Ecclesiastes 5:1
in Ecclesiastes 5Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God; for to draw nigh to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they know not that they do evil.
KJV
Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
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This verse in Ecclesiastes 5
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Keep thy foot - i. e., Give thy mind to what thou art going to do. The house of God - It has been said that here an ordinary devout Hebrew writer might have been expected to call it “the house of Yahweh;” but to those who accept this book as the work of Solomon after his fall into idolatry, it will appear a natural sign of the writer’s self-humiliation, an acknowledgment of his unworthiness of the privileges of a son of the covenant, that he avoids the name of the Lord of the covenant (see Ecc 1:13 note).
This site's exposition
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God
on Ecclesiastes 5:1-3
The Teacher turns from riches to reverence: Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. He would have the worshiper Draw near to listen. Verse 3 gives the parallel, As a dream comes through many cares, so the speech of a fool comes with many words.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
A commentator
Gregory of NeocaesareaA Metaphrase of the Book of Ecclesiastes · Written before 270.
proposed
Moreover, it is a good thing to use the tongue sparingly, and to keep a calm and rightly balanced heart in the exercise of speech. For it is not right to give utterance in words to things that are foolish and absurd, or to all …
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCommentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 4 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
Since the vanity of fault is deadly and pestilential, therefore here the remedy against that vanity is treated. And because a threefold vanity preceded, namely of malice, avarice, and imprudence, therefore here he sets forth three remedies. And first he gives the remedy against malice; …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
To hear - To hearken to and obey God's word. Of fools - Such as wicked men use to offer, who vainly think to please God with their sacrifices without obedience. For - They are not sensible of the great sinfulness of such thoughts.
Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God,.... The house of the sanctuary of the Lord, the temple built by Solomon; and so any place of divine worship, where the word of God is preached, and his ordinances administered. The wise man, having observed many vanities under the sun, directs men to the house of God, where they might learn the nature of them, and how to avoid them; though if care was not taken, they would find or introduce vanity there; which, of all vanities, is the worst, and ought to be guarded against.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
WEISS needlessly reads, "Keep thy feast days" (Ex 23:14, 17; the three great feasts). hear--rather, "To be ready (to draw nigh with the desire) to hear (obey) is a better sacrifice than the offering of fools" [HOLDEN]. The warning is against mere ceremonial self-righteousness, as in Ec 7:12. Obedience is the spirit of the law's requirements (De 10:12).
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Keep thy foot - This verse the Hebrew and all the versions join to the preceding chapter. Solomon, having before intimated, though very briefly, that the only cure against human vanity is a due sense of religion, now enters more largely on this important subject, and gives some excellent directions with regard to the right performance of Divine service, the nature of vocal and mental prayer, the danger of rash vows, etc. - C. The whole verse might be more literally translated thus: - “Guard thy steps as thou art going to the house of God; and approach to hearken, and not to give the sacrifice of fools, for none of them have knowledge about doing evil.” “They offer gifts for their sins, and do not turn from their evil works; for they know not (they distinguish not) between good and evil.” See the Chaldee.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
To utter a word before God. To speak critically toward [God] above.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Do not hurry on thy language so as to make a mistake in the words of thy mouth, and let not thy heart make a vow, resolving to do something at the time when thou prayest before the Lord, for the Lord rules over all the world, and sits upon the throne of glory in the high heavens, and thou sittest on earth, therefore let the words of thy mouth be few.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence.
The words behind it
17 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שְׁמֹ֣ר | shemor | guard | H8104 → | 468 times |
| רַגְלְךָ֗ | ragleikha | foot your | H7272 → | |
| כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר | kaasher | <just> when | H834 → | 5497 times |
| תֵּלֵךְ֙ | telekh | you will go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| בֵּ֣ית | beit | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים | haelohim | <the> God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| וְקָר֣וֹב | vekarov | and draw near | H7126 → | |
| לִשְׁמֹ֔עַ | lishmoa' | to listen | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| מִתֵּ֥ת | mitet | more than giving | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| הַכְּסִילִ֖ים | hakesilim | the fools | H3684 → | 70 times |
| זָ֑בַח | zavach | a sacrifice | H2077 → | |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אֵינָ֥ם | ʾeinam | not they | H369 → | 789 times |
| יוֹדְעִ֖ים | yodim | [are] knowing | H3045 → | 945 times |
| לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת | laasot | to do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| רָֽע׃ | ra' | evil | H7451 → | 662 times |
שְׁמֹ֣רguard
shemorH8104 →468 times
רַגְלְךָ֗foot your
ragleikhaH7272 →
כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר<just> when
kaasherH834 →5497 times
תֵּלֵךְ֙you will go
telekhH1980 →1546 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
בֵּ֣ית[the] house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים<the> God
haelohimH430 →2601 times
וְקָר֣וֹבand draw near
vekarovH7126 →
לִשְׁמֹ֔עַto listen
lishmoa'H8085 →1159 times
מִתֵּ֥תmore than giving
mitetH5414 →2011 times
הַכְּסִילִ֖יםthe fools
hakesilimH3684 →70 times
זָ֑בַחa sacrifice
zavachH2077 →
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
אֵינָ֥םnot they
ʾeinamH369 →789 times
יוֹדְעִ֖ים[are] knowing
yodimH3045 →945 times
לַעֲשׂ֥וֹתto do
laasotH6213 →2628 times
רָֽע׃evil
ra'H7451 →662 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
James 1:19My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,
it leads to
- Proverbs 17:27
A man of knowledge restrains his words, and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit.
- Proverbs 21:23
He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from distress.
- Proverbs 14:29
A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.
- Proverbs 10:19
When words are many, sin is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.
- Proverbs 18:13
He who answers a matter before he hears it—this is folly and disgrace to him.
- Proverbs 17:27
Through
Proverbs 15:8The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
it leads to
- Proverbs 15:29
The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.
- 1 Chronicles 29:17
I know, my God, that You test the heart and delight in uprightness. All these things I have given willingly and with an upright heart, and now I have seen Your people who are…
- Proverbs 21:27
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable—how much more so when brought with ill intent!
- Proverbs 15:29
Where this verse is studied
About Ecclesiastes
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bonaventure, Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 4; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Ecclesiastes; Gregory of Neocaesarea, A Metaphrase of the Book of Ecclesiastes; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.