Darby Bible
Ecclesiastes 9:1
1For all this I laid to my heart and [indeed] to investigate all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of 1God; man knoweth neither love nor hatred: all is before them.
Ecclesiastes 9:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.
- New International Version (NIV)So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him.
- New King James Version (NKJV)For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them.
Context of Ecclesiastes 9:1
For all this I laid to my heart and [indeed] to investigate all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; man knoweth neither love nor hatred: all is before them. 2All things [come] alike to all: one event to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good, and to the clean, and to the unclean, to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. 3This is an evil among all that is done under the sun, that one thing befalleth all: yea, also the heart of the children of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live; and after that, [they have to go] to the dead.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 9Ecclesiastes 9:1 word by word
כִּ֣י אֶת־כָּל־זֶ֞ה נָתַ֤תִּי אֶל־לִבִּי֙ וְלָב֣וּר אֶת־כָּל־זֶ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר הַצַּדִּיקִ֧ים וְהַחֲכָמִ֛ים וַעֲבָדֵיהֶ֖ם בְּיַ֣ד הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים גַּֽם־אַהֲבָ֣ה גַם־שִׂנְאָ֗ה אֵ֤ין יוֹדֵ֙עַ֙ הָֽאָדָ֔ם הַכֹּ֖ל לִפְנֵיהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 9:1
- Ecclesiastes 1:17And I applied my heart to the knowledge of wisdom, and to the knowledge of madness and folly: I perceived that this also is a striving after the wind.
- Ecclesiastes 7:25I turned, I and my heart, to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom and reason, and to know wickedness to be folly, and foolishness to be madness;
- Ecclesiastes 8:16When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes),
- Ecclesiastes 12:9And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, and sought out, [and] set in order many proverbs.
- Ecclesiastes 8:14There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there are righteous [men] unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; and there are wicked [men] to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.
- Deuteronomy 33:3Yea, he loveth the peoples, All his saints are in thy hand, And they sit down at thy feet; Each receiveth of thy words.
- 1 Samuel 2:9He keepeth the feet of his saints, but the wicked are silenced in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.
- 2 Samuel 15:25And the king said to Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city. If I shall find favour in the eyes of Jehovah, he will bring me again, and shew me it, and its habitation.
- Job 5:8But as for me I will seek unto God, and unto God commit my cause;
- Psalms 10:14Thou hast seen [it], for thou thyself beholdest trouble and vexation, to requite by thy hand. The wretched committeth himself unto thee; thou hast been the helper of the fatherless.
- Psalms 31:5Into thy hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, Jehovah, [thou] God of truth.
- Psalms 37:5Commit thy way unto Jehovah, and rely upon him: he will bring [it] to pass;
- Proverbs 16:3Commit thy works unto Jehovah, and thy thoughts shall be established.
- Isaiah 26:12Jehovah, thou wilt ordain peace for us; for thou also hast wrought all our works for us.
- Isaiah 49:1Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye peoples from afar. Jehovah hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
- Jeremiah 1:18And I, behold, I appoint thee this day as a strong city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls, against the whole land; against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land.
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 9:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1The righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God - This is a continuation of the preceding subject; and here the wise man draws a conclusion from what he had seen, and from the well-known character of God, that the righteous, the wise, and their conduct, were all in the hand of God, protected by his power, and safe in his approbation: but we cannot judge from the occurrences which take place in life who are the objects of God's love or…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1A good man‘s trust in God is set forth as a counterpoise to our Ignorance of the ways of Providence. In the hand of God - Under His special protection (Deuteronomy 33:3 ff) as righteous, and under His direction Proverbs 21:1 as people. No man - literally, both love and also hatred man knoweth not: all are before them. Love and hatred here mean the ordinary outward tokens of God‘s favor or displeasure, i. e., prosperity and adversity. “Man knoweth not”…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Good and bad men fare alike as to this world. (Eccl. 9:1-3) All men must die, Their portion as to this life. (Eccl. 9:4-10) Disappointments common. (Eccl. 9:11,12) Benefits of wisdom. (Eccl. 9:13-18) Verses 1-3 We are not to think our searching into the word or works of God useless, because we cannot explain all difficulties. We may learn many things good for ourselves and useful to others. But man cannot always decide who are objects of God's special…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1Man does not know what lies ahead: There is no promise that doing good will bring rewards in this life (see Ecclesiastes 3:17–22; 8:10–15; 12:14).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-18Ec 9:1-18. 1. declare--rather, explore; the result of my exploring is this, that "the righteous, &c., are in the hand of God. No man knoweth either the love or hatred (of God to them) by all that is before them," that is, by what is outwardly seen in His present dealings (Ec 8:14, 17). However, from the sense of the same words, in Ec 9:6, "love and hatred" seem to be the feelings of the wicked towards the righteous, whereby they caused to the latter…Read the comment
In the dictionaries
Notes
- 1. Ecclesiastes 9:1 9.1 Elohim ↩
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 9
- 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
Darby Bible — 1889 — Public Domain
Commentaries