Text -- Ecclesiastes 7:21 (NET)

7:21 Also, do not pay attention to everything that people say; otherwise, you might even hear your servant cursing you.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Ecc 7:21

¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “so that you do not hear…”; or “lest you hear….”

³ tn The imperfect tense verb תִשְׁמַע (tishma’; from שָׁמַע [shama’, “to hear”]) functions in a modal sense, denoting possibility: “you might hear” (see IBHS 508 §31.4e).