Ecclesiastes 7:20

7:20 For ¹  there is not one truly ²  righteous person on the earth

who continually does good and never sins.

Romans 7:22-25

7:22 For I delight in the law of God in my inner being. 7:23 But I see a different law in my members waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members. 7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 7:25 Thanks be ³  to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, ⁴  I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but ⁵  with my flesh I serve ⁶  the law of sin.

James 3:2

3:2 For we all stumble ⁷  in many ways. If someone does not stumble ⁸  in what he says, ⁹  he is a perfect individual, ¹⁰  able to control the entire body as well.

[7:20]  ¹ tn The introductory particle כִּי (ki) is rendered variously: “for” (KJV); “indeed” (NASB); not translated (NIV); “for” (NJPS). The particle functions in an explanatory sense, explaining the need for wisdom in v. 19. Righteousness alone cannot always protect a person from calamity (7:15-16); therefore, something additional, such as wisdom, is needed. The need for wisdom as protection from calamity is particularly evident in the light of the fact that no one is truly righteous (7:19-20).

[7:20]  ² tn The term “truly” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. Qoheleth does not deny the existence of some people who are relatively righteous.

[7:25]  ³ tc ‡ Most mss (א* A 1739 1881 Ï sy) read “I give thanks to God” rather than “Now thanks be to God” (א¹ [B] Ψ 33 81 104 365 1506 pc), the reading of NA²⁷. The reading with the verb (εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ, eucaristw tw qew) possibly arose from a transcriptional error in which several letters were doubled (TCGNT 455). The conjunction δέ (de, “now”) is included in some mss as well (א¹ Ψ 33 81 104 365 1506 pc), but it should probably not be considered original. The ms support for the omission of δέ is both excellent and widespread (א* A B D 1739 1881 Ï lat sy), and its addition can be explained as an insertion to smooth out the transition between v. 24 and 25.

[7:25]  ⁴ tn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.

[7:25]  ⁵ tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.

[7:25]  ⁶ tn The words “I serve” have been repeated here for clarity.

[3:2]  ⁷ tn Or “fail.”

[3:2]  ⁸ tn Or “fail.”

[3:2]  ⁹ tn Grk “in speech.”

[3:2]  ¹⁰ tn The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But it sometimes is used generically to mean “anyone,” “a person,” as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 2).