Ecclesiastes 7:25

Ecclesiastes 7:25 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:
• English Standard Version (ESV)I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.
• New King James Version (NKJV)I applied my heart to know, To search and seek out wisdom and the reason of things, To know the wickedness of folly, Even of foolishness and madness.
• New Living Translation (NLT)I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.

Context of Ecclesiastes 7:25

23All this I tested by wisdom and I said, “I am determined to be wise”— but this was beyond me. 24Whatever exists is far off and most profound— who can discover it? So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly. 26I 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. 27“Look,” says the Teacher, “this is what I have discovered: “Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things—

Ecclesiastes 7:25 word by word

סַבּ֨וֹתִֽי אֲנִ֤י וְלִבִּי֙ לָדַ֣עַת וְלָת֔וּר וּבַקֵּ֥שׁ חָכְמָ֖ה וְחֶשְׁבּ֑וֹן וְלָדַ֙עַת֙ רֶ֣שַׁע כֶּ֔סֶל וְהַסִּכְל֖וּת הוֹלֵלֽוֹת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• I appliedסָבַבsâbab · to turn: turnH5437
• mine heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
• to knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• and to searchתּוּרtûr · to spyH8446
• and to seek outבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
• wisdomחׇכְמָהchokmâh · wisdomH2451
• and the reasonחֶשְׁבּוֹןcheshbôn · explanationH2808
• the wickednessרֶ֫שַׁעresha‛ · wickednessH7562
• of follyכֶּ֫סֶלkesel · loinH3689
• even of foolishnessסִכְלוּתsiklûth ώiklûth · follyH5531
• madnessהוֹלֵלָהhôlêlâh · madnessH1947

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 7:25

• Ecclesiastes 1:13I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!
• Ecclesiastes 2:1I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.
• Ecclesiastes 7:27“Look,” says the Teacher, “this is what I have discovered: “Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things—
• Ecclesiastes 2:15Then I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?” I said to myself, “This too is meaningless.”
• Ecclesiastes 3:16And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
• Ecclesiastes 9:1So 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.
• Jeremiah 12:1You are always righteous, Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?
• 2 Peter 2:3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
• 2 Peter 3:3Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
• Ecclesiastes 9:3This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead.
• Ecclesiastes 10:13At the beginning their words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness—
• Genesis 34:7Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and furious, because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in Israel by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.
• Joshua 7:13“Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.
• 2 Samuel 13:12“No, my brother!” she said to him. “Don’t force me! Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Don’t do this wicked thing.
• Proverbs 17:12Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly.
• Proverbs 26:11As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 7:25

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 25I applied mine heart - I cast about, סבותי sabbothi, I made a circuit; I circumscribed the ground I was to traverse; and all within my circle I was determined to know, and to investigate, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things. Has man reason and understanding? If so, then this is his work. God as much calls him to use these powers in this way, as to believe on the Lord Jesus that he may be saved; and he that does not, according to the means in…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 25Reason - The same word is translated “account” Ecclesiastes 7:27, “invention” Ecclesiastes 7:29, and “device” Ecclesiastes 9:10: it is derived from a root signifying “to count.”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. 23-25it was beyond me: The Teacher could not find the wisdom or reasons he sought. Such reasons are hidden in God's mind (Ecclesiastes 3:11; 8:17).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2525. Literally, "I turned myself and mine heart to." A phrase peculiar to Ecclesiastes, and appropriate to the penitent turning back to commune with his heart on his past life. wickedness of folly--He is now a step further on the path of penitence than in Ec 1:17; 2:12, where "folly" is put without "wickedness" prefixed. reason--rather, "the right estimation" of things. Holden translates also "foolishness (that is, sinful folly, answering to 'wickedness'…Read the comment

Topics related to Ecclesiastes 7:25

• Blindness
• Wisdom

In the dictionaries

• Adversity
• Bosom
• Consider
• Crackling
• Living
• Madness
• Rest
• Fool; Folly
• Synagogue, the Great

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