New Living Translation
Ecclesiastes 5:6
6Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.
Ecclesiastes 5:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?
- New International Version (NIV)Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?
- English Standard Version (ESV)Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?
- New King James Version (NKJV)Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?
Context of Ecclesiastes 5:6
4When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. 5It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved. 7Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead. 8Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 5Ecclesiastes 5:6 word by word
אַל־תִּתֵּ֤ן אֶת־פִּ֙יךָ֙ לַחֲטִ֣יא אֶת־בְּשָׂרֶ֔ךָ וְאַל־תֹּאמַר֙ לִפְנֵ֣י הַמַּלְאָ֔ךְ כִּ֥י שְׁגָגָ֖ה הִ֑יא לָ֣מָּה יִקְצֹ֤ף הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ עַל־קוֹלֶ֔ךָ וְחִבֵּ֖ל אֶת־מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יָדֶֽיךָ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Sufferנָתַןnâthan · to give: allowH5414
- not thy mouthפֶּהpeh · lipH6310
- to cause thy fleshבָּשָׂרbâώâr · fleshH1320
- to sinחָטָאchâţâ' · to sinH2398
- neither sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- thou beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- the angelמַלְאָךְmal'âk · messengerH4397
- an errorשְׁגָגָהshegâgâh · sin of errorH7684
- wherefore should Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- be angryקָצַףqâtsaph · be angryH7107
- at thy voiceקוֹלqôl qôl · voiceH6963
- and destroyחָבַלchâbal · to destroyH2254
- the workמַעֲשֶׂהma‛ăώeh · deed: workH4639
- of thine handsיָדyâd · handH3027
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 5:6
- Ecclesiastes 5:1As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God.
- James 1:26If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.
- James 3:2Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.
- Leviticus 5:4“Or suppose you make a foolish vow of any kind, whether its purpose is for good or for bad. When you realize its foolishness, you must admit your guilt.
- Genesis 48:16the Angel who has redeemed me from all harm— may he bless these boys. May they preserve my name and the names of Abraham and Isaac. And may their descendants multiply greatly throughout the earth.”
- Hosea 12:4Yes, he wrestled with the angel and won. He wept and pleaded for a blessing from him. There at Bethel he met God face to face, and God spoke to him—
- Malachi 2:7“The words of a priest’s lips should preserve knowledge of God, and people should go to him for instruction, for the priest is the messenger of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
- Malachi 3:1“Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
- Acts 7:30“Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush.
- 1 Corinthians 11:10For this reason, and because the angels are watching, a woman should wear a covering on her head to show she is under authority.
- 1 Timothy 5:21I solemnly command you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus and the highest angels to obey these instructions without taking sides or showing favoritism to anyone.
- Hebrews 1:14Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.
- Leviticus 4:5The high priest will then take some of the bull’s blood into the Tabernacle,
- Leviticus 27:9“If your vow involves giving an animal that is acceptable as an offering to the Lord, any gift to the Lord will be considered holy.
- Haggai 1:9You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses.
- Haggai 2:14Then Haggai responded, “That is how it is with this people and this nation, says the Lord. Everything they do and everything they offer is defiled by their sin.
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 5:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error - Nor think of saying "before the cruel angel, who shall exercise authority over thee in the judgment of the great day, that thou didst it through ignorance." - Chaldee. I believe by the angel nothing else is intended than the priest, whose business it was to take cognizance of vows and offerings. See Leviticus 5:4, Leviticus 5:5. In Malachi 2:7, the priest is called the "angel of the Lord of hosts."Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Suffer not thy mouth - i. e., Do not make rash vows which may hereafter be the cause of evasion and prevarication, and remain unfulfilled. Before the angel - The Septuagint and some other versions render “before the face of God,” meaning a spiritual being representing the presence of God, a minister of divine justice Exodus 23:21, such a one as inflicted judgment upon David 2 Samuel 24:17. Others, with less probability, understand the angel to be a…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-8Verses 4-8 When a person made engagements rashly, he suffered his mouth to cause his flesh to sin. The case supposes a man coming to the priest, and pretending that his vow was made rashly, and that it would be wrong to fulfil it. Such mockery of God would bring the Divine displeasure, which might blast what was thus unduly kept. We are to keep down the fear of man. Set God before thee; then, if thou seest the oppression of the poor, thou wilt not find…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-7This section discusses various topics, such as justice, humans and animals, oppression, moderation, companionship, politics, and worship.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. thy flesh--Vow not with "thy mouth" a vow (for example, fasting), which the lusts of the flesh ("body," Ec 2:3, Margin) may tempt thee to break (Pr 20:25). angel--the "messenger" of God (Job 33:23); minister (Re 1:20); that is, the priest (Mal 2:7) "before" whom a breach of a vow was to be confessed (Le 5:4, 5). We, Christians, in our vows (for example, at baptism, the Lord's Supper, &c.) vow in the presence of Jesus Christ, "the angel of the covenant"…Read the comment
Topics related to Ecclesiastes 5:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 5
- 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
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