EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Ecclesiastes 5:4
4If you make a promise to God, quickly do what you have promised. God is not pleased with foolish people. So give what you have promised to give.
Ecclesiastes 5:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
- New International Version (NIV)When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.
- English Standard Version (ESV)When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow.
- New King James Version (NKJV)When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed—
Context of Ecclesiastes 5:4
2You should not speak too soon. Think carefully before you make a promise to God. God is in heaven and you are here on the earth. So do not say too much. 3If you worry about many things, you will have many dreams. If you talk too much, you will say foolish things. If you make a promise to God, quickly do what you have promised. God is not pleased with foolish people. So give what you have promised to give. 5It is better not to promise anything than to promise something and then not do it. 6Do not say things that cause you to do something wrong. Do not say to the priest, ‘My promise was a mistake.’ That would make God angry with you. He might destroy everything that you have worked to get for yourself.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 5Ecclesiastes 5:4 word by word
כַּאֲשֶׁר֩ תִּדֹּ֨ר נֶ֜דֶר לֵֽאלֹהִ֗ים אַל־תְּאַחֵר֙ לְשַׁלְּמ֔וֹ כִּ֛י אֵ֥ין חֵ֖פֶץ בַּכְּסִילִ֑ים אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־תִּדֹּ֖ר שַׁלֵּֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 5:4
- Genesis 28:20Then Jacob made a promise to God. He said, ‘While I am on this journey, I want God to be with me and to take care of me. I want him to give me food to eat and clothes to wear.
- Genesis 35:1After these things had happened, God said to Jacob, ‘Go to Bethel and live there. Build an altar to worship me. I am the God who appeared to you when you were running away from Esau.’
- Numbers 30:2If a man promises to the Lord that he will do something, he must do everything that he has promised.
- Deuteronomy 23:21If you promise to give something to the Lord your God, be careful to bring your gift soon. If you do not bring it, that is a sin. The Lord will certainly demand it from you.
- Psalms 50:14Say “thank you” to me as your offering. Do whatever you have promised to do for me, the Most High God.
- Psalms 76:11Make promises to the Lord your God, and do what you have promised. Everyone who serves God should bring gifts to him. We must respect him with fear.
- Psalms 119:106I have made a strong promise that I will always obey your righteous rules.
- Isaiah 19:21The Lord will cause the Egyptians to know him. They will agree to serve him. They will worship the Lord with sacrifices and offerings. They will make promises to the Lord, and they will do what they have promised to do.
- Matthew 5:33‘You also know the rule that God gave to your ancestors: “If you make a promise to God, you must do what you have said.”
- Psalms 147:10If a horse is very strong, that does not please him. If a soldier is brave, that does not make him happy.
- Malachi 1:10‘It would be better if one of you shut the temple doors! Then you would not be able to offer useless sacrifices on my altar. I am not happy with you. I will not accept any more gifts from you.’ That is what the Lord Almighty says.
- Hebrews 10:6Sacrifices do not make you happy. If people burn whole animals as a sacrifice, or if they offer a sacrifice to make them clean from their sins, that does not make you happy.
- Psalms 66:13I will bring burnt offerings to your Temple. I will bring to you the gifts that I promised.
- Psalms 116:14I will give to the Lord everything that I have promised. I will do that when all his people meet together.
- Jonah 2:9But as for me, I will sing to thank you. I will offer a sacrifice to you. I will do everything that I have promised to do. The Lord is the one who saves people!’
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 5:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4When thou vowest a vow - When in distress and difficulty, men are apt to promise much to God if he will relieve them; but generally forget the vow when the distress or trouble is gone by.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-8Verses 4-8 When a person made engagements rashly, he suffered his mouth to cause his flesh to sin. The case supposes a man coming to the priest, and pretending that his vow was made rashly, and that it would be wrong to fulfil it. Such mockery of God would bring the Divine displeasure, which might blast what was thus unduly kept. We are to keep down the fear of man. Set God before thee; then, if thou seest the oppression of the poor, thou wilt not find…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-5Fulfill your vow: This is almost a direct quote from the law (Deuteronomy 23:21–23; see also Proverbs 12:22; 20:25). Vows to God were voluntary, but once made, you had to keep them.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. When thou vowest a vow unto God--Hasty words in prayer (Ec 5:2, 3) suggest the subject of hasty vows. A vow should not be hastily made (Jud 11:35; 1Sa 14:24). When made, it must be kept (Psa 76:11), even as God keeps His word to us (Ex 12:41, 51; Jos 21:45).Read the comment
Topics related to Ecclesiastes 5:4
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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