The interpretation timeline

Eccl 10:13

How this passage has been read — the sources, oldest to newest.

From the early Church Fathers to now.

2 Patristic · 1 Medieval

Eccl 10:13 · Douay-Rheims
“The beginning of his words is folly, and the end of his talk is a mischievous error.”
Patristic before A.D. 750
420
A.D.
Jerome Patristic
c. A.D. 347–420
“"His talk begins as foolishness and ends as evil madness. The fool prates on and on, but man does not know what will be; and who can tell him what will be after him? "So far the discussion has been about the fool, whose lips teach the wise man, or according to another interpretation, his lips make himself corrupt. The beginning and the end of his speech are foolishness and evil madness; or as Symmachus has translated it, confusion, or some kind of inconsistency of words. For while he doesn't keep to the one opinion, he thinks he can escape sin in the many arguments he speaks at the same time. But he does not remember all those who have gone before him, and does not know what will happen after him, and so is confused in ignorance and the darkness, promising himself false knowledge; by this he thinks that he is wise, and that he is learned, if he uses lots of words. This can be taken to refer to the heretics, who do not heed the words of wise men, but continue to argue different sides so they intertwine the beginning and end of their speech in vanity, confusion, and madness; and though they know nothing, they speak more than they know.”
Source
430
A.D.
Augustine of Hippo Patristic
A.D. 354–430
“The church was admonished to shun the beginning of sin. Which is that beginning of sin, like the head of a serpent? The beginning of all sin is pride.”
844 years pass — nothing from this stretch is hosted yet
Scholastic c. 1100 – 1500
1274
A.D.
Bonaventure Medieval
c. A.D. 1221–1274
“And the reason for precipitousness is indiscretion, because he indiscreetly inclines: whence he says: The beginning of his words is folly. And the reason for this is that he does not consider, whence Proverbs twenty-nine: "Have you seen a man swift to speak? Folly is more to be expected than his correction." He also indiscreetly concludes: whence he says: And the last thing of his mouth is the worst error, because folly in the end leads to an erroneous judgment; Proverbs fourteen: "The imprudence of fools errs"; because, as was said above in chapter two, "the eyes of the wise man are in his head, the fool walks in darkness." Spiritually, his words will be words of blasphemy and pride: therefore foolish and erroneous. Whence it is said, Daniel 11: "He shall speak magnificent things against the God of gods, and shall prosper, until the wrath is accomplished"; and 2 Thessalonians 2: "The man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God," etc.”
Source
Modern · 1953 →

The in-app commentary runs from the Fathers to the early-modern record, then stops — that's where the public-domain sources end, not where the reading does. For the modern reading, follow the sources directly.