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Text -- Ecclesiastes 7:11-29 (NET)

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Context
Wisdom Can Lengthen One’s Life
7:11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing; it benefits those who see the light of day. 7:12 For wisdom provides protection, just as money provides protection. But the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
Wisdom Acknowledges God’s Orchestration of Life
7:13 Consider the work of God: For who can make straight what he has bent? 7:14 In times of prosperity be joyful, but in times of adversity consider this: God has made one as well as the other, so that no one can discover what the future holds.
Exceptions to the Law of Retribution
7:15 During the days of my fleeting life I have seen both of these things: Sometimes a righteous person dies prematurely in spite of his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked person lives long in spite of his evil deeds. 7:16 So do not be excessively righteous or excessively wise; otherwise you might be disappointed. 7:17 Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool; otherwise you might die before your time. 7:18 It is best to take hold of one warning without letting go of the other warning; for the one who fears God will follow both warnings.
Wisdom Needed Because No One is Truly Righteous
7:19 Wisdom gives a wise person more protection than ten rulers in a city. 7:20 For there is not one truly righteous person on the earth who continually does good and never sins. 7:21 Also, do not pay attention to everything that people say; otherwise, you might even hear your servant cursing you. 7:22 For you know in your own heart that you also have cursed others many times.
Human Wisdom is Limited
7:23 I have examined all this by wisdom; I said, “I am determined to comprehend this”– but it was beyond my grasp. 7:24 Whatever has happened is beyond human understanding; it is far deeper than anyone can fathom.
True Righteousness and Wisdom are Virtually Nonexistent
7:25 I tried to understand, examine, and comprehend the role of wisdom in the scheme of things, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the insanity of folly. 7:26 I discovered this: More bitter than death is the kind of woman who is like a hunter’s snare; her heart is like a hunter’s net and her hands are like prison chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is captured by her. 7:27 The Teacher says: I discovered this while trying to discover the scheme of things, item by item. 7:28 What I have continually sought, I have not found; I have found only one upright man among a thousand, but I have not found one upright woman among all of them. 7:29 This alone have I discovered: God made humankind upright, but they have sought many evil schemes.
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Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes

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Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Ecc 7:11 Heb “see the sun.”

NET Notes: Ecc 7:12 The verb חָיָה (khayah, “to live”) in the Piel denotes (1) “to let live; to keep alive; to preserve al...

NET Notes: Ecc 7:14 Heb “anything after him.” This line is misinterpreted by several versions: “that man may not find against him any just complaintR...

NET Notes: Ecc 7:15 Heb “a wicked man endures.”

NET Notes: Ecc 7:16 Or “Why should you ruin yourself?”; or “Why should you destroy yourself?” The verb שָׁמֵם ...

NET Notes: Ecc 7:17 Heb “Why?” The question is rhetorical.

NET Notes: Ecc 7:18 Heb “both.” The term “warnings” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. Alternatel...

NET Notes: Ecc 7:19 Heb “gives strength.”

NET Notes: Ecc 7:20 The term “truly” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. Qoheleth does not deny the existence ...

NET Notes: Ecc 7:21 The imperfect tense verb תִשְׁמַע (tishma’; from שָׁמַע [sha...

NET Notes: Ecc 7:22 Heb “your heart knows.”

NET Notes: Ecc 7:23 Or “but it eluded me”; Heb “but it was far from me.”

NET Notes: Ecc 7:24 Heb “It is deep, deep – who can find it?” The repetition of the word “deep” emphasizes the degree of incomprehensibility...

NET Notes: Ecc 7:25 Or “the folly of madness” The genitive construct phrase וְהַסִּכְלו’...

NET Notes: Ecc 7:26 Heb “is snares.” The plural form מְצוֹדִים (mÿtsodim, from the noun I מ&#...

NET Notes: Ecc 7:28 The word “upright” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation twice, here and in the following line, for clari...

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