Ecclesiastes 7:26

Ecclesiastes 7:26 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And 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.
• New International Version (NIV)I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And I find more bitter than death The woman whose heart is snares and nets, Whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God shall escape from her, But the sinner shall be trapped by her.

Context of Ecclesiastes 7:26

24What exists is beyond reach and very deep. Who can discover it? 25I turned my thoughts to know, explore, and examine wisdom and an explanation for things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity and folly is madness. And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a trap: her heart a net and her hands chains. The one who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner will be captured by her. 27“Look,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find out the explanation, 28which my soul continually searches for but does not find: I found one person in a thousand, but none of those was a woman.

Ecclesiastes 7:26 word by word

וּמוֹצֶ֨א אֲנִ֜י מַ֣ר מִמָּ֗וֶת אֶת־הָֽאִשָּׁה֙ אֲשֶׁר־הִ֨יא מְצוֹדִ֧ים וַחֲרָמִ֛ים לִבָּ֖הּ אֲסוּרִ֣ים יָדֶ֑יהָ ט֞וֹב לִפְנֵ֤י הָאֱלֹהִים֙ יִמָּלֵ֣ט מִמֶּ֔נָּה וְחוֹטֵ֖א יִלָּ֥כֶד בָּֽהּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And I findמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
• more bitterמַרmar mârâh · bitterH4751
• than deathמָ֫וֶתmâveth · deathH4194
• the womanאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802
• whose heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
• snaresמָצוֹדmâtsôd metsôdâh metsôdâh · netH4685
• and netsחֵ֫רֶםchêrem cherem · netH2764
• her handsיָדyâd · handH3027
• bandsאֵסוּר'êsûr · bondH612
• whoso pleasethפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• whoso pleasethטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
• Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• shall escapeמָלַטmâlaţ · to escapeH4422
• from her; but the sinnerחָטָאchâţâ' · to sinH2398
• shall be takenלָכַדlâkad · to captureH3920

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 7:26

• Judges 16:18When Delilah realized that he had told her the whole truth, she sent this message to the Philistine leaders: “Come one more time, for he has told me the whole truth.” The Philistine leaders came to her and brought the silver with them.
• Proverbs 2:18for her house sinks down to death and her ways to the land of the departed spirits.
• Proverbs 5:3Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her words are smoother than oil,
• Proverbs 7:21She seduces him with her persistent pleading; she lures with her flattering talk.
• Proverbs 9:18But he doesn’t know that the departed spirits are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
• Proverbs 22:14The mouth of the forbidden woman is a deep pit; a man cursed by the Lord will fall into it.
• Proverbs 23:27For a prostitute is a deep pit, and a wayward woman is a narrow well;
• Ecclesiastes 2:26For to the person who is pleasing in his sight, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 7:26

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 26And I find more bitter than death the woman - After all his investigation of the wickedness of folly, and the foolishness of madness, he found nothing equally dangerous and ruinous with the blandishments of cunning women. When once the affections are entangled, escape without ruin is almost impossible. Whoso pleaseth God - The man who walks with God, and he alone, shall escape this sore evil: and even he that fears God, if he get with an artful woman, may…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 26Compare the account of Solomon‘s wives 1 Kings 11:1-8: see also Proverbs 2:16-19; Proverbs 5:3 …Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 23-29Verses 23-29 Solomon, in his search into the nature and reason of things, had been miserably deluded. But he here speaks with godly sorrow. He alone who constantly aims to please God, can expect to escape; the careless sinner probably will fall to rise no more. He now discovered more than ever the evil of the great sin of which he had been guilty, the loving many strange women, I Kin. 11:1. A woman thoroughly upright and godly, he had not found. How was…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 26a woman who is a snare: Compare Proverbs 5; 6:20–7:27.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2626. "I find" that, of all my sinful follies, none has been so ruinous a snare in seducing me from God as idolatrous women (1Ki 11:3, 4; Pr 5:3, 4; 22:14). As "God's favor is better than life," she who seduces from God is "more bitter than death." whoso pleaseth God--as Joseph (Ge 39:2, 3, 9). It is God's grace alone that keeps any from falling.Read the comment

Topics related to Ecclesiastes 7:26

• Heart
• Net
• Temptation
• Women

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Adversity
• Bosom
• Consider
• Crackling
• Living
• Rest
• Band
• Bitter; Bitterness

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