Ecclesiastes 12:11 (YLT)

Passage

Words of the wise <FI>are<Fi> as goads, and as fences planted <FI>by<Fi> the masters of collections, they have been given by one shepherd.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 12:9 And further, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge, and gave ear, and sought out--he made right many similes.

Ecclesiastes 12:10 The preacher sought to find out pleasing words, and, written <FI>by<Fi> the upright, words of truth.

Ecclesiastes 12:11 Words of the wise <FI>are<Fi> as goads, and as fences planted <FI>by<Fi> the masters of collections, they have been given by one shepherd.

Ecclesiastes 12:12 And further, from these, my son, be warned; the making of many books hath no end, and much study <FI>is<Fi> a weariness of the flesh.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 The end of the whole matter let us hear: --`Fear God, and keep His commands, for this <FI>is<Fi> the whole of man.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "words", "wise", "goads", "fences", "planted", "masters", "collections", and "been". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "words" and "wise", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "The preacher sought to find out pleasing..." into verse 12's "And further from these my son be...", so "words" and "wise" belong inside that flow. In Ecclesiastes context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "words" and "wise" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.