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 is not executed at once against a crime, the human heart is encouraged to do evil. 12Even though a sinner might commit a hundred crimes and still live a long time, yet I know that it will go well with God-fearing people – for they stand in fear before him. But it will not go well with the wicked, nor will they prolong their days like a shadow, because they do not stand in fear before God. 14Here is another enigma that occurs on earth: Sometimes there are righteous people who get what the wicked deserve, and sometimes there are wicked people who get what the righteous deserve. I said, “This also is an enigma.” 15So I recommend the enjoyment of life, for there is nothing better on earth for a person to do except to eat, drink, and enjoy life. So joy will accompany him in his toil during the days of his life which God gives him on earth.

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“Yes, the lamp of the wicked is extinguished; his flame of fire does not shine.
• Job 20:5that the elation of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.
• Job 21:30that the evil man is spared from the day of his misfortune, that he is delivered from the day of God’s wrath?
• Psalms 11:5The Lord approves of the godly, but he hates the wicked and those who love to do violence.
• Isaiah 57:21There will be no prosperity,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
• Malachi 3:18Then once more you will see that I make a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not.
• Matthew 13:49It will be this way at the end of the age. Angels will come and separate the evil from the righteous
• John 5:29and will come out – the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation.
• Psalms 55:23But you, O God, will bring them down to the deep Pit. Violent and deceitful people will not live even half a normal lifespan. But as for me, I trust in you.
• Isaiah 30:13So this sin will become your downfall. You will be like a high wall that bulges and cracks and is ready to collapse; it crumbles suddenly, in a flash.
• 2 Peter 2:3And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation pronounced long ago is not sitting idly by; their destruction is not asleep.
• Ecclesiastes 6:12For no one knows what is best for a person during his life – during the few days of his fleeting life – for they pass away like a shadow. Nor can anyone tell him what the future will hold for him on earth.
• Job 7:6My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle and they come to an end without hope.
• Job 14:2He grows up like a flower and then withers away; he flees like a shadow, and does not remain.
• Psalms 39:5Look, you make my days short-lived, and my life span is nothing from your perspective. Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor.
• Psalms 144:4People are like a vapor, their days like a shadow that disappears.

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