Ecclesiastes 7:26

Ecclesiastes 7:26 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And I find more bitter than death The woman whose heart is snares and nets, Whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God shall escape from her, But the sinner shall be trapped by her.
• New Living Translation (NLT)I discovered that a seductive woman is a trap more bitter than death. Her passion is a snare, and her soft hands are chains. Those who are pleasing to God will escape her, but sinners will be caught in her snare.

Context of Ecclesiastes 7:26

24Whatever exists is far off and most profound— who can discover it? 25So 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. I 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— 28while I was still searching but not finding— I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all.

Ecclesiastes 7:26 word by word

וּמוֹצֶ֨א אֲנִ֜י מַ֣ר מִמָּ֗וֶת אֶת־הָֽאִשָּׁה֙ אֲשֶׁר־הִ֨יא מְצוֹדִ֧ים וַחֲרָמִ֛ים לִבָּ֖הּ אֲסוּרִ֣ים יָדֶ֑יהָ ט֞וֹב לִפְנֵ֤י הָאֱלֹהִים֙ יִמָּלֵ֣ט מִמֶּ֔נָּה וְחוֹטֵ֖א יִלָּ֥כֶד בָּֽהּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And I findמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
• more bitterמַרmar mârâh · bitterH4751
• than deathמָ֫וֶתmâveth · deathH4194
• the womanאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802
• whose heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
• snaresמָצוֹדmâtsôd metsôdâh metsôdâh · netH4685
• and netsחֵ֫רֶםchêrem cherem · netH2764
• her handsיָדyâd · handH3027
• bandsאֵסוּר'êsûr · bondH612
• whoso pleasethפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• whoso pleasethטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
• Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• shall escapeמָלַטmâlaţ · to escapeH4422
• from her; but the sinnerחָטָאchâţâ' · to sinH2398
• shall be takenלָכַדlâkad · to captureH3920

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 7:26

• Judges 16:18When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands.
• Proverbs 2:18Surely her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead.
• Proverbs 5:3For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil;
• Proverbs 7:21With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk.
• Proverbs 9:18But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.
• Proverbs 22:14The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit; a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it.
• Proverbs 23:27for an adulterous woman is a deep pit, and a wayward wife is a narrow well.
• Ecclesiastes 2:26To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 7:26

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 26And I find more bitter than death the woman - After all his investigation of the wickedness of folly, and the foolishness of madness, he found nothing equally dangerous and ruinous with the blandishments of cunning women. When once the affections are entangled, escape without ruin is almost impossible. Whoso pleaseth God - The man who walks with God, and he alone, shall escape this sore evil: and even he that fears God, if he get with an artful woman, may…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 26Compare the account of Solomon‘s wives 1 Kings 11:1-8: see also Proverbs 2:16-19; Proverbs 5:3 …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. 26a woman who is a snare: Compare Proverbs 5; 6:20–7:27.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2626. "I find" that, of all my sinful follies, none has been so ruinous a snare in seducing me from God as idolatrous women (1Ki 11:3, 4; Pr 5:3, 4; 22:14). As "God's favor is better than life," she who seduces from God is "more bitter than death." whoso pleaseth God--as Joseph (Ge 39:2, 3, 9). It is God's grace alone that keeps any from falling.Read the comment

Topics related to Ecclesiastes 7:26

• Heart
• Net
• Temptation
• Women

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Adversity
• Bosom
• Consider
• Crackling
• Living
• Rest
• Band
• Bitter; Bitterness

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