Ecclesiastes 7 Study Notes: Wisdom in Sorrow and Prosperity
The Teacher ranks a good name, mourning, correction and patience above pleasure, pride and anger. He calls good and hard days alike God’s doing, warns against extremes of righteousness and wickedness, says everyone sins, and concludes that God made people upright but they went their own way.
General
True or False: In 7:10 the Teacher encourages people to ask why earlier times were better than the present.
Answer: False
This is false. The Teacher tells people not to ask why the old days were better than now, because asking that question is not wise (7:10). Longing for a past that seems golden can make a person forget that God is at work in the present. When Israel grumbled in the wilderness, they looked back longingly on the food they had eaten in Egypt (Exodus 16:3; Numbers 11:5). Paul, by contrast, had learned contentment in whatever situation he was in (Philippians 4:11).
- Ecclesiastes 7:10 (BSB)“Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.”The Teacher forbids asking why earlier days were better, calling it unwise.
- Exodus 16:3 (BSB)““If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt!” they said. “There we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!””Israel looked back on Egypt’s food as better days while grumbling in the desert.
- Numbers 11:5 (BSB)“We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.”The people looked back longingly on the food they had eaten in Egypt.
- Philippians 4:11 (BSB)“I am not saying this out of need, for I have learned to be content regardless of my circumstances.”Paul models contentment in present circumstances instead of longing for other days.
Theological
True or False: The Teacher in 7:10 commends the question of why former days surpassed the present ones.
Answer: False
This is false. Verse 10 forbids asking why the former days were better than these, calling the question unwise. Such nostalgia idealizes the past and quietly complains against God’s providence in the present, as Israel did when it looked back longingly on the food of Egypt (Exodus 16:3; Numbers 11:5). Paul’s learned contentment in every circumstance (Philippians 4:11) is the opposite attitude.
- Ecclesiastes 7:10 (BSB)“Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.”The Teacher forbids asking why earlier days were better, calling it unwise.
- Exodus 16:3 (BSB)““If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt!” they said. “There we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!””Israel looked back on Egypt’s food as better days while grumbling in the desert.
- Numbers 11:5 (BSB)“We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.”The people looked back longingly on the food they had eaten in Egypt.
- Philippians 4:11 (BSB)“I am not saying this out of need, for I have learned to be content regardless of my circumstances.”Paul models contentment in present circumstances instead of longing for other days.
General
In 7:14, what does the Teacher say God has done with good days and hard days?
Answer: He has made both, so no one can know what lies ahead
The Teacher tells readers to think carefully about what God does, since no one can unbend what God has bent (7:13). When times are good, be glad; when times are hard, remember that God has made the one as well as the other, and so no one can find out what will happen after him (7:14). God rules over every season of life, the pleasant and the painful alike, and this calls for trust rather than trying to master the future. Job said the same when he asked whether we should accept only good from God and not adversity (Job 2:10). Through Isaiah the LORD says that He sends both prosperity and calamity (Isaiah 45:7), and Lamentations asks whether both trouble and good do not come from the Most High (Lamentations 3:38).
- Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 (BSB)“Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent? In the day of prosperity, be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider this: God has made one of these along with the other, so that a man cannot discover anything that will come after him.”The Teacher calls for considering God’s work and says God made both prosperity and adversity.
- Job 2:10 (BSB)““You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”Job accepts both good and adversity as coming from God.
- Isaiah 45:7 (BSB)“I form the light and create the darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity. I, the LORD, do all these things.”The LORD declares that He brings both prosperity and calamity.
- Lamentations 3:38 (BSB)“Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High?”Both adversity and good are said to come from the Most High.
Theological
According to 7:14, what has God done with prosperity and adversity, and to what end?
Answer: He has made both, so no one can know what lies ahead
Verse 13 calls for reflection on God’s work: what God has bent no one can make straight. Verse 14 applies it: rejoice in prosperity, and in adversity reflect that God has appointed both, so that man cannot discover what lies ahead. This is God’s sovereign providence over every circumstance, the hard as well as the pleasant, and it humbles human attempts to master the future. Job confessed it (Job 2:10), the LORD declares it through Isaiah (Isaiah 45:7), and Lamentations 3:38 asks whether adversity and good both proceed from the Most High.
- Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 (BSB)“Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent? In the day of prosperity, be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider this: God has made one of these along with the other, so that a man cannot discover anything that will come after him.”The Teacher calls for considering God’s work and says God made both prosperity and adversity.
- Job 2:10 (BSB)““You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”Job accepts both good and adversity as coming from God.
- Isaiah 45:7 (BSB)“I form the light and create the darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity. I, the LORD, do all these things.”The LORD declares that He brings both prosperity and calamity.
- Lamentations 3:38 (BSB)“Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High?”Both adversity and good are said to come from the Most High.
General
What has the Teacher found, according to 7:29, about how God made people and what they did?
Answer: God made them upright, but they chased many schemes of their own
At the end of his long search, the Teacher sums up one thing he has discovered: God created human beings upright, that is, morally straight and good, but people have gone looking for many schemes of their own (7:29). Sin is not something God built into humanity; it came from people turning away. Genesis says that everything God made was very good (Genesis 1:31), Paul explains that sin came into the world by one man, with death spreading to all people because all sinned (Romans 5:12), and James says God tempts no one, but each person is pulled away by their own wrong desires (James 1:13-14).
- Ecclesiastes 7:29 (BSB)“Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made mankind upright, but they have sought out many schemes.””The Teacher concludes that God made mankind upright but people sought many schemes.
- Genesis 1:31 (BSB)“And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.”Everything God made, including man, was very good.
- Romans 5:12 (BSB)“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.”Sin entered the world through one man, and death spread to all because all sinned.
- James 1:13-14 (BSB)“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.”God tempts no one; each person is enticed by his own evil desires.
Theological
What conclusion does 7:29 reach about the origin of human corruption?
Answer: God made them upright, but they chased many schemes of their own
Verse 29 distills the Teacher’s search: God created humanity morally upright, yet people have pursued many devices of their own. Human corruption is not a defect of creation but the result of humanity’s own turning; God is not the author of sin. Creation was very good (Genesis 1:31); sin entered through one man, bringing death to all because all sinned (Romans 5:12); and James 1:13-14 locates the source of temptation in each person’s own desires, never in God. With 7:20, the verse states that every person is a sinner and is responsible for it.
- Ecclesiastes 7:29 (BSB)“Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made mankind upright, but they have sought out many schemes.””The Teacher concludes that God made mankind upright but people sought many schemes.
- Genesis 1:31 (BSB)“And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.”Everything God made, including man, was very good.
- Romans 5:12 (BSB)“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.”Sin entered the world through one man, and death spread to all because all sinned.
- James 1:13-14 (BSB)“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.”God tempts no one; each person is enticed by his own evil desires.
General
Why does the Teacher prefer visiting a home in grief to a home holding a feast (7:2)?
Answer: Every life ends in death, and the living ought to ponder it
The Teacher says a good reputation is worth more than costly perfume, and that the day a person dies outranks the day he is born (7:1). He then explains why a home full of grief teaches more than a home full of celebration: death comes to every person, and those still alive should think seriously about that fact (7:2). Sorrow can do the heart good, and the wise keep their thoughts where mourning is, while fools keep theirs where pleasure is (7:3-4). Psalm 90 asks God to teach His people to count their days so they will gain wise hearts (Psalm 90:12), another psalm asks God to show how brief a human life is (Psalm 39:4-5), and Proverbs likewise ranks a good reputation above great wealth (Proverbs 22:1).
- Ecclesiastes 7:1-4 (BSB)“A good name is better than fine perfume, and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth. It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of every man, and the living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad countenance is good for the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.”The Teacher ranks a good name, the day of death and the house of mourning above their pleasant counterparts.
- Psalm 90:12 (BSB)“So teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom.”The psalm asks God to teach His people to reckon their days so they gain wise hearts.
- Psalm 39:4-5 (BSB)““Show me, O LORD, my end and the measure of my days. Let me know how fleeting my life is. You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah”The psalmist asks to know the measure of his days and how fleeting his life is.
- Proverbs 22:1 (BSB)“A good name is more desirable than great riches; favor is better than silver and gold.”Proverbs agrees that a good reputation is worth more than riches.
Theological
What reason does 7:2 give for preferring the place of grief to the place of celebration?
Answer: Every life ends in death, and the living ought to ponder it
Verse 1 pairs a good reputation with the day of death, and verse 2 gives the rationale for preferring the place of grief: death is the appointed end of all, and those still alive are to lay it to heart. Sorrow sobers and does the heart good, so the wise turn their minds toward mourning while fools are drawn to pleasure (7:3-4). This is the wisdom sought in the prayer that God would teach His people to reckon their days rightly (Psalm 90:12) and in the plea to know how brief life is (Psalm 39:4-5); Proverbs 22:1 likewise values a good reputation above riches.
- Ecclesiastes 7:1-4 (BSB)“A good name is better than fine perfume, and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth. It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of every man, and the living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad countenance is good for the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.”The Teacher ranks a good name, the day of death and the house of mourning above their pleasant counterparts.
- Psalm 90:12 (BSB)“So teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom.”The psalm asks God to teach His people to reckon their days so they gain wise hearts.
- Psalm 39:4-5 (BSB)““Show me, O LORD, my end and the measure of my days. Let me know how fleeting my life is. You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah”The psalmist asks to know the measure of his days and how fleeting his life is.
- Proverbs 22:1 (BSB)“A good name is more desirable than great riches; favor is better than silver and gold.”Proverbs agrees that a good reputation is worth more than riches.
General
True or False: According to 7:20, not one person on earth always does what is right without ever sinning.
Answer: True
This is true. The Teacher states plainly that there is not a single person anywhere so righteous that he does only good and is free of sin (7:20). He applies this at once: do not take to heart every word people say, or you may overhear your own servant cursing you, since you know you have often cursed others yourself (7:21-22). This is the Bible’s steady teaching about all people. Solomon’s prayer at the temple assumes that every person sins (1 Kings 8:46), Paul writes that not one person is righteous and that everyone has sinned and lacks God’s glory (Romans 3:10, 23), and John says that anyone who claims to have no sin is deceiving himself (1 John 1:8).
- Ecclesiastes 7:20 (BSB)“Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.”The Teacher declares that no one on earth does good without ever sinning.
- 1 Kings 8:46 (BSB)“When they sin against You—for there is no one who does not sin—and You become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to his own land, whether far or near,”Solomon’s prayer states that there is no one who does not sin.
- Romans 3:10 (BSB)“As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.”Paul, citing Scripture, says no one is righteous.
- Romans 3:23 (BSB)“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”Paul affirms that all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.
- 1 John 1:8 (BSB)“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”Claiming to be without sin is self-deception.
Theological
True or False: Ecclesiastes 7:20 affirms that no one on earth is so righteous that he does good without ever sinning.
Answer: True
This is true. Verse 20 states universal sinfulness without exception: no one on earth is righteous in the sense of doing good without ever sinning. Verses 21-22 apply it: one should not heed every word spoken, lest he hear his servant cursing him, for his own heart knows he has often cursed others. This is the consistent biblical witness to human depravity: Solomon’s temple prayer assumes that every person sins (1 Kings 8:46), Paul concludes that none is righteous and that everyone has sinned and lacks God’s glory (Romans 3:10, 23), and John warns that denying our sin is self-deception (1 John 1:8).
- Ecclesiastes 7:20 (BSB)“Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.”The Teacher declares that no one on earth does good without ever sinning.
- 1 Kings 8:46 (BSB)“When they sin against You—for there is no one who does not sin—and You become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to his own land, whether far or near,”Solomon’s prayer states that there is no one who does not sin.
- Romans 3:10 (BSB)“As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.”Paul, citing Scripture, says no one is righteous.
- Romans 3:23 (BSB)“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”Paul affirms that all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.
- 1 John 1:8 (BSB)“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”Claiming to be without sin is self-deception.
General
After warning against being overly righteous and overly wicked in 7:16-17, what does the Teacher say about the one who fears God in 7:18?
Answer: He will heed both warnings and avoid both dangers
The Teacher says that in his fleeting life he has seen a righteous man die despite doing right, while a wicked man lived a long time though wicked (7:15). He then warns against being overly righteous or making oneself too wise, and against being excessively wicked or foolish (7:16-17). Many readers take the first warning to be aimed at a self-made, self-trusting righteousness and wisdom, or at the assumption that doing right guarantees a long life. He says it is good to hold on to the one warning without letting go of the other, and his answer is the fear of God, that is, honoring and revering Him: the person who fears God heeds both of these cautions (7:18). Proverbs says not to consider yourself wise but to fear the LORD and shun evil (Proverbs 3:7), Jesus told a parable to people who relied on their own righteousness and looked down on others (Luke 18:9), and the book ends by calling everyone to fear God and obey His commands (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
- Ecclesiastes 7:15-18 (BSB)“In my futile life I have seen both of these: A righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness. Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good to grasp the one and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God will follow both warnings.”The Teacher observes righteous and wicked lives and warns against both extremes, resolving them in the fear of God.
- Proverbs 3:7 (BSB)“Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.”Being wise in one’s own eyes is set against fearing the LORD.
- Luke 18:9 (BSB)“To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable:”Jesus addresses those who trusted in their own righteousness.
- Ecclesiastes 12:13 (BSB)“When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.”The book’s conclusion makes fearing God the whole duty of man.
Theological
According to 7:18, what will the one who fears God do with the twin warnings of 7:16-17?
Answer: He will heed both warnings and avoid both dangers
In 7:15 the Teacher records an anomaly from his fleeting life: a just man perishing despite his uprightness, while a wicked man prolongs his days in wickedness. Verses 16-17 then warn against being overly righteous or too wise, and against excessive wickedness and folly. The first warning is commonly read as a rebuke of self-constructed, self-reliant righteousness and wisdom, or of the presumption that righteousness secures long life. Verse 18 commends holding on to the one warning without releasing the other, and resolves the counsel in the fear of God: the one who fears Him heeds both cautions. Proverbs 3:7 likewise joins a refusal to be wise in one’s own eyes to the fear of the LORD and turning from evil, Luke 18:9 exposes self-trusting righteousness, and Ecclesiastes 12:13 makes the fear of God the sum of human duty.
- Ecclesiastes 7:15-18 (BSB)“In my futile life I have seen both of these: A righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness. Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good to grasp the one and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God will follow both warnings.”The Teacher observes righteous and wicked lives and warns against both extremes, resolving them in the fear of God.
- Proverbs 3:7 (BSB)“Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.”Being wise in one’s own eyes is set against fearing the LORD.
- Luke 18:9 (BSB)“To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable:”Jesus addresses those who trusted in their own righteousness.
- Ecclesiastes 12:13 (BSB)“When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.”The book’s conclusion makes fearing God the whole duty of man.
General
In 7:8-9, what does the Teacher set over against a proud spirit?
Answer: A patient spirit that is slow to take offense
The Teacher says that how a matter finishes is better than how it starts, and that patience of spirit beats pride (7:8). He warns against being quick to get angry, since anger makes its home in a fool (7:9). Proverbs teaches that a patient person has great understanding and that controlling one’s temper outdoes capturing a city (Proverbs 14:29; 16:32), and James tells believers to be slow to anger, because human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires (James 1:19-20).
- Ecclesiastes 7:8-9 (BSB)“The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one. Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.”The Teacher prefers patience to pride and warns that anger resides in fools.
- Proverbs 14:29 (BSB)“A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.”Patience is joined to great understanding, while a quick temper promotes folly.
- Proverbs 16:32 (BSB)“He who is slow to anger is better than a warrior, and he who controls his temper is greater than one who captures a city.”Controlling one’s temper is ranked above a warrior’s strength.
- James 1:19-20 (BSB)“My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires.”Believers are to be slow to anger, because human anger does not bring about the righteousness God desires.
Theological
What quality does 7:8 commend in contrast to pride, and how does 7:9 apply it?
Answer: A patient spirit that is slow to take offense
Verse 8 commends the finish of a matter over its start and patience over pride; verse 9 forbids a quick temper, because anger lodges in the fool. Proverbs links patience with understanding and self-control with a strength greater than a warrior’s (Proverbs 14:29; 16:32), and James 1:19-20 calls believers to be slow to anger, since human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
- Ecclesiastes 7:8-9 (BSB)“The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one. Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.”The Teacher prefers patience to pride and warns that anger resides in fools.
- Proverbs 14:29 (BSB)“A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.”Patience is joined to great understanding, while a quick temper promotes folly.
- Proverbs 16:32 (BSB)“He who is slow to anger is better than a warrior, and he who controls his temper is greater than one who captures a city.”Controlling one’s temper is ranked above a warrior’s strength.
- James 1:19-20 (BSB)“My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires.”Believers are to be slow to anger, because human anger does not bring about the righteousness God desires.
General
In 7:6, what does the picture of thorns crackling under a pot say about the laughter of fools?
Answer: It is noisy and quickly spent, and so it is futile
The Teacher says listening to a wise person who corrects you is better than hearing fools singing (7:5). He pictures a fool’s laughter as thorny twigs crackling beneath a pot: lots of noise, a quick flare and little real heat, and he calls this futile too (7:6). Proverbs says a mocker refuses correction, while whoever accepts correction that leads to life will belong among wise people (Proverbs 13:1; 15:31), and a psalm welcomes the rebuke of a righteous man as a kindness (Psalm 141:5).
- Ecclesiastes 7:5-6 (BSB)“It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools. For like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.”The Teacher prefers a wise man’s rebuke to the song of fools and compares their laughter to burning thorns.
- Proverbs 13:1 (BSB)“A wise son heeds his father’s discipline, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.”The mocker is marked by his refusal to listen to rebuke.
- Proverbs 15:31 (BSB)“He who listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.”Listening to correction places a person among the wise.
- Psalm 141:5 (BSB)“Let the righteous man strike me; let his rebuke be an act of loving devotion. It is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. For my prayer is ever against the deeds of the wicked.”The psalmist welcomes a righteous man’s rebuke rather than refusing it.
Theological
What point does the image of crackling thorns in 7:6 make about a fool’s laughter?
Answer: It is noisy and quickly spent, and so it is futile
Verse 5 sets a wise man’s correction above the songs fools sing, and verse 6 explains why with a vivid image: thorns crackling beneath a pot burn noisily and briefly but give no lasting heat, and so it is with the fool’s laughter, which the Teacher also judges futile. Proverbs contrasts the mocker who ignores correction with the one who accepts life-giving correction and so lives among the wise (Proverbs 13:1; 15:31), and Psalm 141:5 receives a righteous man’s rebuke as a kindness.
- Ecclesiastes 7:5-6 (BSB)“It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools. For like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.”The Teacher prefers a wise man’s rebuke to the song of fools and compares their laughter to burning thorns.
- Proverbs 13:1 (BSB)“A wise son heeds his father’s discipline, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.”The mocker is marked by his refusal to listen to rebuke.
- Proverbs 15:31 (BSB)“He who listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.”Listening to correction places a person among the wise.
- Psalm 141:5 (BSB)“Let the righteous man strike me; let his rebuke be an act of loving devotion. It is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. For my prayer is ever against the deeds of the wicked.”The psalmist welcomes a righteous man’s rebuke rather than refusing it.
General
In 7:26, who does the Teacher say escapes the seductive woman he describes as a trap?
Answer: The one whose life pleases God
The Teacher set out to gain wisdom, but it stayed beyond his reach, deep and unfathomable (7:23-24). As he searches for wisdom and for the explanation of things, including the foolishness of wickedness (7:25), he says he has found something bitterer than death: a seductive woman who acts as a trap, her heart like a net and her hands like chains (7:26). The person who pleases God gets away from her, while the sinner is caught. Proverbs gives the same warning about the forbidden woman, whose sweet speech ends in bitterness and whose path leads down to death (Proverbs 5:3-5; 2:16-19).
- Ecclesiastes 7:25-26 (BSB)“I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness. And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.”In his search the Teacher describes the snare of a seductive woman and who escapes her.
- Proverbs 5:3-5 (BSB)“Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil, in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.”The forbidden woman’s smooth speech ends in bitterness and leads to death.
- Proverbs 2:16-19 (BSB)“It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words who abandons the partner of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God. For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits. None who go to her return or negotiate the paths of life.”Wisdom rescues from the seductive woman whose house sinks down to death.
Theological
According to 7:26, what separates the one who escapes the seductress from the one who is caught?
Answer: The one whose life pleases God
Having resolved to be wise and found wisdom far off and exceedingly deep (7:23-24), the Teacher continues his search. Within that search for wisdom and for the folly of wickedness (7:25), the Teacher reports finding something bitterer than death: the seductress whose heart is like a net, whose hands bind like chains, a woman who herself is a trap (7:26). Escape is tied to one’s standing before God: the one God is pleased with goes free, while the sinner is caught. Proverbs develops the same warning about the forbidden woman, whose smooth words end in bitterness and whose path descends to death (Proverbs 5:3-5; 2:16-19).
- Ecclesiastes 7:25-26 (BSB)“I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness. And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.”In his search the Teacher describes the snare of a seductive woman and who escapes her.
- Proverbs 5:3-5 (BSB)“Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil, in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.”The forbidden woman’s smooth speech ends in bitterness and leads to death.
- Proverbs 2:16-19 (BSB)“It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words who abandons the partner of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God. For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits. None who go to her return or negotiate the paths of life.”Wisdom rescues from the seductive woman whose house sinks down to death.
General
According to 7:12, what advantage does wisdom have that money does not?
Answer: It keeps alive the one who possesses it
The Teacher says wisdom is good, like receiving an inheritance, and it benefits everyone who is alive (7:11). Like money, wisdom gives protection, but wisdom has an extra advantage: it keeps alive the person who has it (7:12). Proverbs says wisdom is worth more than precious metals (Proverbs 3:13-14; 16:16) and promises that wisdom will watch over and protect the one who loves her (Proverbs 4:6).
- Ecclesiastes 7:11-12 (BSB)“Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good, and it benefits those who see the sun. For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.”Wisdom, like money, is a shelter, but it also preserves the life of its owner.
- Proverbs 3:13-14 (BSB)“Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who acquires understanding, for she is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than fine gold.”Wisdom is called more profitable than silver and better than fine gold.
- Proverbs 16:16 (BSB)“How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is more desirable than silver.”Gaining wisdom and understanding is better than gaining gold and silver.
- Proverbs 4:6 (BSB)“Do not forsake wisdom, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will guard you.”Wisdom is promised to preserve and guard the one who loves her.
Theological
In 7:11-12, what distinct advantage does knowledge give beyond the shelter that money also provides?
Answer: It keeps alive the one who possesses it
Verses 11-12 compare wisdom to an inheritance and to money: each offers a kind of shelter, but knowledge has this advantage, that wisdom keeps its possessor alive. Proverbs ranks wisdom above silver and gold (Proverbs 3:13-14; 16:16) and promises that wisdom, loved and held fast, will keep and protect its owner (Proverbs 4:6).
- Ecclesiastes 7:11-12 (BSB)“Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good, and it benefits those who see the sun. For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.”Wisdom, like money, is a shelter, but it also preserves the life of its owner.
- Proverbs 3:13-14 (BSB)“Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who acquires understanding, for she is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than fine gold.”Wisdom is called more profitable than silver and better than fine gold.
- Proverbs 16:16 (BSB)“How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is more desirable than silver.”Gaining wisdom and understanding is better than gaining gold and silver.
- Proverbs 4:6 (BSB)“Do not forsake wisdom, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will guard you.”Wisdom is promised to preserve and guard the one who loves her.