Berean Standard Bible
Ecclesiastes 5:1
1Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
Ecclesiastes 5:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
- New International Version (NIV)Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.
Context of Ecclesiastes 5:1
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. 2Do not be quick to speak, and do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth. So let your words be few. 3As a dream comes through many cares, so the speech of a fool comes with many words.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 5Ecclesiastes 5:1 word by word
שְׁמֹ֣ר רַגְלְךָ֗ כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר תֵּלֵךְ֙ אֶל־בֵּ֣ית הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים וְקָר֣וֹב לִשְׁמֹ֔עַ מִתֵּ֥ת הַכְּסִילִ֖ים זָ֑בַח כִּֽי־אֵינָ֥ם יוֹדְעִ֖ים לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת רָֽע׃Read the interlinear
- Guardשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: guardH8104
- your stepsרֶ֫גֶלregel · footH7272
- whenכַּאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · as whichH834
- you goהָלַךְhâlak · to go: wentH1980
- toאֶל'êl 'el · to(wards)H413
- the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: templeH1004
- of Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- Draw nearקָרַבqârab · to present: comeH7126
- to listenשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
- rather than to offerנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- the sacrificeזֶ֫בַחzebach · sacrificeH2077
- of foolsכְּסִילkesîyl · foolH3684
- whoכִּיkîy · forH3588
- do notאַ֫יִן'ayin · nothingH369
- know thatיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- they doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- wrongרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 5:1
- Genesis 28:16When Jacob woke up, he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was unaware of it.”
- Exodus 3:5“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
- Leviticus 10:3Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD meant when He said: ‘To those who come near Me I will show My holiness, and in the sight of all the people I will reveal My glory.’” But Aaron remained silent.
- Joshua 5:15The Commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
- 2 Chronicles 26:16But when Uzziah became powerful, his arrogance led to his own destruction. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.
- Psalms 89:7In the council of the holy ones, God is greatly feared, and awesome above all who surround Him.
- Isaiah 1:12When you come to appear before Me, who has required this of you— this trampling of My courts?
- 1 Corinthians 11:22Don’t you have your own homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? No, I will not!
- Hebrews 12:28Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.
- Acts 10:33So I sent for you immediately, and you were kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has instructed you to tell us.”
- Acts 17:11Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.
- James 1:19My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,
- 1 Peter 2:1Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.
- Genesis 4:3So in the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruit of the soil as an offering to the LORD,
- 1 Samuel 13:12I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will descend upon me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
- 1 Samuel 15:21The troops took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of the things devoted to destruction, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.”
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 5:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Keep thy foot - This verse the Hebrew and all the versions join to the preceding chapter. Solomon, having before intimated, though very briefly, that the only cure against human vanity is a due sense of religion, now enters more largely on this important subject, and gives some excellent directions with regard to the right performance of Divine service, the nature of vocal and mental prayer, the danger of rash vows, etc. - C. The whole verse might be more…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Keep thy foot - i. e., Give thy mind to what thou art going to do. The house of God - It has been said that here an ordinary devout Hebrew writer might have been expected to call it “the house of Yahweh;” but to those who accept this book as the work of Solomon after his fall into idolatry, it will appear a natural sign of the writer‘s self-humiliation, an acknowledgment of his unworthiness of the privileges of a son of the covenant, that he avoids the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1What renders devotion vain. (Eccl. 5:1-3) Of vows, and oppression. (Eccl. 5:4-8) the vanity of riches shown. (Eccl. 5:9-7) The right use of riches. (Eccl. 5:18-20) Verses 1-3 Address thyself to the worship of God, and take time to compose thyself for it. Keep thy thoughts from roving and wandering: keep thy affections from running out toward wrong objects. We should avoid vain repetitions; copious prayers are not here condemned, but those that are…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1The house of God offers a chance for respectful words and thoughtful promises, but it is mainly a place for listening.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-20Ec 5:1-20. 1. From vanity connected with kings, he passes to vanities (Ec 5:7) which may be fallen into in serving the King of kings, even by those who, convinced of the vanity of the creature, wish to worship the Creator. Keep thy foot--In going to worship, go with considerate, circumspect, reverent feeling. The allusion is to the taking off the shoes, or sandals, in entering a temple (Ex 3:5; Jos 5:15, which passages perhaps gave rise to the custom)…Read the comment
Topics related to Ecclesiastes 5:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 5
- 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
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