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Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Ecclesiastes 7

Ecclesiastes 7: better sayings, the day of adversity and the limits of wisdom

General context

The chapter opens with sayings built on better: a good name over precious ointment, the day of death over the day of birth, the house of mourning over the house of feasting because that is the end of all men, sorrow over laughter, the rebuke of the wise over the song of fools, whose laughter is like crackling thorns. Oppression makes a wise man mad and a gift destroys the heart; the end of a thing beats its beginning, and the patient the proud. The hearer is warned against hasty anger and against asking why the former days were better. Wisdom is good with an inheritance, and is a defence as money is. The hearer is to consider the work of God, since no one can straighten what he has made crooked, and to be joyful in prosperity but consider in adversity, because God set the one against the other. The Preacher has seen a just man perish in his righteousness and a wicked man live long in wickedness, and counsels against being righteous over much or over much wicked; he that fears God comes forth of them all. Wisdom strengthens more than ten mighty men, yet no just man on earth does good and never sins. The hearer should not heed all words, lest he hear his servant curse him, as he has cursed others. The Preacher tried all this by wisdom and found it far from him. Searching out wisdom and folly, he finds the woman whose heart is snares and nets bitterer than death; whoever pleases God escapes her, the sinner is taken. Counting one by one, he found one man among a thousand but no woman among them, and finds only that God made man upright but they have sought out many inventions.

Cited passages: Ecclesiastes 7:1, Ecclesiastes 7:2, Ecclesiastes 7:3, Ecclesiastes 7:5, Ecclesiastes 7:6, Ecclesiastes 7:7, Ecclesiastes 7:8, Ecclesiastes 7:9, Ecclesiastes 7:10, Ecclesiastes 7:11, Ecclesiastes 7:12, Ecclesiastes 7:13, Ecclesiastes 7:14, Ecclesiastes 7:15, Ecclesiastes 7:16, Ecclesiastes 7:17, Ecclesiastes 7:18, Ecclesiastes 7:19, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Ecclesiastes 7:21, Ecclesiastes 7:22, Ecclesiastes 7:23, Ecclesiastes 7:25, Ecclesiastes 7:26, Ecclesiastes 7:27, Ecclesiastes 7:28, Ecclesiastes 7:29

Ecclesiastes 7 (KJV)

1A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

2It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.

3Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

5It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.

6For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.

7Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.

8Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

9Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

10Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.

11Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.

12For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.

13Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?

14In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.

15All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.

16Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

17Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?

18It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.

19Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city.

20For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

21Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:

22For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.

23All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

24That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?

25I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:

26And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.

27Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:

28Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.

29Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

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Historical context

The speaker is named once in this chapter, in the third person and in lower case as printed: this have I found, saith the preacher. Everywhere else the voice is first person or direct address to thou. No person, place or event is named. The former days the hearer is told not to ask about are not identified, and the ten mighty men which are in the city belong to a comparison, not to a named city. The just man who perishes and the wicked man who lives long are cases the Preacher says he has seen in the days of my vanity, without names. The gift that destroys the heart is not explained. The woman of verse 26 is not named; the text describes her by her heart as snares and nets and her hands as bands, and states who escapes and who is taken. The count in verse 28, one man among a thousand and no woman among all those, is given as the Preacher's own finding, marked which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not, and the chapter does not say what quality he was counting for. The closing statement about God making man upright is presented as the only thing he found, and the many inventions belong to they, the people generally, not to any named group.

Cited passages: Ecclesiastes 7:27, Ecclesiastes 7:10, Ecclesiastes 7:19, Ecclesiastes 7:15, Ecclesiastes 7:7, Ecclesiastes 7:26, Ecclesiastes 7:28, Ecclesiastes 7:29

Literary context

The chapter begins as a chain of better sayings, seven comparisons across the first eight verses, with paired houses, mourning against feasting and the house of mirth, and paired hearts, the wise against fools. From verse 9 the form shifts to instruction addressed to thou, be not hasty, say not, consider, be not righteous over much, take no heed. The line about the crooked that cannot be made straight repeats a saying from chapter 1, now tied to the work of God, and the pairing of prosperity and adversity is explained by God setting the one over against the other. Verses 15 to 18 are built on balance: a just man perishing beside a wicked man prolonging, over much righteous beside over much wicked, take hold of this beside withdraw not thine hand from that. The Preacher's own report returns at verse 23 with a confession of failure, it was far from me, and a question, who can find it out. The last section turns on the verb find: this have I found, I find not, have I found, have I not found, this only have I found, so the chapter that began with confident comparisons ends with a search that yields a single result.

Cited passages: Ecclesiastes 7:1, Ecclesiastes 7:4, Ecclesiastes 7:9, Ecclesiastes 7:13, Ecclesiastes 1:15, Ecclesiastes 7:14, Ecclesiastes 7:16, Ecclesiastes 7:17, Ecclesiastes 7:18, Ecclesiastes 7:23, Ecclesiastes 7:24, Ecclesiastes 7:27, Ecclesiastes 7:28, Ecclesiastes 7:29

Key moments

  1. A good name and the day of death (Ecclesiastes 7:1). The chapter opens by ranking a good name above ointment and the day of death above the day of birth.
  2. The house of mourning (Ecclesiastes 7:2). Going to the house of mourning is called better than feasting, since death is the end of all men.
  3. Prosperity and adversity (Ecclesiastes 7:14). The hearer is told to be joyful in prosperity and to consider in adversity, since God set one against the other.
  4. A just man perishes (Ecclesiastes 7:15). The Preacher reports seeing a just man perish and a wicked man live long.
  5. No one without sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20). The chapter states that no just man on earth does good and never sins.
  6. Wisdom far from me (Ecclesiastes 7:23). The Preacher says he resolved to be wise and found wisdom far from him.
  7. Upright, yet many inventions (Ecclesiastes 7:29). The one finding is that God made man upright, but people have sought out many inventions.

For reflection

The chapter says be not righteous over much and, a few lines later, that there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not. What does righteous over much mean in a chapter that also says no one reaches plain righteousness?