: madness and folly: I perceived
INT: know madness and folly realized also

Ecclesiastes 2:3
HEB: בַּֽחָכְמָה֙ וְלֶאֱחֹ֣ז בְּסִכְל֔וּת עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁר־
NAS: and how to take hold of folly, until
KJV: and to lay hold on folly, till I might see
INT: wisely to take of folly against I

Ecclesiastes 2:12
HEB: חָכְמָ֔ה וְהוֹלֵל֖וֹת וְסִכְל֑וּת כִּ֣י ׀ מֶ֣ה
NAS: madness and folly; for what
KJV: and madness, and folly: for what [can] the man
INT: wisdom madness and folly for what

Ecclesiastes 2:13
HEB: לַֽחָכְמָ֖ה מִן־ הַסִּכְל֑וּת כִּֽיתְר֥וֹן הָא֖וֹר
NAS: excels folly as light
KJV: excelleth folly, as far as light
INT: wisdom at folly excels light

Ecclesiastes 7:25
HEB: רֶ֣שַׁע כֶּ֔סֶל וְהַסִּכְל֖וּת הוֹלֵלֽוֹת׃
KJV: of folly, even of foolishness [and] madness:
INT: the evil of folly of foolishness of madness

Ecclesiastes 10:1
HEB: מֵחָכְמָ֥ה מִכָּב֖וֹד סִכְל֥וּת מְעָֽט׃
NAS: so a little foolishness is weightier
KJV: [so doth] a little folly him that is in reputation
INT: wisdom honor foolishness A little

Ecclesiastes 10:13
HEB: דִּבְרֵי־ פִ֖יהוּ סִכְל֑וּת וְאַחֲרִ֣ית פִּ֔יהוּ
NAS: of his talking is folly and the end
KJV: of his mouth [is] foolishness: and the end
INT: of the words of his mouth is folly and the end of his talk

7 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5531
7 Occurrences


bə·siḵ·lūṯ — 1 Occ.
has·siḵ·lūṯ — 1 Occ.
siḵ·lūṯ — 2 Occ.
wə·has·siḵ·lūṯ — 1 Occ.
wə·śiḵ·lūṯ — 2 Occ.

5530
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