Tree of Life Version
Ecclesiastes 7:20
20Surely there is not a righteous person on earth who does what is good and doesn’t sin.
Ecclesiastes 7:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
- New International Version (NIV)Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
- New King James Version (NKJV)For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.
Context of Ecclesiastes 7:20
18It is good to grasp the one and not withdraw your hand from the other. For the one who fears God will escape both extremes. 19Wisdom makes a wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city. Surely there is not a righteous person on earth who does what is good and doesn’t sin. 21Also, do not pay attention to every word people say, otherwise you might hear your servant mocking you— 22for your heart knows that many times you too have mocked others.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 7Ecclesiastes 7:20 word by word
כִּ֣י אָדָ֔ם אֵ֥ין צַדִּ֖יק בָּאָ֑רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יַעֲשֶׂה־טּ֖וֹב וְלֹ֥א יֶחֱטָֽא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 7:20
- 1 Kings 8:46If they sin against You—for there is no man that does not sin—and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and their captors carry them away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near,
- 2 Chronicles 6:36When they sin against You—for there is no man that does not sin —and You become angry with them and hand them over to the enemy who takes them captive to a land far off or near,
- Job 15:14“What is man, that he could be pure, or one born of woman, that he could be righteous?
- Psalms 130:3If You, Adonai, kept a record of iniquities— my Lord, who could stand?
- Psalms 143:2Do not bring Your servant into judgment, for in Your eyes no one living is righteous.
- Proverbs 20:9Who can say: “I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin”?
- Isaiah 53:6We all like sheep have gone astray. Each of us turned to his own way. So Adonai has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
- Romans 3:23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
- James 3:2For we all stumble in many ways. If someone does not stumble in speech, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.
- 1 John 1:8If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
- Isaiah 64:6No one calls on Your Name, or stirs himself up to take hold of You. For You have hidden Your face from us, and have consumed us, because of our iniquities.
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 7:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not - יחטא לא lo yechta, that may not sin. There is not a man upon earth, however just he may be, and habituated to do good, but is peccable - liable to commit sin; and therefore should continually watch and pray, and depend upon the Lord. But the text does not say, the just man does commit sin, but simply that he may sin; and so our translators have rendered it in 1 Samuel 2:25, twice in 1…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20The connection of this verse with Ecclesiastes 7:18-19 becomes clearer if it is borne in mind that the fear of God, wisdom, and justice, are merely different sides of one and the same character, the formation of which is the aim of all the precepts in this chapter. The words “just” Ecclesiastes 7:15, Ecclesiastes 7:20 and “righteous” Ecclesiastes 7:16 are exactly the same in Hebrew.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-22Verses 11-22 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, yea better. It shelters from the storms and scorching heat of trouble. Wealth will not lengthen out the natural life; but true wisdom will give spiritual life, and strengthen men for services under their sufferings. Let us look upon the disposal of our condition as the work of God, and at last all will appear to have been for the best. In acts of righteousness, be not carried into heats or passions, no…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20no righteous man...never sins: See 1 Kings 8:46; Proverbs 20:9; Romans 3:23.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. Referring to Ec 7:16. Be not "self-righteous," seek not to make thyself "just" before God by a superabundance of self-imposed performances; "for true 'wisdom,' or 'righteousness,' shows that there is not a just man," &c.Read the comment
Topics related to Ecclesiastes 7:20
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
Tree of Life Version — © 2015 The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
Commentaries