EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Ecclesiastes 9:1
1I thought about all these things so that I could understand them. I realized that God controls what happens to people. That includes righteous people and wise people. God decides the things that they do. Nobody knows what will happen in their lives. Other people may love them, or they may hate 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
I thought about all these things so that I could understand them. I realized that God controls what happens to people. That includes righteous people and wise people. God decides the things that they do. Nobody knows what will happen in their lives. Other people may love them, or they may hate them. 2But there is something which happens to everyone. It happens to righteous people and it happens to wicked people. It happens to good people and it happens to bad people. It happens to people who are clean in front of God and it happens to people who are unclean. It happens to people who offer sacrifices to God and it happens to people who do not do that. It happens to good people and to people who turn away from God. It happens to people who make promises to God. It also happens to people who are afraid to do that. 3Finally, the same thing happens to everyone on the earth. That seems to be a terrible thing. People choose to do evil things. While they are alive, they choose to live like fools. And after that, they die.
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
Words taken from the KJV.
- For all this I consideredנָתַןnâthan · to give: putH5414
- in my heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
- even to declareבּוּרbûr · to explainH952
- all this, that the righteousצַדִּיקtsaddîyq · righteousH6662
- and the wiseחָכָםchâkâm · wiseH2450
- and their worksעֲבָד‛ăbâd · workH5652
- in the handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
- of Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- no manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- knowethיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- eitherגַּםgam · alsoH1571
- loveאַהֲבָה'ahăbâh · loveH160
- or hatredשִׂנְאָהώin'âh · hatingH8135
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 9:1
- Ecclesiastes 1:17So I decided to study how much wisdom and knowledge really help a person. I wanted to learn if it was better than someone who only does foolish things. But this was also useless, like somebody who tries to catch the wind.
- Ecclesiastes 7:25I 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.
- Ecclesiastes 8:16I tried very much to become wise. I wanted to understand the things that people do on the earth. People work in the day and in the night and they do not sleep.
- Ecclesiastes 12:9The Teacher was wise man. He also taught the people to understand things. He studied many proverbs and he wrote them down carefully.
- Ecclesiastes 8:14But this is something else that is difficult to understand: Sometimes righteous people suffer in the way the wicked people deserve. And sometimes wicked people enjoy the good things that righteous people deserve. I think that this is difficult to understand.
- Deuteronomy 33:3Yes, the Lord loves his people. He takes care of all his holy people. They sit near to him and they listen to his teaching.
- 1 Samuel 2:9He takes care of his faithful people. But he puts wicked people in a dark place where they can do nothing. It is not a person's own strength that makes him great.
- 2 Samuel 15:25Then the king said to Zadok, ‘Take the Covenant Box back into the city. If the Lord is pleased with me, he will bring me back here again. The Lord will let me see the Covenant Box again, as well as his home.
- Job 5:8I suggest that you ask God to help you. You should tell him about your problems.
- Psalms 10:14Surely, God, you see what is happening. You see how wicked people bring pain and trouble. You decide what to do about it. The weak person trusts that you will help him. You take care of children who have no father.
- Psalms 31:5I put my life into your hands. I know that you will save me, Lord, because you are a God that I can trust.
- Psalms 37:5Let the Lord be your guide into the future. Trust in him and he will help you.
- Proverbs 16:3Put your plans in front of the Lord, so that what you want to do will go well.
- Isaiah 26:12Lord, you will give us peace. Everything that we have done, you have done on our behalf.
- Isaiah 49:1Listen to me, you islands. Listen carefully, you people who live far away. The Lord called me to serve him before I was born. Before my mother gave birth, he used my name to speak to me.
- Jeremiah 1:18I, the Lord, promise that I will make you as strong as a city with strong walls around it. You will be as strong as an iron pillar, or a wall that is made of bronze. You will speak a message against the whole nation of Judah. You will speak against its kings, its officers, its priests and all its people.
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
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
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