Ecclesiastes 7:19-20

Wisdom Needed Because No One is Truly Righteous

7:19 Wisdom gives a wise person more protection ¹ 

than ten rulers in a city.

7:20 For ²  there is not one truly ³  righteous person on the earth

who continually does good and never sins.

[7:19]  ¹ tn Heb “gives strength.”

[7:20]  ² 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]  ³ 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.