Ecclesiastes 8:13

Ecclesiastes 8:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.
• New International Version (NIV)Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

Context of Ecclesiastes 8:13

11When a sentence against a crime isn’t carried out quickly, people are encouraged to commit crimes. 12A sinner may commit a hundred crimes and yet live a long life. Still, I know with certainty that it will go well for those who fear God, because they fear him. But it will not go well for the wicked. They will not live any longer. Their lives are like shadows, because they don’t fear God. 14There is something being done on earth that is pointless. Righteous people suffer for what the wicked do, and wicked people get what the righteous deserve. I say that even this is pointless. 15So I recommend the enjoyment ⌞of life⌟. People have nothing better to do under the sun than to eat, drink, and enjoy themselves. This joy will stay with them while they work hard during their brief lives which God has given them under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 8:13 word by word

וְטוֹב֙ לֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֣ה לָֽרָשָׁ֔ע וְלֹֽא־יַאֲרִ֥יךְ יָמִ֖ים כַּצֵּ֑ל אֲשֶׁ֛ר אֵינֶ֥נּוּ יָרֵ֖א מִלִּפְנֵ֥י אֱלֹהִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• But it shall not be wellטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
• with the wickedרָשָׁעrâshâ‛ · wickedH7563
• neither shall he prolongאָרַךְ'ârak · to prolongH748
• daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• as a shadowצֵלtsêl · shadowH6738
• because he fearethיָרֵאyârê' · afraidH3373
• not beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 8:13

• Job 18:5“Indeed, the light of the wicked is snuffed out. The flame of his fire stops glowing.
• Job 20:5the triumph of the wicked is short-lived, and the joy of the godless person lasts only a moment?
• Job 21:30On the day of disaster the wicked person is spared. On the day of ⌞God’s⌟ anger he is rescued.
• Psalms 11:5The Lord tests righteous people, but he hates wicked people and the ones who love violence.
• Isaiah 57:21“There is no peace for the wicked,” says my God.
• Malachi 3:18Then you will again see the difference between righteous people and wicked people, between the one who serves God and the one who doesn’t serve him.
• Matthew 13:49The same thing will happen at the end of time. The angels will go out and separate the evil people from people who have God’s approval.
• John 5:29and they will come out of their tombs. Those who have done good will come back to life and live. But those who have done evil will come back to life and will be judged.
• Psalms 55:23But you, O God, will throw ⌞wicked people⌟ into the deepest pit. Bloodthirsty and deceitful people will not live out half their days. But I will trust you.
• Isaiah 30:13That is why your sin will be like a high wall with a bulging crack, ready to fall. All of a sudden it will fall.
• 2 Peter 2:3In their greed they will use good-sounding arguments to exploit you. The verdict against them from long ago is still in force, and their destruction is not asleep.
• Ecclesiastes 6:12Who knows what may be good for mortals while they are alive, during the brief, pointless days they live? Mortals pass by like a shadow. Who will tell them about their future under the sun?
• Job 7:6My days go swifter than a weaver’s shuttle. They are spent without hope.
• Job 14:2He comes up like a flower; then he withers. He is like a fleeting shadow; he doesn’t stay long.
• Psalms 39:5Indeed, you have made the length of my days ⌞only⌟ a few inches. My life span is nothing compared to yours. Certainly, everyone alive is like a whisper in the wind. Selah
• Psalms 144:4Humans are like a breath of air. Their life span is like a fleeting shadow.

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 8:13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13But it shall not be well with the wicked - Let not the long-spared sinner presume that, because sentence is not speedily executed on his evil works, and he is suffered to go on to his hundredth transgression, God has forgotten to punish. No, he feareth not before Good; and therefore he shall not ultimately escape.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-13Verses 9-13 Solomon observed, that many a time one man rules over another to his hurt, and that prosperity hardens them in their wickedness. Sinners herein deceive themselves. Vengeance comes slowly, but it comes surely. A good man's days have some substance; he lives to a good purpose: a wicked man's days are all as a shadow, empty and worthless. Let us pray that we may view eternal things as near, real, and all-important.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-13Injustice is temporary and does not disrupt God's plans for justice (Ecclesiastes 3:16–17; 12:14). In the end, wickedness does not succeed.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1313. neither shall he prolong--not a contradiction to Ec 8:12. The "prolonging" of his days there is only seeming, not real. Taking into account his eternal existence, his present days, however seemingly long, are really short. God's delay (Ec 8:11) exists only in man's short-sighted view. It gives scope to the sinner to repent, or else to fill up his full measure of guilt; and so, in either case, tends to the final vindication of God's ways. It gives…Read the comment

Topics related to Ecclesiastes 8:13

• Impenitence
• Punishment
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Discern
• Discharge
• Feel
• Hasty
• Heart
• Set
• Death
• Prolong

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