Ecclesiastes 7:23 BSB

Ecclesiastes 7:23

All this I tested by wisdom, saying, “I resolve to be wise.” But it was beyond me.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

All this have I proved in wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

KJV

All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

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Commentary

1 voice

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

I will be - Or, I am. There was a time when Solomon thought himself wise enough to comprehend the work of God, and therefore needed for himself the self-humbling conviction declared in this verse. It - i. e. Wisdom. Compare Ecc 8:17.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

He owns and laments the deficiencies of his wisdom. He had wisdom enough to see the vanity of the world and to experience that that would not make a portion for a soul. But, when he came to enquire further, he found himself at a loss; his eye was too dim, his line was too short, and, though he discovered this, there were many other things which he could not prove by wisdom.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

All this--resuming the "all" in Ec 7:15; Ec 7:15-22 is therefore the fruit of his dearly bought experience in the days of his "vanity." I will be wise--I tried to "be wise," independently of God. But true wisdom was then "far from him," in spite of his human wisdom, which he retained by God's gift.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

9 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
כָּל־	kol-	all	H3605 →
זֹ֖ה	zoh	this	H2090 →
נִסִּ֣יתִי	ni.Si.ti	I have put to [the] test	H5254 →
בַֽחָכְמָ֑ה	va.cha.khe.Mah	by <the> wisdom	H2451 →
אָמַ֣רְתִּי	'a.Mar.ti	I said	H559 →
אֶחְכָּ֔מָה	'ech.Ka.mah	let me be wise	H2449 →
וְהִ֖יא	ve.Hi'	and it	H1931 →
רְחוֹקָ֥ה	re.cho.Kah	[was] far	H7350 →
מִמֶּֽנִּי׃	mi.Me.ni	from me	H4480 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Genesis 3:5
“For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
leads to
- Ezekiel 28:2
  “Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of…
- 2 Thessalonians 2:4
  He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
- 2 Corinthians 11:13–15
  For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 4:4
  The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Through
Romans 1:22
Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,
leads to
- 1 Corinthians 1:19–21
  For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
- Proverbs 26:12
  Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
- Romans 11:25
  I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles…
Through
1 Corinthians 1:20
Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
leads to
- Romans 1:22
  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,

About Ecclesiastes

King Solomon in Old Age — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

Ecclesiastes: the study guide →Read chapter 7 →The featured study →

Continue: Ecclesiastes 7 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

06About Ecclesiastes

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

About Ecclesiastes