American Standard Version
Ecclesiastes 7:14
14In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yea, God hath made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything that shall be after him.
Ecclesiastes 7:14 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)In 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.
- New International Version (NIV)When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.
- English Standard Version (ESV)In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.
- New King James Version (NKJV)In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him.
Context of Ecclesiastes 7:14
12For wisdom is a defence, even as money is a defence; but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom preserveth the life of him that hath it. 13Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yea, God hath made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything that shall be after him. 15All this have I seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his evil-doing. 16Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?
Read all of Ecclesiastes 7Ecclesiastes 7:14 word by word
בְּי֤וֹם טוֹבָה֙ הֱיֵ֣ה בְט֔וֹב וּבְי֥וֹם רָעָ֖ה רְאֵ֑ה גַּ֣ם אֶת־זֶ֤ה לְעֻמַּת־זֶה֙ עָשָׂ֣ה הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים עַל־דִּבְרַ֗ת שֶׁלֹּ֨א יִמְצָ֧א הָֽאָדָ֛ם אַחֲרָ֖יו מְאֽוּמָה׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 7:14
- Ecclesiastes 3:4a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
- Deuteronomy 28:47Because thou servedst not Jehovah thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things;
- Psalms 30:11Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
- Psalms 40:3And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: Many shall see it, and fear, And shall trust in Jehovah.
- Matthew 9:13But go ye and learn what this meaneth, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice: for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.
- John 16:22And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you.
- James 5:13Is any among you suffering? let him pray. Is any cheerful? let him sing praise.
- Deuteronomy 8:3And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by everything that proceedeth out of the mouth of Jehovah doth man live.
- 1 Kings 8:47yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn again, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captive, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have dealt wickedly;
- 1 Kings 17:17And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.
- 2 Chronicles 33:12And when he was in distress, he besought Jehovah his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.
- Job 10:1My soul is weary of my life; I will give free course to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
- Psalms 94:12Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Jehovah, And teachest out of thy law;
- Psalms 119:71It is good for me that I have been afflicted; That I may learn thy statutes.
- Isaiah 22:12And in that day did the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:
- Isaiah 26:11Jehovah, thy hand is lifted up, yet they see not: but they shall seethyzeal for the people, and be put to shame; yea, fire shall devour thine adversaries.
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 7:14
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14In the day of prosperity be joyful - When ye receive these temporal gifts from God, enjoy them, and be thankful to the Giver: but remember, this sunshine will not always last. God has balanced prosperity and adversity against each other; and were it not so, how many would put the former in the place of God himself!Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14Good and prosperous days are in God‘s design special times of comfort and rejoicing: the days of affliction and trouble, are in God‘s design the proper seasons of recollection and serious consideration. The Providence of God hath so contrived it, that our good and evil days should be intermingled each with the other. This mixture of good and evil days is by the Divine Providence so proportioned, that it sufficiently justifies the dealings of God toward…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-22Verses 11-22 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, yea better. It shelters from the storms and scorching heat of trouble. Wealth will not lengthen out the natural life; but true wisdom will give spiritual life, and strengthen men for services under their sufferings. Let us look upon the disposal of our condition as the work of God, and at last all will appear to have been for the best. In acts of righteousness, be not carried into heats or passions, no…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14Enjoying prosperity is good, but these gifts do not last. A wise person accepts God's control in everything (see Philippians 4:11–13).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1414. consider--resumed from Ec 7:13. "Consider," that is, regard it as "the work of God"; for "God has made (Hebrew, for 'set') this (adversity) also as well as the other (prosperity)." "Adversity" is one of the things which "God has made crooked," and which man cannot "make straight." He ought therefore to be "patient" (Ec 7:8). after him--equivalent to "that man may not find anything (to blame) after God" (that is, after "considering God's work," Ec…Read the comment
Topics related to Ecclesiastes 7:14
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries