New King James Version
Ecclesiastes 7:7
7Surely oppression destroys a wise man’s reason, And a bribe debases the heart.
Ecclesiastes 7:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.
- New International Version (NIV)Extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Extortion turns wise people into fools, and bribes corrupt the heart.
Context of Ecclesiastes 7:7
5It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise Than for a man to hear the song of fools. 6For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, So is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity. Surely oppression destroys a wise man’s reason, And a bribe debases the heart. 8The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. 9Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 7Ecclesiastes 7:7 word by word
כִּ֥י הָעֹ֖שֶׁק יְהוֹלֵ֣ל חָכָ֑ם וִֽיאַבֵּ֥ד אֶת־לֵ֖ב מַתָּנָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 7:7
- Deuteronomy 28:33A nation whom you have not known shall eat the fruit of your land and the produce of your labor, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually.
- Exodus 23:8And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous.
- Deuteronomy 16:19You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
- 1 Samuel 8:3But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.
- 1 Samuel 12:3Here I am. Witness against me before the Lord and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you.”
- Proverbs 17:23A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back To pervert the ways of justice.
- Isaiah 1:23Your princes are rebellious, And companions of thieves; Everyone loves bribes, And follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.
- Isaiah 33:15He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, He who despises the gain of oppressions, Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, And shuts his eyes from seeing evil:
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 7:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Oppression maketh a wise man mad - This has been translated with good show of reason, "Surely oppression shall give lustre to a wise man: but a gift corrupteth the heart." The chief difference here is in the word יהולל yeholel, which, from the root הלל halal, signiffes to glister, irradiate, as well as to move briskly, to be mad, furious, in a rage; and certainly the former meaning suits this place best. We cannot think that the wise man - he that is…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7Rather, oppression (or extortions) maketh a wise man foolish; and a bribe etc. If a wise man, being in a high position, exercises oppression (see Psalm 62:10), or practices extortion, he becomes a fool in so doing. This verse is a warning against impatience in the exercise of power or the acquisition of riches.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-10Verses 7-10 The event of our trials and difficulties is often better than at first we thought. Surely it is better to be patient in spirit, than to be proud and hasty. Be not soon angry, nor quick in resenting an affront. Be not long angry; though anger may come into the bosom of a wise man, it passes through it as a way-faring man; it dwells only in the bosom of fools. It is folly to cry out upon the badness of our times, when we have more reason to cry…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-22God's control over everything is serious, but it gives us hope.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. oppression--recurring to the idea (Ec 3:16; 5:8). Its connection with Ec 7:4-6 is, the sight of "oppression" perpetrated by "fools" might tempt the "wise" to call in question God's dispensations, and imitate the folly (equivalent to "madness") described (Ec 7:5,6). Weiss, for "oppression," translates, "distraction," produced by merriment. But Ec 5:8 favors English Version. a gift--that is, the sight of bribery in "places of judgment" (Ec 3:16) might…Read the comment
Topics related to Ecclesiastes 7:7
In the dictionaries
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries