EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Ecclesiastes 7:26
26I learned this: Some women are like a trap that catches animals. Women like that are more dangerous than death. They may pretend to love you. They may hold you in their arms. But really their arms are like chains. They want to catch you, as hunters catch animals. Women like that will easily catch a man who has turned away from God. But a man who pleases God will escape from them.
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
24People cannot understand these things. The meaning of life is too difficult for anyone to understand. 25I decided to study many things so that I would become wise. I wanted to understand the reason why things happen. I also wanted to know why it is stupid to be wicked, and why it is crazy to do foolish things. I learned this: Some women are like a trap that catches animals. Women like that are more dangerous than death. They may pretend to love you. They may hold you in their arms. But really their arms are like chains. They want to catch you, as hunters catch animals. Women like that will easily catch a man who has turned away from God. But a man who pleases God will escape from them. 27This is what I, the Teacher, have learned. I studied everything very carefully. I wanted to know the reason why things happen. 28I continued to try to learn more and more. But I could not find the answers. Among one thousand people, I found one good man. But among them all, I did not find a good woman.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 7Ecclesiastes 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 16:18Delilah realized that Samson had told her the truth. So she sent a message to the rulers of the Philistines. She told them, ‘Samson has now told me his secret. So come back once more.’ So the Philistine rulers went to visit Delilah again. They took their pieces of silver with them.
- Proverbs 2:18Do not go into her house! If you do, you will be on the road to death. If you follow her, you will arrive at the home of the spirits of dead people.
- Proverbs 5:3Do not listen to the words of an adulteress. She promises something as sweet as honey and as beautiful as olive oil.
- Proverbs 7:21With those sweet words she deceived the young man. She made him want to be with her.
- Proverbs 9:18But those foolish people do not realize that her home is a place for dead people. Her visitors are already in their graves.
- Proverbs 22:14The mouth of an adulteress is like a deep hole. If you make the Lord angry, you will fall into it!
- Proverbs 23:27Prostitutes are a dangerous trap for men. Women who are not faithful to their husbands can cause men to fall into danger, like a deep well.
- Ecclesiastes 2:26God gives wisdom, knowledge and joy to people who please him. Wicked people may work hard and become rich. But God takes away their valuable things and he gives them to someone who pleases him. So their hard work has no purpose. It is like somebody who tries to catch 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
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
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