Ecclesiastes 8:8

Ecclesiastes 8:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
• New International Version (NIV)As no one has power over the wind to contain it, so no one has power over the time of their death. As no one is discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.
• English Standard Version (ESV)No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it.
• New King James Version (NKJV)No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, And no one has power in the day of death. There is no release from that war, And wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it.

Context of Ecclesiastes 8:8

6There is a right time for things to happen. There is a right way to do things. But trouble comes to people anyway. 7Nobody knows what will happen in the future. Nobody can tell us about it. Nobody has the power to control the wind. Also, nobody has the power to decide the day of their death. Soldiers are not allowed to leave a battle. Also, if people do wicked things, that will not rescue them. 9I saw all these things that happen on the earth. I thought about them a lot. I thought about the things that happen on the earth. I saw that people sometimes use their power to hurt other people. 10I also saw that some wicked people receive honour after their death. Those wicked people had gone in and out of the holy place. People praised them in the city where they had done evil things. This also is difficult to understand.

Ecclesiastes 8:8 word by word

אֵ֣ין אָדָ֞ם שַׁלִּ֤יט בָּר֙וּחַ֙ לִכְל֣וֹא אֶת־הָר֔וּחַ וְאֵ֤ין שִׁלְטוֹן֙ בְּי֣וֹם הַמָּ֔וֶת וְאֵ֥ין מִשְׁלַ֖חַת בַּמִּלְחָמָ֑ה וְלֹֽא־יְמַלֵּ֥ט רֶ֖שַׁע אֶת־בְּעָלָֽיו׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• no manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• that hath powerשַׁלִּיטshallîyţ · domineeringH7989
• over the spiritרוּחַrûach · spiritH7307
• to retainכָּלָאkâlâ' · to restrainH3607
• powerשִׁלְטוֹןshilţôn · powerH7983
• in the dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• of deathמָ֫וֶתmâveth · deathH4194
• no dischargeמִשְׁלַ֫חַתmishlachath · deputationH4917
• warמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421
• neither shall wickednessרֶ֫שַׁעresha‛ · wickednessH7562
• deliverמָלַטmâlaţ · to escapeH4422
• those that are givenבַּעַלba‛al · master: owningH1167

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 8:8

• Ecclesiastes 3:21Do the spirits of humans go up into the sky when we die? Do the spirits of animals go down into the ground? Nobody really knows.’
• 2 Samuel 14:14We must all die one day. When that happens, we are like water that is poured on the ground. We cannot pick it up again. But God does not remove our lives from us. Instead, he finds a way to bring us back to him when we have gone far away.
• Job 14:5You have decided how long people should live. You control the number of months that each person will live. Nobody can live any longer than that.
• Job 34:14God could decide to remove life from the world. He could take back his spirit and his breath.
• Psalms 49:6Those people think that their money will keep them safe. They are proud about their riches.
• Psalms 89:48Nobody can continue to live and never die. Nobody can escape from the power of death.
• Hebrews 9:27Every person must die once. After death, God will judge each person.
• 1 Corinthians 15:43When we bury the body, it is not beautiful. But when God raises it up, it is very beautiful. When we bury the body, it is weak. But when God raises it, it is strong.
• 2 Corinthians 13:4People killed Christ on the cross as a weak person. But he now lives by God's power. We are also weak as we serve Christ, like he was weak. But we live, because he now lives. So, when we come to you, we will show God's power among you.
• Deuteronomy 20:1Do not be afraid when you go out to fight a war against your enemies. You may see that their armies have more horses, chariots and soldiers than you have. Do not be afraid of them! Remember that the Lord your God is with you. He rescued you from Egypt.
• 2 Kings 7:15The king's men followed the Syrian soldiers as far as the Jordan River. They saw many things that the soldiers had dropped along the road. They had dropped clothes and weapons because they were in a hurry to run away. So the men returned to the king. They told him what they had seen.
• Psalms 9:17Justice sends the wicked people away, into the deep hole of death. This will happen to all the nations that do not respect God.
• Psalms 52:5But God will knock you down, and he will break you into pieces. He will take you away from your home. He will remove you from this world where people live. Selah.
• Psalms 73:18Yes, I realized that they are in a dangerous place, where they will easily slip. You will cause them to fall down to their death.
• Proverbs 14:32When wicked people are in trouble, they cannot stand. But righteous people still trust God, even when they are in danger of death.
• Isaiah 28:15You boast, ‘We have made a covenant with death. Yes, we have made an agreement with Sheol. When trouble comes to our city like a deep flood of water, we will be safe. We trust in our lies to keep us safe.’

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 8:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit - The Chaldee has, "There is no man who can rule over the spirit of the breath, so as to prevent the animal life from leaving the body of man." Others translate to this sense: "No man hath power over the wind to restrain the wind; and none has power over death to restrain him; and when a man engages as a soldier, he cannot be discharged from the war till it is ended; and by wickedness no…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Neither hath he power - Rather: “and there is no power.” Compare Ecclesiastes 3:19. No discharge … - i. e., “No exemption from the final hour of struggle between life and death.” Wickedness - Though the life of the wicked may be prolonged Ecclesiastes 7:15, yet wickedness itself has no inherent power to prolong that life.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-8Verses 6-8 God has, in wisdom, kept away from us the knowledge of future events, that we may be always ready for changes. We must all die, no flight or hiding-place can save us, nor are there any weapons of effectual resistance. Ninety thousand die every day, upwards of sixty every minute, and one every moment. How solemn the thought! Oh that men were wise, that they understood these things, that they would consider their latter end! The believer alone is…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7-8Our strength, goodness, and wisdom cannot prevent disasters, so choosing wickedness would be pointless.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. spirit--"breath of life" (Ec 3:19), as the words following require. Not "wind," as Weiss thinks (Pr 30:4). This verse naturally follows the subject of "times" and "judgment" (Ec 8:6, 7). discharge--alluding to the liability to military service of all above twenty years old (Nu 1:3), yet many were exempted (De 20:5-8). But in that war (death) there is no exemption. those ... given to--literally, the master of it. Wickedness can get money for the sinner…Read the comment

Topics related to Ecclesiastes 8:8

• Death

In the dictionaries

• Discern
• Discharge
• Feel
• Governor
• Hasty
• Heart
• Set
• Spirit
• Captain
• Retain

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 8

• 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